Results 10,861-10,880 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (11 Jun 2019)

Leo Varadkar: The biggest single investment in transport in Ireland in recent years was the Gort-Tuam motorway. It cost more than the Luas cross city and Newlands Cross projects combined. That happened in the west. The largest investments occurring at the moment are the N4 to Sligo in the north west, and major projects in Cork due to start before the end of the year, examples being at Dunkettle and...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (11 Jun 2019)

Leo Varadkar: Having done so, I can see that what has been planned is very ambitious. It is much more than a stadium project. It is also about meeting facilities and conference facilities that will be of benefit to Galway. There ought to be performance spaces. It is a really exciting and good project. It is much bigger than a sports project. What I cannot do, unfortunately, is give the Deputy a...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (11 Jun 2019)

Leo Varadkar: Deputy Grealish makes a very strong case on behalf of Connacht Rugby. We will see what happens later in the year when the allocations are made. There is €100 million for the country. This is one of the major projects that is competing for funding. I am sorry to say that there will not be an increase to the €100 million fund. I expected to be called on today to defend the...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (11 Jun 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I have not been lobbied by them at all. I said earlier the Government wants to take sensible climate action, that is, climate action that reduces greenhouse gas emissions and helps us to save our planet, but at the same time does not cost jobs, does not make us poorer and does not make us less safe. The difficulty with some of the Deputy's proposals is that they potentially would make us...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (11 Jun 2019)

Leo Varadkar: -----and make us less energy secure without reducing greenhouse emissions by any amount.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (11 Jun 2019)

Leo Varadkar: We are transitioning Bord na Móna from a peat company to one that is involved in waste and renewable energy. It is exactly what we should be doing because we are phasing out peat production in the State.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (11 Jun 2019)

Leo Varadkar: As part of the just transition, there is a voluntary redundancy scheme for Bord na Móna workers which has been oversubscribed. In addition, packages are being put in place for the retraining of workers.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (11 Jun 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy. I am very sorry to hear about her injury and I hope she makes a speedy recovery.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (11 Jun 2019)

Leo Varadkar: The Deputy asked for practical examples of the kind of climate action Government is taking, so I will give her a few.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (11 Jun 2019)

Leo Varadkar: The Deputy said that there is no evidence that Government is taking climate action. I will respond to that-----

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (11 Jun 2019)

Leo Varadkar: -----by giving her examples of four practical measures taken in recent weeks. I signed a joint letter with President Macron to build a Celtic interconnector between Ireland and continental Europe which will allow us to expand our renewable energy sector and to share it with Europe.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (11 Jun 2019)

Leo Varadkar: Irish Rail issued the initial tender for 600 hybrid electric vehicles as we start to move towards an electric rail fleet and to electrify the lines to Drogheda, Maynooth and Celbridge. Dublin Bus received the first of its low-emission buses.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (11 Jun 2019)

Leo Varadkar: All buses being procured for our cities from now on will be low-emission vehicles. Just today Cabinet voted to publish legislation to outlaw the manufacture of microbeads in Ireland. There are four practical examples-----

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (11 Jun 2019)

Leo Varadkar: -----of measures taken by Government in recent weeks that will make a difference. These will be followed by the publication of the Government's climate plan in the coming weeks. Government wants sensible climate action, which will reduce greenhouse gas emissions rather than legislation which pays lip service to doing so. It wants sensible climate action that reduces greenhouse gas...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (11 Jun 2019)

Leo Varadkar: -----because of the risks and costs of transport. We have accepted other legislation. We have accepted two Private Member's Bills, one from Deputy McLoughlin to outlaw fracking and another from Deputy Pringle to end investment by State funds in fossil fuel companies. We have, therefore, demonstrated that we will support legislation which makes sense, actually works and will not do...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (11 Jun 2019)

Leo Varadkar: If it is a case of comparing records, one only has to look at the difference north of the Border when it comes to the income supports provided to carers, where Deputy McDonald's party served in government for a long time. I am happy to compare that record at any point in time.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (11 Jun 2019)

Leo Varadkar: The budget for home help and home support in 2015 was €306 million. This year it is €446 million, so in the course of only four years there has been a 50% increase in the budget for home help. People will argue that providing extra money for home help takes pressure off hospitals and reduces hospital costs but there is no evidence that this is the case because notwithstanding...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (11 Jun 2019)

Leo Varadkar: What appears to be logical does not often turn out to be the case when one actually does it.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (11 Jun 2019)

Leo Varadkar: An extra €30 million has been provided for home help this year and that will provide an extra 800,000 home help hours this year.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (11 Jun 2019)

Leo Varadkar: There will be 800,000 more home help hours this year than last year. It is necessary for the HSE to manage that additional resource appropriately.