Results 9,101-9,120 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (18 Dec 2019)

Leo Varadkar: Everyone writes the service plan after it is known how much funding is available for it. However, I do not disagree with Deputy Pringle. Of course we will have problems and challenges in the health service next year, just as we have had in every previous year, and just as every other country does too. As Deputy Pringle pointed out some of the difficulties we will face next year, it...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (18 Dec 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I had a chance to read the constitutional amendment Bill introduced by Deputy Harty and we had a chance to discuss it at Cabinet. We were all very much of the view that it should not be dismissed out of hand and that it is something that deserves proper consideration by the committee, as has been proposed, if not in this Dáil then certainly in the next one. I have always had an open...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (18 Dec 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy. I am not entirely sure what she means by stepping in, but perhaps in her further reply she can outline exactly what she would do if she was in my position. Whether it is a public provider or private provider, insurance is still needed, and whether it is a public or private, a provider can still be sued. That applies to schools, hospitals and community centres. Anybody...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (18 Dec 2019)

Leo Varadkar: Ironshore had been offering very low-cost insurance to some providers. That firm is now out of the market. Allianz is still there, offering insurance to childcare providers at an average cost of €60 per child per year. It has already offered insurance to 869 of the 1,300 providers formerly covered by Ironshore, and is willing to make offers to others within 24 hours. I am confident...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (18 Dec 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I am grateful that the Deputy has at least made a suggestion, but I contend that it is a rather reckless one. If an insurer is unable to provide cover for a particular facility, be it a crèche, a childcare provider or anything else, there may be a good reason for that. There may be a very high risk in insuring it, for a particular reason. For the State to wander in blindly, no...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (18 Dec 2019)

Leo Varadkar: It shows exactly why Sinn Féin cannot be trusted by the taxpayer to be in charge of the public purse.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (18 Dec 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy. Following Government approval, the HSE published its service plan for 2020 yesterday. The budget for the HSE next year is €17 billion, the biggest ever budget for our health service, and an increase of more than 6%. While the Deputy rightly points out that we have a growing and ageing population, a 6% increase is more than what is required to meet the resultant...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (18 Dec 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy for raising what is a very important issue at the moment. Many parents are worried their crèche or childcare provider might not be open in the new year and that they may see a steep increase in fees in the new year. The Government is working very hard to make sure neither of those scenarios arise. I met the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Deputy Zappone,...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (18 Dec 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy for those questions. I do not agree with his assessment. We have all been aware for a very long time that there is a general issue regarding the cost of employers' liability and public liability insurance. We set up an interdepartmental working group to deal with those issues a very long time ago and we have been implementing its recommendations as recently as yesterday,...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (18 Dec 2019)

Leo Varadkar: We have also bought in the national childcare scheme, which means increased subsidies for hundreds of thousands of children and also that people on middle incomes will qualify for the first time. We brought in increased and longer maternity benefit, parental benefit and paternity benefit for the first time. This is very much a Government that is building a society with the family at its...

Gnó na Dála - Business of Dáil (18 Dec 2019)

Leo Varadkar: As this is the last day of this year's session of Dáil Éireann, I am really pleased on behalf of the Government and on behalf of my party to extend my thanks to the Leas-Cheann Comhairle, the Ceann Comhairle and their staff, the Bills Office and all the general staff in Leinster House for the phenomenal work they have done for us in the past year. I would particularly like to...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Departmental Websites (18 Dec 2019)

Leo Varadkar: My Department’s website www.gov.ie/taoiseach is managed by the staff of the Government Information Service. The Content published includes public information notices, consultation papers, information about my Department, and current speeches and press releases from the Government. The website also contains content informing citizens and different sectoral groups about Brexit. The...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Project Ireland 2040 Administration (18 Dec 2019)

Leo Varadkar: Project Ireland 2040 provides the overarching policy and planning framework for the social, economic and cultural development of our country. It includes a detailed capital investment plan for the period 2018 to 2027 - the €116bn National Development Plan 2018-2027, and the 20-year National Planning Framework 2040. My Department is represented on the Project Ireland 2040 Delivery...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Departmental Staff Data (18 Dec 2019)

Leo Varadkar: The information requested by the Deputy regarding new staff recruited in my Department from January 2019 to date is outlined in the following table. My Department uses workforce planning and succession planning to ensure that there are sufficient staffing resources in place to deliver the Department's strategic goals. Staff are recruited to fill vacancies which arise on an ongoing basis due...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Departmental Advertising Data (18 Dec 2019)

Leo Varadkar: Comprehensive communications have been central to the work across Government to ensure that Ireland is as prepared as possible for the UK exiting the EU, whatever shape it takes.This includes the Government-wide Getting Ireland Brexit Readypublic information and outreach campaign which was launched in September 2018. In advance of the March, April and October Brexit deadlines, my Department...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Personal Injury Claims (18 Dec 2019)

Leo Varadkar: No property is owned either by my Department or the National Economic and Social Development Office (NESDO), which is the only agency under the aegis of my Department. The properties occupied by my Department and the National Economic and Social Development Office are provided and managed by the Office of Public Works. No payments for personal injuries on these premises were made during the...

Ceisteanna - Questions: European Council Meetings (17 Dec 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I am very supportive of the European green deal. I am encouraged that President von der Leyen and the new Commission have decided to take a lead on this. When Ms von der Leyen was nominated by the European Council for Commission president she said she would do so and the President has already shown her sincerity in that regard. The objective is to transform Europe into the first climate...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committee Meetings (17 Dec 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputies for their contributions. I agree with them. This is an urgent issue that relates to social policy and health policy, as well as to security and criminal justice. It is intended to review the implementation of the national drugs strategy at the next Cabinet sub-committee meeting on social policy. Reference was made to the Building Community Resilience report by Dr....

Ceisteanna - Questions: European Council Meetings (17 Dec 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 9 to 22, inclusive, together. I attended the European Council and euro summit in Brussels on Thursday, 12 December, and Friday, 13 December. On Thursday, we discussed the idea of a conference on the future of Europe. We asked the incoming Croatian EU Presidency to work towards defining a Council position on the content, scope, composition and functioning of...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Northern Ireland (17 Dec 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputies again for their contributions. There is a real window of opportunity now to re-establish the Northern Ireland Assembly, the Executive and the North-South Ministerial Council between now and the deadline of 13 January. There have, however, been windows of opportunity in the past and unfortunately it was not possible to come to an agreement, so it is far from granted at...