Results 12,481-12,500 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (18 Dec 2018)

Leo Varadkar: -----during questions on promised legislation. However, I know how important respite care is to families throughout the country. We have allocated funding for an additional respite house in every community care region this year and there will be additional funding next year.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (18 Dec 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I am afraid the Minister for Education and Skills is not here, but I will certainly advise him that the issue was raised and ask him to provide a written response to the Deputy.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (18 Dec 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I am afraid we are a bit stretched at the moment. The Tánaiste is representing me in Vienna so I have not had the chance to speak to him today. However, he intends to give the briefing on Thursday. We cannot do it any sooner because we need the European Commission briefings, which will be available to us tomorrow. The request Deputy Chambers makes is entirely reasonable and I am sure...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (18 Dec 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I am afraid I am at a loss. I have not seen the letter from the CMO, but my understanding was that the period was three days, which could be less than 72 hours. It is not necessarily three full days.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (18 Dec 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I will check it out. I thank the Deputy.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (18 Dec 2018)

Leo Varadkar: As the Minister for Health will give Cabinet a verbal briefing on the matter this afternoon, I do not have the information to hand. I may be wrong but I understand that while this project has planning permission it has not yet gone to tender. It would have to go to tender before we could have an indication of its cost. We have to know that first.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (18 Dec 2018)

Leo Varadkar: The CSO figures published yesterday are interesting reading for anyone interested in this area. It had two statistically significant findings, namely, that consistent poverty had fallen and that the deprivation rate had fallen. The deprivation rate has fallen from 30% five years ago to 18.8%, so the percentage almost halved in five years. Consistent poverty has fallen from 9% in 2013 to...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (18 Dec 2018)

Leo Varadkar: There are 2.3 million people at work and according to CSO figures, 1.4% are suffering from consistent poverty. Some 24,000 children were lifted out of poverty last year. While there are too many people in poverty in Ireland, there is no doubt that for four years it has been going in the right direction. There are more people at work, incomes are rising, fewer people, including children,...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (18 Dec 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I will respond, first, to the questions from Deputies Eugene Murphy and McGuinness. I agree with the sentiments expressed by Deputy Eugene Murphy. It is entirely appropriate that we now extend regulation to private security firms. We regulate doormen at night clubs and those who fit alarms in houses. It is entirely appropriate that we also regulate private security firms. The Minister...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (18 Dec 2018)

Leo Varadkar: If other people do not pay back their debts and there is no mechanism in place to enforce it, we all face higher interest rates, including everyone who has a business or mortgage. We need to be realistic and honest. If people borrow money, they have to pay it back. If they do not, they are denying others access to credit and driving up interest rates for everyone, which is socially wrong.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (18 Dec 2018)

Leo Varadkar: The first answer to the Deputy's question is "Yes". The Tánaiste will be providing a briefing at the stakeholders' forum on Thursday. If he has not been invited to that, he certainly will be.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (18 Dec 2018)

Leo Varadkar: The answer to the Deputy's second question is that it is not 45 items of primary legislation. There are 45 items - some regulation, some statutory instrument and some primary legislation-----

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (18 Dec 2018)

Leo Varadkar: -----but it does not require 45 items of primary legislation or anything remotely close to that.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (18 Dec 2018)

Leo Varadkar: It will be a comprehensive briefing because I imagine the Deputy will want to hear not just about the legislative aspects-----

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (18 Dec 2018)

Leo Varadkar: -----of it but also the non-legislative aspects of it. The European Commission is not producing its legislative proposals until tomorrow so ours could only follow on from then because anything we do in domestic law has to fall under and be consistent with European law. We cannot do it before then.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (18 Dec 2018)

Leo Varadkar: The answer to the Deputy's question is "No". However, I understand that the Minister, Deputy Harris, wants to give the Cabinet a verbal update on the progress of that project at the afternoon Cabinet meeting.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (18 Dec 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I am afraid we did not get to the health service plan today because there were a lot of items on the Cabinet agenda but Cabinet will resume this afternoon. I anticipate that we will get to it then and publish it this week.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (18 Dec 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I agree, in light of the events we have seen in recent weeks, that we need to extend regulation to these private security firms. It is already the case that a doorman or somebody fitting an alarm needs to be registered and is regulated. I agree that we need to extend regulation to these private security firms to make sure they act in accordance with the law. There are options for people...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (18 Dec 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I acknowledge that the Deputy raised a sensitive matter in a very appropriate and reasonable manner. I recognise that he has put on the record his condemnation of violence from any source, as I do. It is important to acknowledge that mortgage arrears are going down in Ireland. Five or six years ago there were hundreds of thousands of people out of work and unable to pay their mortgages,...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (18 Dec 2018)

Leo Varadkar: As I understand it, none of this will actually change. The new framework will not be in place until 1 January 2021. That is quite some time away. It will require primary legislation, which will have to be scrutinised and considered by the Oireachtas Committee on Justice and Equality, the Dáil and the Seanad. This is an issue which we can tease out. We want to get this right. My...