Results 11,741-11,760 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (26 Feb 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I know.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (26 Feb 2019)

Leo Varadkar: As the Deputy will recall, I was a member of the previous Government and, for three and a half years of that, I was the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport and we delivered on a lot of projects, including the Phoenix Park tunnel-----

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (26 Feb 2019)

Leo Varadkar: -----the Luas extension to City West, Luas Cross City and other projects around the country as well-----

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (26 Feb 2019)

Leo Varadkar: -----such as the N11 and the Gort to Tuam motorway. Regarding what we are delivering under this Government, it is BusConnects and MetroLink but these are very big projects. Let us not forget that BusConnects is not just for Dublin, it is for other cities as well. It is a €2 billion investment in buses and cycling facilities and people often forget that aspect of it. It is...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (26 Feb 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy. As he knows, I represent the commuter constituency of Dublin West and, more so than most in this House, I am very aware of the daily impact congestion has on our constituents. Huge numbers of people from my constituency are spending perhaps two hours on the bus every day, which is ten hours a week and is time that could be spent with their families, engaged in recreation...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (26 Feb 2019)

Leo Varadkar: -----and carry out a review of it.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (26 Feb 2019)

Leo Varadkar: It would be an enormous mistake to delay these important plans and investments in public transport. In terms of what we can do, we can implement Project Ireland 2040 to ensure that the cities other than Dublin grow twice as fast as Dublin. Part of the solution to congestion in Dublin is Cork, Limerick, Waterford, Galway and other urban centres like Athlone, Sligo, Dundalk and Drogheda...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (26 Feb 2019)

Leo Varadkar: As I indicated earlier in my response to Deputy Martin, the Minister would be very happy to receive a submission from the family with their suggestions on how to better deal with family annihilation and family homicide. We can take it from there and make decisions on foot of full consideration of that submission. I answered the question on the Coroners Act and the Succession Act earlier....

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (26 Feb 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy. We would not be doing justice to the family or right by the country to make decisions or commitments on the hoof in this Chamber. As the Minister for Justice and Equality has indicated, he would be very happy to receive a submission from the family based on what they said on television last night. There may be other things they also want to say, which they were not able...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (26 Feb 2019)

Leo Varadkar: Deputy Micheál Martin asked a specific question about the book of evidence. I understand from An Garda Síochána that when someone gives evidence as part of an investigation, that evidence is privileged. There is concern that if this was removed, it would be harder to convince people to give evidence to the Garda in other cases if they knew that evidence given under privilege...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (26 Feb 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy for raising this very important issue, which I know a lot of people across the country are talking about today. I am afraid I did not have a chance to watch the programme myself as I was travelling back from a meeting last night and did not get into the country until quite late. However, a lot of people have spoken to me about it through the course of the morning, and...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Departmental Staff Data (26 Feb 2019)

Leo Varadkar: Details of the conferences attended by staff of my Department in the years 2017, 2018 and to date in 2019, as recorded by my Department's Training Unit, are set out in the table. The associated cost was €6,791 in 2017, €10,341 in 2018 and €1,193 to date in 2019. 2017 Details Staff numbers attended Institute of International and European Affairs Conference - Brexit:...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Departmental Expenditure (26 Feb 2019)

Leo Varadkar: No expenditure was incurred by my Department on advertising or sponsorship in respect of conferences in the years in question. While the Department did not directly fund advertising services for the Data Summit held in 2017, the company that provided conference organisation services for the Summit did incur costs relating to marketing and advertising. The overall costs of the Data Summit...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Departmental Data (26 Feb 2019)

Leo Varadkar: No staff from my Department attended the specific summit in Dublin in 2017 and 2018 referenced by the Deputy. No expenditure was incurred in relation to advertising or sponsorship by the Department in respect of this summit.

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: EU Funding (26 Feb 2019)

Leo Varadkar: My Department did not administer any EU funding programmes in 2017.

Confidence in the Minister for Health: Motion (20 Feb 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I have confidence in the Minister for Health for many reasons. He is getting things done, including a successful referendum on the eighth amendment, the Public Health (Alcohol) Act and, after years of little investment, three national hospital projects under construction with a fourth due to go to tender in the foreseeable future. Free GP care has been extended to all carers and medical...

Confidence in the Minister for Health: Motion (20 Feb 2019)

Leo Varadkar: On Friday, I will be in Sligo for the sod-turning to mark the construction of the N4 Collooney to Castlebaldwin road, another project which was promised for decades and is now under construction. The same story can be told in every county. Taxpayers' money is being well spent on investments in the future. Only last week, €64 million was allocated to towns and rural areas.

Confidence in the Minister for Health: Motion (20 Feb 2019)

Leo Varadkar: Schools, community nursing units, third level institutions, primary care centres, tourism projects and sporting facilities are being funded. We hear a great deal about accountability in the House. At its simplest, accountability is about taking responsibility and answering for one's actions. Accountability does not mean giving in to the baying mob, the thirst for bloodletting and a head...

Confidence in the Minister for Health: Motion (20 Feb 2019)

Leo Varadkar: We saw that in November 2017 when Sinn Féin put down a motion of no confidence in the then Tánaiste, Deputy Frances Fitzgerald, accusing her of being at the centre of a scandal. Sinn Féin made false claims that were subsequently discredited, yet we have had no apology from its members for that.

Confidence in the Minister for Health: Motion (20 Feb 2019)

Leo Varadkar: It was also true when Sinn Féin tried to weaponise homelessness and personalise the debates around housing against the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government, Deputy Eoghan Murphy. It was true when Sinn Féin Deputies made false claims in the House about former Members having offshore bank accounts. Again, there has yet to be any retraction or apology for those false...