Results 9,141-9,160 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (17 Dec 2019)

Leo Varadkar: Both I and my advisers have discussed with the former Deputy, Dara Murphy, a number of options as to how an inquiry can be carried out. That is one of the options we have discussed with him and it is still a work in progress. There should be an inquiry and Mr. Murphy has agreed to submit to one. He should pay back any expenses if the inquiry finds against him. I would like to know from...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (17 Dec 2019)

Leo Varadkar: -----in respect of sitting Oireachtas Members who are under investigation by our ethics committee-----

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (17 Dec 2019)

Leo Varadkar: -----such as Deputies Lisa Chambers, Dooley and Niall Collins or Senator Clifford-Lee, who still has not apologised for some of the remarks she made-----

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (17 Dec 2019)

Leo Varadkar: -----whether they will be ratified as Fianna Fáil candidates in the next general election, when there is still a cloud of suspicion over them and when they are still under investigation. Will you, sir, answer that straight question?

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (17 Dec 2019)

Leo Varadkar: The Government is very much aware of these issues. We know that many parents are concerned that their child's crèche or childcare facility may close in the new year, or that they may find a steep increase in the charges they have to pay. We want to ensure that no crèches close in the new year, unless it is for a very good reason, such as, for example, as a result of issues...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (17 Dec 2019)

Leo Varadkar: When the Deputy raised the issue of reform of the Oireachtas and restoring the people's trust in it, I thought he might have referred to Deputies Lisa Chambers, Niall Collins or Dooley, or perhaps even Senator Clifford-Lee, or some of his own party's Senators-----

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (17 Dec 2019)

Leo Varadkar: -----who featured in an RTÉ investigative report only last week. Perhaps he will come back and comment on that at a later stage. They are all sitting Deputies and some of them will even be candidates in a general election for Fianna Fáil, which says a lot.

Leaders' Questions (17 Dec 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I honestly do not know why it does not apply in this case but I will check that out and provide the Deputy with a more detailed reply. It may well be - I am only guessing - that the directive applies to bodies that are largely publicly funded whereas this is a body that receives only a small proportion of its funding from the Government. That is just my guess because that is often the way...

Leaders' Questions (17 Dec 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy. I do not want to cast aspersions on any particular audit firm, nor on the many thousands of very good people who work in that particular firm, but I do think the Deputy has asked a good question and makes a very good point. It is a principle of good corporate governance that organisations should not be audited by the same people forever and ever and ever again. It is...

Leaders' Questions (17 Dec 2019)

Leo Varadkar: In practical terms that gap is closed by our tax and welfare system-----

Leaders' Questions (17 Dec 2019)

Leo Varadkar: -----and that is how we use-----

Leaders' Questions (17 Dec 2019)

Leo Varadkar: It is certainly narrowed. That gap is narrowed by our tax and welfare system. Before social transfers, tax and social welfare, there is a big gap between the best paid and the lowest paid in Ireland. After tax and welfare, it actually goes the other way and we are one of the more equal countries when it comes to-----

Leaders' Questions (17 Dec 2019)

Leo Varadkar: -----the gap between the lowest and best paid. As I said earlier, the reason we have that gap in Ireland is not because Irish workers are worse paid than people doing the same job in England, America, France or Germany.

Leaders' Questions (17 Dec 2019)

Leo Varadkar: Relatively, Ireland's pay levels are higher, and our minimum wage is the sixth highest in the world, even when one takes into account purchasing power capacity. The gap exists because there is a large number of people on very high pay, especially in the multinational sector, which distorts the figures and drives the number upwards. One could take the view that we should set a pay cap or a...

Leaders' Questions (17 Dec 2019)

Leo Varadkar: The other way is through the minimum wage mechanism and the existing legislation that established the Low Pay Commission, which was brought in by Deputy Howlin's party when it shared Government with us, and which does it properly. It takes into account the views of employees through their unions, it takes into account the views of employers who must find the money to pay it in the first...

Leaders' Questions (17 Dec 2019)

Leo Varadkar: The Deputy is very vocal on this issue. He is very good and well-informed on the issue, which is why I am so disappointed that his solution is a Cabinet sub-committee. A Cabinet sub-committee - I know all about them - will not bring down the cost of insurance for any driver or business person in Ireland.

Leaders' Questions (17 Dec 2019)

Leo Varadkar: What is required to bring down the cost of insurance is action from Government-----

Leaders' Questions (17 Dec 2019)

Leo Varadkar: -----and that action is taking place.

Leaders' Questions (17 Dec 2019)

Leo Varadkar: Only today, for example, the Judicial Council came into existence-----

Leaders' Questions (17 Dec 2019)

Leo Varadkar: -----with a committee of judges that can now look at the cost of claims, potentially bring them down-----