Results 10,061-10,080 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Cabinet Committee Meetings (15 Oct 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 17 and 18 together. Cabinet Committee G (Justice and Equality) last met on 10 June 2019 and Cabinet Committee F (National Security) last met on 1April 2019. Since then a new Cabinet Committee on Security has been established which deals with issues relating to justice, defence, Garda reform and national security. This Cabinet Committee was scheduled to meet...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Legislative Programme (15 Oct 2019)

Leo Varadkar: The sole Bill being prepared by my Department is the National Economic and Social Development Office (Amendment) Bill. This Bill will provide for the dissolution of the National Economic and Social Development Office (NESDO) corporate framework which is no longer necessary. It also deals with related matters including the transfer of functions to the National Economic and Social Council...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (15 Oct 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 29 and 30 together. I travelled to the US on 22 September for a five-day programme in New York and Los Angeles. My programme in New York centred around the 74th Session of the UN General Assembly, where I joined Heads of State and Government from around the world for a series of events. On Monday 23 September, I participated in the UN Climate Action...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (15 Oct 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 35, 38 and 39 together. I attended the recent meeting of the UN in New York between 23 - 25 September, where I had the opportunity to meet with President Tusk. We took stock of the most recent Brexit developments. President Tusk reaffirmed the EU’s solidarity with Ireland. Following a phone call with UK PM Johnson on 2 October, I spoke by phone with...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (15 Oct 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I met with Prime Minister Johnson in Cheshire on 10 October. We had detailed and constructive discussions on the current situation which concentrated on the challenges of customs and consent. It was clear that we both continue to believe a deal is in everybody’s interest and we agreed that we could see a pathway to a possible deal. We also discussed the potential to strengthen...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Legislative Measures (15 Oct 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 102 and 103 together. No legislation has been passed by my Department since March 2011.

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Departmental Staff Data (15 Oct 2019)

Leo Varadkar: The information requested by the Deputy regarding to the number of recruitments and retirements from 2014 to date, is set out in the following tables. 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. In the main, staff are recruited to my Department through the Public...

Financial Resolutions 2019 - Financial Resolution No. 9: General (Resumed) (9 Oct 2019)

Leo Varadkar: Erik Pevernagie has observed that: "When politicians bury their head in the sand, ignorance rules the country." We are now 22 days away from the possibility of a no-deal Brexit, and everyone in the country knows the dangers and challenges we face. We are forewarned and our objective in budget 2020 is to make sure we are forearmed. It is an economic vision to provide security at a time...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (9 Oct 2019)

Leo Varadkar: It is a real issue.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (9 Oct 2019)

Leo Varadkar: The Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection, Deputy Regina Doherty, had a huge influence on the composition of the budget, in particular in relation to her own Department, for which an increase in spending of approximately €500 million is projected next year. It is a very large increase. Albeit the package is modest and targeted, it was very much one of the Minister's...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (9 Oct 2019)

Leo Varadkar: In the event of a no-deal Brexit, the people who will be most vulnerable are those who will lose their jobs. That is what the budget is all about. It is about ensuring we protect Ireland from the worst effects of a no-deal Brexit. We are putting in place the firepower to make social welfare payments to those who may need them because they lose their jobs and, more importantly, to save...

Financial Resolutions 2019 - Financial Resolution No. 9: General (Resumed) (9 Oct 2019)

Leo Varadkar: One of the earliest recorded examples of economic strategising appears in the first book of the Bible. Joseph, son of Jacob and Rachel, was able to predict the trajectory of Egypt's economy. He foresaw a period of boom followed by a period of bust. Forewarned, he was forearmed and able to guide the country through the worst of the crisis, thereby saving his own people. There are many...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (9 Oct 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I absolutely agree that the issue of drug abuse is a significant problem in our society. Drugs are ubiquitous and widely available. It is not a rural or urban problem; it is all over the country and is not just about disadvantaged areas. They are ubiquitous and available in all sectors of society, including among the very well-off. Our approach has been led by a few policy considerations,...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (9 Oct 2019)

Leo Varadkar: -----and one can see where we are going in that regard. The second policy consideration is improving addiction services, for which there has been increased funding in recent years. The naloxone project has made a big difference to a large number of people who would have overdosed and died five years ago but who now survive because of the availability of naloxone. There has been...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (9 Oct 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I do not have the exact figures in front of me but I believe that the increase in the health budget is €669 million on projected outturn but €1.15 billion year on year. Either way, it is an awful lot of money. In the past two years-----

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (9 Oct 2019)

Leo Varadkar: We do not yet know what the outturn-----

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (9 Oct 2019)

Leo Varadkar: -----will be for 2020 but we will see how it goes.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (9 Oct 2019)

Leo Varadkar: Either way, it is an awful lot of money and an unprecedented increased investment in our health services over the past two or three years since I have become Taoiseach. On the Public Health (Alcohol) Act-----

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (9 Oct 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I wish that when I was Minister for Health, I had got the increases that the current Minister for Health, Deputy Harris, is getting, quite frankly-----

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (9 Oct 2019)

Leo Varadkar: -----but we are in different times. I believe I got zero the first year and was delighted to get €350 million the second year. I am pleased to be part of a Government that is able to give the Minister, Deputy Harris, such large increases-----