Results 9,881-9,900 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed): European Council Meetings (23 Oct 2019)

Leo Varadkar: PEACE+.

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed): European Council Meetings (23 Oct 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I have to check up on Deputy Calleary's question regarding an EU rainy day fund. There has not been any discussion of that at European Council level yet. It might be something that is being discussed at ECOFIN, so I would have to double-check with the Minister for Finance, Deputy Donohoe, about that. Lots of different instruments, which we will all be aware of from our period in the...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed): Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (23 Oct 2019)

Leo Varadkar: On speaking to Prime Minister Johnson, he was very pleased that he got Second Stage of the withdrawal agreement Bill through the House of Commons last night by a very clear majority of over 30 votes. That was the first time in quite some time that anyone managed to get the House of Commons to vote for any clear plan on Brexit. It was a huge achievement by Prime Minister Johnson to get it...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed): Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (23 Oct 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I agree to that but it has not yet been agreed by the 27 member states. We may have to have an emergency European Council meeting over the course of the next few days to discuss it if consensus cannot be reached. If there is consensus, it can be done by written procedure. If there is no consensus, it will be necessary to meet. My bags are always packed for Brussels, and packed they are...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed): European Council Meetings (23 Oct 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 18 to 32, inclusive, together. I attended the European Council meeting in Brussels on Thursday, 17 October and Friday, 18 October. On Thursday, agreement was reached between the EU and UK negotiators on the terms of a proposed revised withdrawal agreement. The European Council, when it met, heard from Prime Minister Johnson. It considered the proposed...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed): Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (23 Oct 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 8 to 17, inclusive, together I spoke by phone with Prime Minister Johnson on Saturday, 19 October after the day's events in Westminster following which the UK requested an extension to the Article 50 process. I did not have any scheduled bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Johnson at the European Council meeting on 19 October but, of course, I did see him...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed): Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (23 Oct 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 7, inclusive, together. I attended the recent General Assembly of the United Nations in New York between 23 and 25 September, where I had the opportunity to meet many of my EU colleagues, including President Tusk, with whom I took stock of the then state of play on Brexit. While in New York I had a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Johnson, at...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed): Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (23 Oct 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputies for their questions. We have not made a new impact assessment of the withdrawal agreement agreed to last week, but there have been quite a number of impact assessments made of different hypothetical scenarios. It may be possible to look at the data and apply them to the revised withdrawal agreement. We will do so. What is fair to say is that if the withdrawal...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (23 Oct 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I am familiar with this issue. Since this Government of Fine Gael and Independents came to office, we have increased the State pension by €15 per week and by €20 per week for those living alone as of January. However, this is a company pension fund. It may well be a State-owned enterprise but it is still a company pension fund. The way company funds work is that during the...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (23 Oct 2019)

Leo Varadkar: The Deputy is correct. In the last few weeks, we have been able to give the go-ahead to the new road between Castlebar and Westport and between Ballyvourney and Macroom.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (23 Oct 2019)

Leo Varadkar: We are keen to make progress on some other projects too, including the Adare and Foynes projects. There is a memorandum imminent. I had understood that the timeline was for the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Deputy Ross, to bring it to Cabinet next week but I am not sure if that is yet possible-----

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (23 Oct 2019)

Leo Varadkar: -----but it is definitely on the way.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (23 Oct 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue. I certainly expect anybody and any body to comply with a court order which applies to them. I am not in a position to answer the Deputy's questions today, but I will ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment to contact him with a reply.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (23 Oct 2019)

Leo Varadkar: The Deputy has my absolute assurance that I will continue to put pressure on the Department of Health and the HSE on these issues. Galway needs this investment. It has had investment recently with the new 75-bed block.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (23 Oct 2019)

Leo Varadkar: The radiation oncology centre is now under construction but it needs the new emergency department and maternity and paediatric block. I will put pressure on the Department and the HSE to get that done. The money is available, but we need to get it through the planning process, get it to tender and get it built. On orthopaedics, as the Deputy has rightly pointed out, throughout the...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (23 Oct 2019)

Leo Varadkar: -----for people waiting for hip replacements, knee replacements and orthopaedic procedures. For example, in July 2017, more than 2,500 people had been waiting for more than 12 weeks for a hip or knee replacement. That has been reduced by half to 1,300.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (23 Oct 2019)

Leo Varadkar: We have had real success in reducing waiting times for people who need an operation or procedure.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (23 Oct 2019)

Leo Varadkar: When I became Taoiseach, just over 50,000 people were waiting more than 12 weeks for an operation. That is now down to thirty-something thousand, so it is an area where we are making a lot of progress.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (23 Oct 2019)

Leo Varadkar: As the Deputy acknowledged, the Minister, Deputy Humphreys, was in the region this morning, meeting the relevant authorities, the workers and management. We will examine whether it meets the criteria for the European Globalisation Fund. Those criteria are very clear and we will either meet them or not. If we meet the criteria, we will certainly make an application. Irrespective of what...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (23 Oct 2019)

Leo Varadkar: We have standing regional enterprise plan steering committees, which are made up of Enterprise Ireland, the IDA, the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection, the local authority, the universities and the local enterprise offices, as well as local stakeholders. They are exactly the same people one would call together to be on a task force and it is now a standing arrangement....