Results 11,681-11,700 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2019
Vote 1 - President's Establishment (Revised)
Vote 2 - Department of An Taoiseach (Revised)
Vote 3 - Office of the Attorney General (Revised)
Vote 4 - Central Statistics Office (Revised)
Vote 5 - Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (Revised)
Vote 6 - Office of the Chief State Solicitor (Revised) (28 Feb 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I do not intend to publish them. They are private-----

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2019
Vote 1 - President's Establishment (Revised)
Vote 2 - Department of An Taoiseach (Revised)
Vote 3 - Office of the Attorney General (Revised)
Vote 4 - Central Statistics Office (Revised)
Vote 5 - Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (Revised)
Vote 6 - Office of the Chief State Solicitor (Revised) (28 Feb 2019)

Leo Varadkar: We do not intend to do so because they are inter-party discussions.

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2019
Vote 1 - President's Establishment (Revised)
Vote 2 - Department of An Taoiseach (Revised)
Vote 3 - Office of the Attorney General (Revised)
Vote 4 - Central Statistics Office (Revised)
Vote 5 - Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (Revised)
Vote 6 - Office of the Chief State Solicitor (Revised) (28 Feb 2019)

Leo Varadkar: That is correct.

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2019
Vote 1 - President's Establishment (Revised)
Vote 2 - Department of An Taoiseach (Revised)
Vote 3 - Office of the Attorney General (Revised)
Vote 4 - Central Statistics Office (Revised)
Vote 5 - Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (Revised)
Vote 6 - Office of the Chief State Solicitor (Revised) (28 Feb 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I have no idea.

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2019
Vote 1 - President's Establishment (Revised)
Vote 2 - Department of An Taoiseach (Revised)
Vote 3 - Office of the Attorney General (Revised)
Vote 4 - Central Statistics Office (Revised)
Vote 5 - Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (Revised)
Vote 6 - Office of the Chief State Solicitor (Revised) (28 Feb 2019)

Leo Varadkar: It certainly is but nobody goes into politics looking for job security.

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2019
Vote 1 - President's Establishment (Revised)
Vote 2 - Department of An Taoiseach (Revised)
Vote 3 - Office of the Attorney General (Revised)
Vote 4 - Central Statistics Office (Revised)
Vote 5 - Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (Revised)
Vote 6 - Office of the Chief State Solicitor (Revised) (28 Feb 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I do not necessarily think I will be the one making that decision.

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2019
Vote 1 - President's Establishment (Revised)
Vote 2 - Department of An Taoiseach (Revised)
Vote 3 - Office of the Attorney General (Revised)
Vote 4 - Central Statistics Office (Revised)
Vote 5 - Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (Revised)
Vote 6 - Office of the Chief State Solicitor (Revised) (28 Feb 2019)

Leo Varadkar: The focus is on the job and getting the job done. The focus is on getting the country through Brexit, concluding a withdrawal agreement and dealing with all of the other issues about which the public is concerned. That is the focus.

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2019
Vote 1 - President's Establishment (Revised)
Vote 2 - Department of An Taoiseach (Revised)
Vote 3 - Office of the Attorney General (Revised)
Vote 4 - Central Statistics Office (Revised)
Vote 5 - Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (Revised)
Vote 6 - Office of the Chief State Solicitor (Revised) (28 Feb 2019)

Leo Varadkar: The focus is on the job and getting the job done. The focus is on getting the country through Brexit, concluding a withdrawal agreement and dealing with all of the other issues about which the public is concerned. That is the focus.

Withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union (Consequential Provisions) Bill 2019: Second Stage (Resumed) (27 Feb 2019)

Leo Varadkar: The Government recognises that managing a no-deal Brexit is an exercise in damage limitation. This Bill represents a whole-of-Government approach to protecting us from the worst effects. Fortunately, preparation and planning for a range of Brexit scenarios have been ongoing since well in advance of the UK referendum in 2016. A comprehensive set of Government structures was put in place to...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (27 Feb 2019)

Leo Varadkar: When it comes to planning, our approach is driven by Project Ireland 2040, which was launched in Sligo over a year ago. This is a 20-year spatial plan which is linked to a ten-year €116 billion investment in our public infrastructure. The plan’s vision is to achieve, for the first time in Ireland, balanced regional development. That means the population of our cities, like...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (27 Feb 2019)

Leo Varadkar: It was of enormous regret to me and the Government that the data centre in Athenry did not go ahead. I still hope it will go ahead sometime in the future, maybe not by Apple but by some other company.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (27 Feb 2019)

Leo Varadkar: We should not make the mistake of thinking that what happened in Athenry is the norm. It is not. Data centres have been and are being built all over Ireland for other companies such as Amazon and Facebook. It has not deterred other companies from investing in Ireland or building data centres here. It is understood that the Apple centre in Athenry was an exceptional situation and not a...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (27 Feb 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I made an error in my earlier reply. The commitment made at Weston Park in 2001 was, of course, made by former the Prime Minister, Tony Blair, and not David Cameron, one of those who succeeded him. The position of the Government is the same. The United Kingdom Government made a commitment in 2001 at Weston Park to carry out a public inquiry under the Inquiries Act into the death of Pat...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (27 Feb 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I will ask the Minister for Justice and Equality to contact the Garda Commissioner about that matter. We should allow the Garda Commissioner, the OPW and the Department to work together to establish where the best, most practical location is for that new headquarters. I imagine other people will have different views as to where it should be located and everything will have to be taken into...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (27 Feb 2019)

Leo Varadkar: That certainly would not be the case, for example, when it comes to sexual assaults, domestic violence and crimes of that nature. It probably is the case in the context of murders and burglaries. A huge number of burglaries are now, and always have been, drug-related. The work of the group chaired by Mr. Justice Garrett Sheehan is ongoing. We expect the group to report in the next...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (27 Feb 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy for raising this important matter. The short answer to her question is "Yes". Needless to say, I never had the opportunity to meet Pat Finucane. He was killed over 30 years ago but I have read about him and know he was an honourable man. He was a lawyer and a human rights activist long before people even used that term. I had the opportunity in recent weeks to meet...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (27 Feb 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I am aware that, over the coming days, the Finucane family and British Government will want to consider this judgment in full and in detail, as will the Government here. Our position is that an independent public inquiry under the terms of the Inquiries Act, allowing for the subpoena of witnesses and the discoverability of documents, should now be held. That political commitment was given...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (27 Feb 2019)

Leo Varadkar: We have made significant progress in the past three years in providing high-speed broadband across the country. When this Government took office, only approximately half the premises in Ireland - homes, businesses and farms - had access to high-speed broadband. That figure now stands at approximately 80%, so significant of progress has been made. The Government has worked with the private...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (27 Feb 2019)

Leo Varadkar: My objective is to be in a position to make a decision on this matter before Easter. I am not in control of all the factors but the plan is to be make a decision before Easter. Due diligence is still under way by the Departments of Public Expenditure and Reform and Communications, Climate Action and Environment. As I mentioned, because the cost will be many multiples of what was originally...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committee Meetings (26 Feb 2019)

Leo Varadkar: -----but, to summarise, this is a Revenue determination. The policy is that for oral medicines and for fresh food the VAT rate is 0% but for processed food VAT does apply.