Results 11,061-11,080 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (15 May 2019)

Leo Varadkar: It is wrong for the leader of the Opposition to come into the House and cast aspersions on two large firms and all their staff and to do so two days in a row. I think that is wrong.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (15 May 2019)

Leo Varadkar: On the final question on financial requirements, these were set out in tender documents many years ago.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (15 May 2019)

Leo Varadkar: As the Minister, Deputy Bruton, outlined yesterday, there is no issue with any bidder relying on the resources of any companies.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (15 May 2019)

Leo Varadkar: Granahan McCourt relied on Tetrad Corporation and McCourt Global LLC to demonstrate its financial and economic capacity. This was entirely appropriate given the scale of the investment required. This was allowed for by the project information memorandum and the prequalification questionnaire which were given to all bidders in 2016 and were published last week. This is a standard...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (15 May 2019)

Leo Varadkar: All other bidders to the process would have sought to do the same.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (15 May 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I am sure the Minister will be happy to answer that.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (15 May 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy for raising this really important issue. It is one which is very much coming up on the doorsteps and has been for quite some time. Insurance costs in Ireland are very high. This impacts on drivers, patients or potential patients with health insurance, business people, farmers, community organisations and in particular, when it comes to motor insurance, people who have...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (15 May 2019)

Leo Varadkar: There is no electioneering going on when it comes to this decision. No matter when we would have made the announcement on the preferred bidder, we would have been accused of either electioneering or trying to bury it until after the forthcoming elections. The Deputy knows as well as I do that if we had put off the decision to appoint a preferred bidder until next month, he would have turned...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (15 May 2019)

Leo Varadkar: There will be no budgetary impact in 2019 and a minimal impact in 2020. In fact, there may possibly be none as a result of carry-over. There will be a budgetary impact from 2021 onwards. The Minister, Deputy Donohoe, in the summer economic statement, due in a few weeks’ time, will indicate exactly-----

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (15 May 2019)

Leo Varadkar: -----how that will be provided for. I stand over the cost-benefit analysis. Yes, errors were detected along the way but the final cost-benefit analysis after all corrections still showed that this is a positive project and that the benefits outweigh the costs in all scenarios-----

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committee Meetings (14 May 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I read and heard about the very sad killing of Azzam, the young man in Dundrum. I join with everyone else in extending my sympathies to his family and friends. It is a shocking thing for a young man of that age to be stabbed in a public park and I call on anyone who has information about this terrible crime to pass it on to gardaí and the authorities. I heard his father say that he...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committee Meetings (14 May 2019)

Leo Varadkar: We want to achieve, on the people's behalf, a broadband service which has the same speeds as we get in the cities and for the same price. That is why the subsidy is being provided and, given the fact that the Labour Party started this process, I hope its Members will come in behind it when they have a chance to consider it.

Ceisteanna - Questions: Strategic Communications Unit (14 May 2019)

Leo Varadkar: Very simply, the contract for the research survey was awarded to Behaviour & Attitudes but we decided not to continue and not to do it because, quite frankly, there are many other priorities in the Department and it had become politicised. Initially, this was seen as a genuine effort to track public perceptions on public services, the information received from the Government and the...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Strategic Communications Unit (14 May 2019)

Leo Varadkar: The long promised new runway for Dublin Airport is under construction. The report listed all the new schools that have been built and completed.

Ceisteanna - Questions: Strategic Communications Unit (14 May 2019)

Leo Varadkar: The Deputy would have to ask the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. It does not fall under my remit any more.

Ceisteanna - Questions: Strategic Communications Unit (14 May 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I do not know. The Deputy would have to ask the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform.

Ceisteanna - Questions: Strategic Communications Unit (14 May 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I do not think it is about a contract.

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committee Meetings (14 May 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 13 to 16, inclusive, together. Cabinet Committee G last met on 12 December 2018 and the next meeting will take place on Monday, 10 June 2019. Cabinet committee G provides political oversight of developments in justice and equality issues, including implementation of the Government's programme of reform for the justice sector. In relation to justice...

Ceisteanna - Questions: European Council Meetings (14 May 2019)

Leo Varadkar: On the De Souza case, which I was asked about earlier, I always refer back to the Good Friday Agreement in respect of issues of this nature. The Good Friday Agreement is explicit that people in Northern Ireland are entitled to be British, or Irish, or both, and are accepted as such. I think the British Government has got it wrong in this case and the matter has been raised in our bilateral...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Strategic Communications Unit (14 May 2019)

Leo Varadkar: Given competing demands, it has been decided not to undertake the research survey at this time. If the position should change, I will, as previously committed to, brief Opposition parties in advance of the running of the survey.