Results 10,921-10,940 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed): European Council Meetings (29 May 2019)

Leo Varadkar: There are plenty of examples of people on the far left who are anti-Semitic.

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed): European Council Meetings (29 May 2019)

Leo Varadkar: As I explained earlier, the climate change letter was signed by nine out of 28 countries. It calls for carbon neutrality by 2050 and we support that. However, it also calls for much more onerous targets for greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 which we do not believe are achievable. We believe that we can achieve what we have committed to do by 2030 but we do not want to commit to targets...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed): European Council Meetings (29 May 2019)

Leo Varadkar: -----that it can use on our train lines as part of electrification and extending the DART to Drogheda, Maynooth and Hazelhatch. That is sensible climate action being taken by Irish Rail, a Government-owned company. Yesterday, I signed a joint letter with President Macron, the purpose of which is to seek EU funding for a Celtic interconnector in order that we can link the electricity grids...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed): Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (29 May 2019)

Leo Varadkar: With regard to the renewable heat incentive, and following up what has been said, an inquiry is under way and it has not yet reported or made any findings. I do not think we should assume there was corruption, at least until the inquiry reports and states there was. I want to put this on the record. The general approach is to carry out the inquiry before making a judgment and this is the...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed): Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (29 May 2019)

Leo Varadkar: Mr. Farage was mentioned earlier, as were the Brexit party and UKIP. They all want to withdraw their country from the European Union. I understand that People Before Profit in Northern Ireland also supported Brexit.

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed): Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (29 May 2019)

Leo Varadkar: Perhaps I am wrong about that. People Before Profit in Northern Ireland is a pro-Brexit party-----

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed): Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (29 May 2019)

Leo Varadkar: -----and aligned with the views of Farage in that regard. I am not clear whether People Before Profit in this jurisdiction wants us to withdraw from the European Union but I know it opposed all European treaties, the Single Market, the euro and European integration more generally. This says to me that, as is so often obvious to me, there is a lot in common between the far left and far right.

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed): European Council Meetings (29 May 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 8 to 14, inclusive, together. I attended an informal meeting of EU Heads of State and Government in Sibiu, or Hermannstadt, in Romania on 9 May. I will answer questions on yesterday's meeting separately. President Tusk convened the meeting on 9 May, with a view to an initial informal discussion of our strategic priorities for the years ahead. Our first...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed): Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (29 May 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 3 to 7, inclusive, together. As the House is aware, last Friday, the British Prime Minister, Mrs. Theresa May, announced her intention to step down as leader of the Conservative Party on 7 June, although she will remain as Prime Minister until a new Prime Minister is appointed. As I said in my press statement, I got to know Theresa May quite well over the...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed): Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (29 May 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 and 2 together. On 16 April last, I had a meeting at Government Buildings with a delegation from the US House of Representatives, led by Speaker Nancy Pelosi. On the following evening, I was honoured to host the delegation at a dinner in Dublin Castle, which was attended by guests representing diverse aspects of the US-Ireland bilateral relationship,...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed): Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (29 May 2019)

Leo Varadkar: On CETA, the EU-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement and the EU-Singapore Investment Protection Agreement, I will have to check the position with my colleagues. There is no reason we cannot or should not have a debate. It is just that a debate has not yet happened. I will come back to the Deputy on that. It is appropriate that we should have a debate and I am not entirely sure why we have...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed): Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (29 May 2019)

Leo Varadkar: That is correct. They have to be ratified. There is one particular issue around disputes that has yet to be resolved but I will check the position and revert to the Deputy. I look forward to discussing trade policy with President Trump when he visits Ireland next week. I am a big believer in free trade and free enterprise. Free trade makes us better off in the round and has been very...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (29 May 2019)

Leo Varadkar: The House made the right decision in 2013 to ensure decisions on which medicines are licensed or reimbursed are not political decisions. I do not believe they should be political decisions. We decided as a House on a cross-party basis in 2013 to allow independent pharmacologists, doctors and economists to make these decisions. A decision is made by the HSE's national drugs committee on the...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (29 May 2019)

Leo Varadkar: Chonaic mé an litir.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (29 May 2019)

Leo Varadkar: The answer is the same as that which I gave to Deputy Coppinger.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (29 May 2019)

Leo Varadkar: Approximately 18,000 new homes were built last year and we anticipate that 22,000 new homes will be built this year. Of the 18,000 built last year, some 3,000 or 4,000 were one-off homes, mostly, but not entirely, in rural areas. This means that people are obtaining planning permission and that those in rural areas are still able to build houses, as should be the case. There is a planning...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (29 May 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. I had the opportunity to attend many shows last summer. I was at the Iverk show in Piltown and also at the show in Virginia. I hope to have the opportunity to make it to some shows this summer. The budget of the Department of Rural and Community Development increased significantly this year. I think it was one of the biggest percentage...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (29 May 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I am sorry, I do not have those numbers in front of me. I will inform the Minister for Health and the Minister of State with responsibility for disability issues that the Deputy raised them and I will ask them to send him a written reply. The programme for Government commitment, as I recall, refers not just to diagnostics and therapies but also to much-needed operations and procedures. I...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (29 May 2019)

Leo Varadkar: The number of those waiting to have their tonsils removed is down from 2,500 to 727. The number of those waiting for an angiogram is down from 1,940 to 803. Comparing July 2017 with today, there has been a reduction of approximately 50% in people waiting more than 12 weeks.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (29 May 2019)

Leo Varadkar: This is an industrial relations matter. The Deputy knows how industrial relations work in the State. There is no direct Government involvement.