Results 9,401-9,420 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Ceisteanna - Questions: Departmental Staff Data (3 Dec 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 4 to 10, inclusive, together. The international, EU and Northern Ireland division of my Department covers work on all international, EU and British-Irish and Northern Ireland affairs within the Department, including Brexit issues. There are 26 staff in total, headed by a second Secretary General. Included in this are seven staff in the British-Irish and...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Biotechnology Industry (3 Dec 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 3, inclusive, together. My Department co-ordinated the development of the national policy statement on the bioeconomy which was published in March 2018. This delivered on commitments given in the Action Plan for Jobs and the Action Plan for Rural Development and built on actions in Food Wise 2025. The policy statement sets out Ireland's ambition...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (3 Dec 2019)

Leo Varadkar: We are increasing funding to the National Ambulance Service every year. Only last week I was with the staff at the main call centre in Tallaght. Decisions on where services are located are really best made by them rather than us. I am advised that there are new centres at Tuam and Mulranny that have assisted. I will certainly make the National Ambulance Service aware of what the Deputy...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (3 Dec 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I am not sure about the exact timelines but I will check with the Minister and ask him to correspond with the Deputy. It sounds like our submission may be a little delayed. I will double-check that and let the Deputy know.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (3 Dec 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy and I will inform the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport that he raised this matter. I will ask the Minister to reply to the Deputy directly.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (3 Dec 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I assure any Deputies from rural Ireland that bingo is pretty popular in urban Ireland and Dublin.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (3 Dec 2019)

Leo Varadkar: There are no plans to cause difficulties to bingo players. What is intended is a legislative change that will ensure that charities receive a fair share from bingo operators who act as their agents, that is a minimum of 25% of proceeds. These measures will increase transparency by placing some additional responsibilities on applicants for lottery licences. It is right and proper that the...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (3 Dec 2019)

Leo Varadkar: We are very keen to see the money for community CCTV drawn down. There have been difficulties in some places around who or who is not the data controller. The Deputy raised this with me personally earlier and I will ask my office to look at it and see if there is anything that can be done to make these programmes more operational.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (3 Dec 2019)

Leo Varadkar: It is not my practice to organise meetings on the floor of the House. The Deputy will appreciate that I receive a lot of requests and my diary is now full until the recess. However, I will meet them as soon as it is practical to do so.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (3 Dec 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I am not in a position to update the Deputy. It is a decision for the Irish Wheelchair Association. The Minister of State, Deputy Finian McGrath, was due to meet it, but I am not sure if that has happened.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (3 Dec 2019)

Leo Varadkar: Department officials met an Irish Pharmacy Union delegation on two occasions and received a detailed submission from the IPU on 8 November. The submission is being considered by the Department in the context of the statutory fee-setting process under the Public Service Pay and Pensions Act and the Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest, FEMPI, Acts. The Minster for Health is...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (3 Dec 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I did not think we were on the eve of a general election. Maybe I have been counting the numbers wrong. I will have to come back to the Deputy with an answer to his question as I am not familiar with the matter.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (3 Dec 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I will answer as best I can. The Rotunda hospital will go to Connolly hospital, which is owned by the State. The Coombe will go to the St. James's campus, which is owned by the State. The arrangements for Holles Street hospital moving to St. Vincent's Hospital have to be worked out. My understanding is that it involves a 99-year lease. The building is owned by the State and the land is...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (3 Dec 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I do not have its freehold title.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (3 Dec 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I thank Deputy Micheál Martin for raising the important issue of air quality. We had a detailed discussion about this matter just last evening at the Cabinet sub-committee on the environment. We acknowledge that poor air quality has a severe impact on people's health. We are keen to act on this issue, and things have changed since the 1990s. We now know that peat briquettes and wood...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (3 Dec 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I said something else as well that I meant sincerely. When the CervicalCheck audit report came out in May, we in this House did not cover ourselves in glory and nor did large portions of the media. I specifically recall Deputy McDonald making statements that had to be taken back and her party's spokesperson sent out tweets that had to be deleted. Let us not have that happen all over again....

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (3 Dec 2019)

Leo Varadkar: Out of respect for the women affected and their families, let us get this process right this time. Let us read the actual report, and not on Twitter. I am not referring to Deputy McDonald but another Deputy.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (3 Dec 2019)

Leo Varadkar: Let us read the report and have a chance to consider it. We can then let the people from the RCOG who wrote the report explain it and answer questions. After mature reflection and consideration, let us then have a debate in this House with questions. Let us not do all over again what happened two years ago. I ask that we please not do that.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (3 Dec 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I thank Deputy Howlin for raising the fact that today is the International Day of Persons with Disabilities. It is appropriate that we discuss this. As Deputy Howlin points out, many people with disabilities would like to work if they can be assisted and facilitated to do so. There are, however, many barriers to doing so, and our job as a Government and a Legislature is to remove some of...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (3 Dec 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I again congratulate the Deputy on his stunning by-election victory in Dublin Fingal. Ireland's cross-departmental delegation is appearing before the UN Committee responsible for monitoring the implementation of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination. The delegation is headed by the Minister of State at the Department of Justice and Equality,...