Results 13,001-13,020 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Official Engagements (20 Nov 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I attended the 12th ASEM Summit, or Asia - Europe Meeting, on the 18th and 19th of October in Brussels. The focus of the recent Summit was on improving trade and connectivity between Europe and Asia, and on reinforcing the multilateral, rules-based system of governance on issues like international trade, peace and security, sustainable development and climate change. As well as...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Departmental Advertising Expenditure (20 Nov 2018)

Leo Varadkar: The cost for any social media advertising undertaken in 2019 will be met from my Department's administrative budget. Costs incurred are expected to be significantly less than the spend on digital advertising in 2018 which is estimated at approximately €450,000.

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Official Engagements (20 Nov 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I visited Derry City on Friday 26th October where I had several engagements. I was pleased to visit the Apprentice Boys Headquarters and Museum where I enjoyed a tour of the Museum. I also had the opportunity to meet the Chair of the Management Committee Mr William Moore and a number of his colleagues. I then visited Creggan Enterprises in the Rath Mór Centre in the Creggan where I spoke...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: British-Irish Council (20 Nov 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 126 and 128 together. I attended the 31st British Irish Council (BIC) Summit in the Isle of Man on Friday 9 November, hosted by Chief Minister Howard Quale. I was accompanied by the Minister for Natural Resources, Community Affairs and Digital Development, Sean Canney TD. The discussion at the summit covered key political developments for...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Energy Efficiency (20 Nov 2018)

Leo Varadkar: My Department participates in the Public Sector Energy Reporting Programme, reporting all of its energy consumption through the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland's (SEAI) Monitoring and Reporting online system. Energy usage in the Government Buildings complex, including my Department, is administered by the Houses of the Oireachtas. In recent years there have been some significant...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Government Information Service (20 Nov 2018)

Leo Varadkar: Civil Servants from the Government Information Service, which includes MerrionStreet.ie, are not involved in any aspect of the weekly video message delivered by the Taoiseach.

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed): Public Sector Reform Implementation (14 Nov 2018)

Leo Varadkar: On the appointment of unpaid parliamentary private secretaries, we have decided not to proceed. We are relatively slim on the Government benches in this Dáil, with only 56 or 57 Deputies, many of whom, if not most, are Ministers or Ministers of State. In a different context, however, with a larger or majority Government, there might be a case for giving Deputies some experience in the...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed): Departmental Communications (14 Nov 2018)

Leo Varadkar: To pick up on the final comment, I could not agree more. Good communication is no substitute for good services, nor is it a substitute for good infrastructure but good communication can help to provide a good service and make sure people know where to find it. Different identities will continue to exist. Nobody is suggesting for a second that the Garda Síochána will cease to be...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed): Departmental Communications (14 Nov 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I assure the Deputy that is the case.

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed): Departmental Communications (14 Nov 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I appreciate there is suspicion to the point of paranoia around this but I assure the Deputy not only will the gardaí still be the gardaí, the Navy will still be the Navy and Intreo will still be Intreo. It means Departments will adopt a common and unified brand. It is a harp. It makes sense that Departments, which are essentially just branches of Government, should all have the...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed): Public Sector Reform Implementation (14 Nov 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 6 to 8, inclusive, together. My Department continues to implement public sector reform actions which aim to develop both staff and the organisation to deliver excellent services. This work is guided by the successive reform plans published by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform and the Civil Service renewal plan. The latest plan, Our Public...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed): National Reform Programme (14 Nov 2018)

Leo Varadkar: That is a matter of significant concern. Of course, these figures do not include a further 2,000 student apartments, the reconnection of 654 vacant dwellings or unfinished housing developments that have now been completed.

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed): Departmental Communications (14 Nov 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 4 and 5 together. A unified Government identity has been developed and adopted by Departments as part of the reform programme for Government communications. A unified identity replaces a fragmented and expensive system that saw Departments and Government agencies use, and communicate through, a multiplicity of identities, logos and brands, resulting in...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (14 Nov 2018)

Leo Varadkar: It is indeed a very painful condition, or certainly can be depending on the severity, and it is not rare at all; it is a very common condition. The Deputy is quite right to raise it in the House and to point out that there can often be delays in diagnosis. I will inform the Minister for Health that she has raised the issue and ask him to take it up with her directly.

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed): National Reform Programme (14 Nov 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 3, inclusive, together. The national reform programme is an important element of the European semester. This is the annual cycle of enhanced economic and fiscal policy co-ordination at EU level. Each semester is commenced by the publication by the European Commission of the annual growth survey, which identifies economic priorities for member states...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed): National Reform Programme (14 Nov 2018)

Leo Varadkar: Closing the gender pay gap is not in the national reform programme but I agree with Deputy O'Reilly that just because something is not in the national reform programme does not mean we should not do it. We should do it and we have a number of actions under way. The first is the gender pay Bill, which is going to the Oireachtas joint committee next week. I encourage all parties to work...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (14 Nov 2018)

Leo Varadkar: This matter was dealt with earlier, but perhaps I can reply again or in more detail. Home help and home care packages are very valuable and very cost effective. The Deputies are correct in that respect. The packages allow people to return home from hospital, allow people to avoid going into hospital in the first place and allow people to live at home for much longer before they require...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (14 Nov 2018)

Leo Varadkar: Across the country at 8 a.m. today, there were 378 adult patients on trolleys.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (14 Nov 2018)

Leo Varadkar: Obviously that number will be much lower by now and most of those patients will be in beds by the afternoon. This is a 12% increase on the same day last year, but it is down 16% on this time two years ago. Once again we see enormous variation from hospital to hospital. There are no patients on trolleys in Beaumont Hospital, two in Connolly Hospital, five in University Hospital Waterford...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (14 Nov 2018)

Leo Varadkar: This will be a matter for the Business Committee. I would have no objection to a debate on it. We will have the affordable childcare scheme in place next year. On Deputy O'Reilly's clarification, the figure of 376 adult patients on trolleys today came from the Department of Health at 8 a.m. this morning. The INMO does a different count that is 518. The HSE count includes patients on...