Results 12,001-12,020 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (12 Feb 2019)

Leo Varadkar: The payment will not now fall due this year.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (12 Feb 2019)

Leo Varadkar: However, should Sinn Féin and others take up their responsibilities in government, form an Executive and approve the project, we will find the money to proceed with it this year. As those in Sinn Féin have failed to take up their responsibilities to deliver infrastructure projects, that €27 million payment we were to pay to the Northern Ireland Executive will not fall due...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (12 Feb 2019)

Leo Varadkar: The Department of Education and Skills, which is contributing €10 million to the cost of a school for the new children's hospital, is willing to bring forward that payment to this year. When it comes to the funds for Project Ireland 2040, the next drawdown and announcement, as I imagine Members opposite will not be sad to hear, will be deferred by a number of weeks.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (12 Feb 2019)

Leo Varadkar: There are other changes in respect of between €2 million and €4 million in other Departments and €24 million in the Department of Health.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (12 Feb 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I can confirm that no projects are being cancelled.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (12 Feb 2019)

Leo Varadkar: Whatever scaremongering may be happening about projects being cancelled because of the children's hospital, I can confirm that it is not the case..

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (12 Feb 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy. He will be aware that the main cost of public administration is salaries and, as we increase pay across the public sector this year and next year, that is likely to increase. The number of State agencies and bodies, as the Deputy rightly acknowledges, has decreased in recent years but not by as much as perhaps we had intended. One of the new bodies established was the...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (12 Feb 2019)

Leo Varadkar: The Cabinet decided this morning to re-profile about €100 million in expenditure and infrastructure. It is important to put that into context. The budget for infrastructure for this year is €7,000 million. That is an increase of €1,500 million on last year so we are re-profiling €100 million of an increase of €1,500 million. It does not affect or change...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (12 Feb 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy for her question. I am heartened by the newfound interest of Sinn Féin in taxpayers' money. This is the party that regularly before the budget every year proposes €2 billion to €3 billion in extra taxes to be imposed on workers and on businesses. It proposes an extra €2.3 billion every year, not €400 million spread over three or four...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (12 Feb 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I fully understand and appreciate that taxpayers are very annoyed at the way the cost of this project has escalated. I do not doubt that for a second. This is not, however, an issue of taxpayers' money being wasted. In fact, taxpayers' money has not even been spent at this stage. Only about €250 million of the €1.5 billion allocated to this project has been spent. It is not...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (12 Feb 2019)

Leo Varadkar: -----but not accept responsibility when things go wrong and when there are overruns, as is the case on this occasion. We accept responsibility and we are accountable for what has happened. The figure used by the Deputy of €1.7 billion relates, as I have stated previously, to many aspects of the project that would happen in any event, including investment in IT and equipment. Even...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (12 Feb 2019)

Leo Varadkar: The Deputy is correct that one of the reasons the children's hospital project has increased in cost is construction inflation. It is not the only reason but it is certainly one of the major ones as to why the cost is much higher than we had anticipated. The contract provides that further claims can be made by the contractor if construction inflation exceeds 4% but we will have to see if...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (12 Feb 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I have been following this debate very closely in the past couple of weeks and it seems that virtually nobody is opposed to building a new national children's hospital. While it has been promised for decades by successive Governments, it is now being delivered. It is under construction, with the first phase due to open in Blanchardstown next year and the final project due to be completed by...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (12 Feb 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I met with the Prime Minister when she visited Dublin on 8 February and we briefed each other on our respective engagements in Belfast and Brussels that week. We discussed developments in Northern Ireland and our shared interest in seeing the devolved institutions restored as soon as possible.

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Cabinet Committee Meetings (12 Feb 2019)

Leo Varadkar: Cabinet Committee D last met on 31 January 2019. The Committee works to ensure a coordinated approach to the delivery of work and the ongoing development of policy across the areas of infrastructure investment and delivery, housing, and climate action. It also provides political oversight in relation to Project Ireland 2040. Significant work is underway across each of these areas through...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (12 Feb 2019)

Leo Varadkar: On 25th August 2018 I met with Pope Francis during his visit to Dublin Castle. The meeting provided an opportunity for us to discuss several issues, though regrettably not in any great depth because of the short duration of the meeting. On 22nd January 2018 I met with representatives of the Church of Ireland, Presbyterian and Methodist Churches in a formal meeting under the structured...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (12 Feb 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 107 and 110 together. On 6 February, I travelled to Brussels for a series of meetings with senior representatives of the EU institutions, including European Council President, Donald Tusk, and European Commission President, Jean-Claude Juncker. President Tusk and I discussed the latest political developments in London, and noted the approaching deadline for...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Ministerial Advisers Data (12 Feb 2019)

Leo Varadkar: Details of the Advisers and Special Advisers employed by my Department since I took up office on 14 June 2017 are as follows: Name Role Start Date End Date Salary Scale Brian Murphy Chief of Staff 14 June 2017 n/a Deputy Secretary John Carroll Head of Policy and Programme Implementation 05 July 2017 n/a Assistant Secretary Patrick Geoghegan Special Adviser to the Taoiseach 14 June...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Appointments to State Boards (12 Feb 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I appoint members to the National Economic and Social Council (NESC) under the National Economic and Social Development Office (NESDO) Act 2006 and the NESC (Alteration of Composition) Order 2010 - SI 603/ 2010. In accordance with the legislation, two officials from my Department at Secretary General and Assistant Secretary level currently have the position of Chairperson and Deputy...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: National Children's Hospital Expenditure (6 Feb 2019)

Leo Varadkar: The first time it was brought to my attention that there would be a cost overrun in the national children’s hospital was on 9 November 2018. This was a brief conversation in the context of a wider discussion on health policy. However I was not advised of the full extent of the overrun at that time and I asked the Minister for Health for full information.