Results 11,361-11,380 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (3 Apr 2019)

Leo Varadkar: On the Deputy's final point regarding the HPV test, I cannot give a date for its roll-out. The policy decision has been made by Government to introduce the test and the money has been allocated, but that now needs to be operationalised by the HSE. Having missed the deadlines that were previously committed to-----

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (3 Apr 2019)

Leo Varadkar: -----I cannot, hand on heart, state in full confidence on what date that will be done.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (3 Apr 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I cannot currently answer those questions. They are probably best raised directly with the Minister for Health. I understand it is a report of the HSE and not the Department of Health, so it may not be within the authority of the Minister to publish it. Obviously, as is always the case with reports, if they pertain to certain individuals there may be issues with their publication. I am...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (3 Apr 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I too am very shocked by the shooting that occurred yesterday outside Riversdale Community College on Blanchardstown Road North in my constituency. My constituency agent is visiting the school today to see if there is any way we can help or any additional supports we can provide. I hope to visit the school in the coming days. I know it well and know people who attended it. It must have...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí (Atógáil) - Leaders' Questions (Resumed) (3 Apr 2019)

Leo Varadkar: With regard to how it will be treated, there was a discussion at Cabinet yesterday. This evening, I will meet the Chairman of the committee specifically on the report. We have proposed there should be a debate in the House on the report and I understand the Whip is working with the Business Committee to schedule it. Each Minister has been asked to respond in detail to each individual...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí (Atógáil) - Leaders' Questions (Resumed) (3 Apr 2019)

Leo Varadkar: It definitely needs to be at the centre of what we do in future.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí (Atógáil) - Leaders' Questions (Resumed) (3 Apr 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I thank Deputy Mattie McGrath for raising this important issue. I am afraid I do not have an up-to-date note in front of me on the particular issues he has raised with regard to Tipperary but I read the coverage at the time of the events he mentioned and I share his revulsion at the fact that basic things such as patient care and hygiene were not attended to properly in that unit, which is...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (3 Apr 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I will correct the Deputy on one point. The Government is helping people to raise a deposit to buy their own home. Some 10,000 people have already benefited from the help-to-buy scheme by getting some of their taxes back to put towards a deposit and 10,000 is not a small number. We are taking concrete action. The Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government, Deputy Eoghan...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí (Atógáil) - Leaders' Questions (Resumed) (3 Apr 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I pay tribute to the work of the all-party climate change committee, particularly the Chairperson, Deputy Hildegarde Naughton, whom I will meet tonight to discuss the report along with the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment, Deputy Bruton, but also to each member of the committee who did a good day's work. I regret that Sinn Féin and the radical left could not...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí (Atógáil) - Leaders' Questions (Resumed) (3 Apr 2019)

Leo Varadkar: We can help but it would not be possible, as some have suggested, for the Government to offer all carrot and pay for all these changes. That is not possible. We cannot find €50 billion over ten or 20 years to retrofit everyone's house but we can help. Most of the cost would have to be borne by householders but there are models that can help, for example, people retrofitting their...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (3 Apr 2019)

Leo Varadkar: The Minister has been before the House on a number of occasions in respect of this issue. He has also been before the health committee. I am sure he will be happy to answer further questions if they are asked. The Deputy has asked me to account for conversations to which I was not party and for correspondence that I did not receive. As a result, it is not possible for me to answer the...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (3 Apr 2019)

Leo Varadkar: The Deputy's approach and the attack in which he has engaged lack character. Remember what he stated about the senior people in CervicalCheck on 1 May.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (3 Apr 2019)

Leo Varadkar: He stated that they were cold and calculating and suggested that they may have been involved in illegality. He also suggested that they could have been involved in a conspiracy. Perhaps Deputy Micheál Martin should reflect on that. If he holds the views that he has outlined, he may wish to correct the record and withdraw those remarks that he made about those senior clinicians and...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (3 Apr 2019)

Leo Varadkar: The situation at the time was that there were a lot of women who were really concerned about the accuracy of their smear tests.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (3 Apr 2019)

Leo Varadkar: They were attending their GPs looking for repeat tests. They were contacting the helpline looking for repeat tests. There were some doctors calling for repeat tests to be allowed. Patient advocates were also calling for that. When it was done, it was welcomed by the Opposition and it was agreed by the IMO. This was not just a decision made by the Minister for Health.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (3 Apr 2019)

Leo Varadkar: It was also made with the agreement of the chief medical officer.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (3 Apr 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I thanks the Deputy for raising this very important issue once again. The Government and I are really strong supporters of home ownership. I believe in home ownership and that everyone has the right to shelter and should be able to aspire to owning his or her own home. In Ireland, 71% of people own their homes. That is actually higher than the European average. The figure used to be even...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (3 Apr 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy very much. I agree that CervicalCheck, alongside the HPV vaccine for girls, has been successful in reducing the incidence of cervical cancer in Ireland. It has led to women being diagnosed with cervical cancer sooner, which has resulted in a fall in the number of cases of cervical cancer and the number of deaths resulting from cervical cancer. Overall, both CervicalCheck...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (3 Apr 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I travelled to Paris on Tuesday 2 April to meet with President Macron, at his invitation. Our discussions focused on developments relating to Brexit, in advance of the extraordinary meeting of the European Council on 10 April. We also discussed bilateral relations between France and Ireland, which are excellent. I will have the opportunity for further engagement with President Macron, and...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Departmental Communications (3 Apr 2019)

Leo Varadkar: In December 2017, a Government decision mandated the use of the Government of Ireland mark for external Government communications activities. The roll-out of the Government of Ireland mark is underway and has been adopted by Government Departments and Public Sector Bodies to ensure that citizens understand what messages are being delivered by Government. Your question relates to the following...