Results 901-920 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (7 Nov 2023)

Leo Varadkar: On the matter of the Israeli ambassador, it is not the Government's intention to expel the ambassador, and that is for very good reasons. Even countries at war have ambassadors. We have not expelled the Russian ambassador-----

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (7 Nov 2023)

Leo Varadkar: -----and I do not think anyone in the House is as supportive of Ukraine as I have been in meaningful ways, not just in words. We have a situation now where we have about 40 Irish citizens in Gaza and we want them to be able to leave-----

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (7 Nov 2023)

Leo Varadkar: -----if they want to leave. We have an Irish citizen who may be held hostage in Gaza by Hamas and we want to get her out. At some point we also want to be able to talk about peace and reconciliation and an end to this conflict. When you expel an ambassador, you disempower yourself. You cut off links, you cannot talk any more and you have to rebuild those links. I can understand it as an...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (7 Nov 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy for raising this issue again. I recognise her long-standing interest in the political situation in the Middle East. In seeing what we see on TV news and social media every day, all of us cannot help but be struck by the number of children being killed, children who are often pretty thin and malnourished for other reasons, and by the number of journalists and UN aid...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (7 Nov 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I hear what the Deputy is saying but I do not think that is a fair assessment of Ireland's position down through the years. I mention the engagement I have had with the Palestinian Authority, and with President Abbas, for example, whom I met some years ago. There was a strong acknowledgement from the Palestinian Authority and from Palestinians in general that Irish Governments have...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (7 Nov 2023)

Leo Varadkar: Work to modernise and improve the operation of the criminal legal aid scheme is under way as part of the criminal justice (legal aid) Bill, which is being drafted at present. It is intended that as part of this modernisation, the Bill will update the court application and eligibility process and in appropriate cases, the applicant may be subject to an assessment of means. Following this...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (7 Nov 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy for raising this important matter and join with him in offering condolences to Deputy Verona Murphy. I had not heard about her father passing on. All our thoughts are with her today. I thank Deputy Grealish for raising this issue. It is a matter of enormous annoyance to people that those who have multiple convictions, who have a history of recidivism, get legal aid...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (7 Nov 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy. We will do all we can as a country to try to bring an end to this conflict and to try to ensure there is peace with justice, so that both Israelis and Palestinians can live in secure and viable states. However, we are so far away from that at the moment. The priority now has to be a humanitarian ceasefire so that hostages can be released, so that foreign citizens can...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (7 Nov 2023)

Leo Varadkar: To answer the Deputy's question, we will do three things. There will be a new pay deal which we will negotiate with teachers and public servants in the next few weeks. We are building more than 30,000 new homes this year and not objecting to them in the way the Deputy's party and her representatives do.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (7 Nov 2023)

Leo Varadkar: We will also increase the rent credit to €750 a year per renter, which is €1,500 for a couple and more than that if there are more than two people sharing. I wish to put on the record of the House that the Deputy, the leader of Sinn Féin, misled the House.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (7 Nov 2023)

Leo Varadkar: She said that she did not want to take away-----

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (7 Nov 2023)

Leo Varadkar: -----the help-to-buy and first home schemes.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (7 Nov 2023)

Leo Varadkar: It is Sinn Féin's policy to remove the help-----

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (7 Nov 2023)

Leo Varadkar: -----that this Government is giving first-time buyers.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (7 Nov 2023)

Leo Varadkar: She wants-----

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (7 Nov 2023)

Leo Varadkar: -----to make it harder for first-time buyers to buy their first home.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (7 Nov 2023)

Leo Varadkar: Everybody needs to know that.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (7 Nov 2023)

Leo Varadkar: Ireland condemns the attack by Hamas and other militant groups on Israel and the devastating loss of life that it has caused. Attacks on civilians and the taking of hostages is always wrong. Israel's right to defend itself, indeed its obligation to defend itself, must be exercised within the parameters of international humanitarian law. All parties in all conflicts must abide by...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (7 Nov 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue. First of all, the Government and the Minister for Education are very aware of shortages of teachers affecting many schools around the country. We know that from time to time - too frequently - it means a special education teacher being assigned to a regular class and that impacts negatively on the child with special education needs. We...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (7 Nov 2023)

Leo Varadkar: Yes, you do, Deputy.