Results 12,641-12,660 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (11 Dec 2018)

Leo Varadkar: To be helpful and to facilitate Deputies Clare Daly and Micheál Martin, we could set side Taoiseach's Questions, not Leaders' Questions. I answer the same questions for two hours each week. Maybe we could set them aside.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (11 Dec 2018)

Leo Varadkar: There is a very big difference-----

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (11 Dec 2018)

Leo Varadkar: -----between official statistics and those that are calculated by an NGO or an advocacy group that has a particular agenda. What is undeniable is that we are very much off track in terms of meeting our emissions targets for 2020 and indeed, for 2030. It is for that exact reason that the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment, Deputy Bruton, has been tasked with...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (11 Dec 2018)

Leo Varadkar: When one is drawing up a national plan, one must take climate change into account and ensure that the plan is climate proofed. However, one must also take into account other considerations such as employment, living standards and balanced regional development. That is what a good Government tries to do; it tries to take into account all of the needs and concerns of people, balance them and...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (11 Dec 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I am sorry that the Deputy feels so spun that she is fatigued and driven to that level of cynicism and dismissiveness but we will not-----

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (11 Dec 2018)

Leo Varadkar: The Government will not be deflected-----

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (11 Dec 2018)

Leo Varadkar: -----by any cynicism coming from any corner of this House. In Project Ireland 2040, we have a plan for a country which will have a population of 6 million in 2040. It is comprehensive and deals with the healthcare infrastructure we need, the new schools we need, investment in rail such as the Metro in Dublin, BusConnects in Dublin, Cork and Galway, improved connectivity around the country,...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (11 Dec 2018)

Leo Varadkar: It is certainly evident to me that Tipperary town is in the natural hinterland of Limerick city and I imagine many more people commute to work from Tipperary town to Limerick than commute from Tipperary town to Waterford. That certainly makes sense to me. What is required is a plan for the town and somebody to drive it forward. I will engage with the Minister of State, Deputy English, who...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (11 Dec 2018)

Leo Varadkar: Only a few days ago the Environmental Protection Agency released its report on greenhouse gas emissions from Ireland in 2017, last year. We do not have the numbers for 2018 yet. The EPA report reveals that our greenhouse gas emissions last year decreased. It happened for a number of reasons, including increased generation of renewable energy and also the fact that it was a relatively warm...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (11 Dec 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue again. I am very much aware of the protests that have occurred in recent months. A turnout of 2,000 or 3,000 people to protest in what is a relatively small town is a huge number and reflects the depth of feeling that people in Tipperary town have about the decline of their town over the years. It is a concern that everyone on these...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (11 Dec 2018)

Leo Varadkar: If I did not know the Deputy better, I would almost suspect that she secretly hoped we did end up with a no-deal scenario so that she could exploit the economic damage here to the benefit of her party and stir up any amount of trouble in Northern Ireland. We take a different approach.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (11 Dec 2018)

Leo Varadkar: We have a deal on the table which has the support of 28 Governments and which was negotiated over a 15-month period.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (11 Dec 2018)

Leo Varadkar: Our objective is to get that deal ratified by the House of Commons. That is what we will be working on over the next couple of weeks; giving the UK assurances that it may need but never compromising on the basic fundamental substance and written letter of the backstop. That is what we will do in the coming weeks. If that does not work, it remains in the hands of the United Kingdom to...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (11 Dec 2018)

Leo Varadkar: To answer the Deputy's first question, we have no difficulty making plans public at the right time and as they are developed. However, it should be borne in mind that contingency plans happen at two levels. There are the contingency plans happening at European level, led by the Commission, and those that are specific to Ireland, which are led by the Government. The plans in Brussels will...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (11 Dec 2018)

Leo Varadkar: There is no single document that we have that we can publish. There are lots of different plans and they affect different sectors in different ways.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (11 Dec 2018)

Leo Varadkar: There are 70 Commission notes, which are available. There are 15 sectoral seminars being held at Commission level and these will conclude around 10 January. We have the central case scenario plan.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (11 Dec 2018)

Leo Varadkar: It has been shared with the stakeholders group. We have no difficulty publishing it. We can make arrangements to do so but it is not what the Deputy thinks it is. It is much less detailed than the Deputy may believe it is.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (11 Dec 2018)

Leo Varadkar: In terms of no deal, we should all be very aware that everybody wants to avoid a no deal scenario, including in Britain, Ireland and the European Union. The United Kingdom has the power withdraw the threat of no deal from us, its own people and from the European Union. It can do so by revoking Article 50 or, if that is a step too far, by seeking an extension to Article 50. The power exists...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (11 Dec 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy for raising this important matter. We should not forget how we got here. The United Kingdom decided to leave the European Union and its Government set out some hard red lines, that it would leave the customs union and the Single Market, that there would be no freedom of movement, and that they would not accept the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice. The...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Ministerial Travel (11 Dec 2018)

Leo Varadkar: As Taoiseach, I place high importance on engaging actively with fellow Heads of State and Government, both within the EU and more widely, to ensure that Ireland’s interests and concerns are fully appreciated and understood, including in the context of Brexit. Due to the volume of information required, it will not be possible to provide the Deputy with all the information at this...