Results 13,021-13,040 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

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

Leo Varadkar: Yes, that figure includes some patients who are in beds so it is a different way of counting it, but it is not correct to describe those people as being on trolleys.

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

Leo Varadkar: I thank Deputy Brassil for this important question. I am aware of the value of the community service programmes around the country, not least in Kerry. I do not have any information on that particular issue but I will ask the Minister, Deputy Ring, to provide the Deputy with a written reply.

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

Leo Varadkar: Fisheries has been a major topic of discussion over the last couple of weeks involving all the member states and the EU institutions. Access for our fishermen to UK waters is extremely valuable. Some 30% or 40% of all the fish our fishermen take out of the sea are taken from British waters. Indeed, some of the most valuable fish such as mackerel and prawns are taken by Irish trawlers from...

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

Leo Varadkar: -----and while the UK might have a strong hand when it comes to fisheries we have a strong hand when it comes to services and other matters too.

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

Leo Varadkar: I am not sure it is correct to say that there is a monopoly. The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission has examined allegations of a monopoly operating among the beef factories. I appreciate that farmers want a decent price for the work they do, but at the same time factories need to make a profit and we also must ensure that consumers pay a reasonable price for their food. The...

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

Leo Varadkar: I do not know. The budget provides for a reduction in prescription charges for all patients with medical cards and also for a reduction in the drugs payment scheme, DPS, for those who do not. However, I believe the Deputies are asking whether this device can be included under the long-term illness scheme for people over 21 years and I do not know the answer to that, but I will ask the...

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

Leo Varadkar: I corrected the record yesterday.

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

Leo Varadkar: I worked in Navan hospital long ago as a senior house officer in medicine and, as Minister for Health, I opened the new emergency department there. My experience of the hospital is that it provides a very good level of service to patients who had medical conditions and older people with pneumonia or urinary tract infections, UTIs, the people who sadly might end up on a trolley in a big...

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

Leo Varadkar: The Government welcomes the publication of the Ombudsman's report, Learning to Get Better: Progress Report. The HSE and the Department of Health will work with the Ombudsman and his office on making sure the recommendations are implemented. So far, out of 36 recommendations, ten have been implemented fully and 17 are being implemented. Two are being advanced by the Department of Health.

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

Leo Varadkar: We want to progress it. We want to establish a judicial council and empower it to set sentencing guidelines so there will be more consistency in sentencing across the country. The Bill is cued, as are many others. We need to pass the Judicial Appointments Commission Bill first. It has passed through this House. It is being held up, quite frankly, in the Seanad.

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

Leo Varadkar: Committee Stage in the Seanad is taken on the floor of the Chamber. In order to make progress, my party has given up its Private Members' time this week to allow us to provide more time for the Judicial Appointments Commission Bill. I appeal to other parties to support us in dealing with that legislation. That will free up the time we need in the Seanad to deal with the other Bill.

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

Leo Varadkar: We have a reform programme. Our reforms are consistently being held up by the fact that we do not have a majority in this House or the Seanad, unfortunately.

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

Leo Varadkar: There may need to be. What we would like to do first is resolve the EU–UK relationship and have an EU–UK treaty on the future economic and security relationships. If individual countries need bilateral agreements that do not conflict with that, they may well be necessary. With regard to the common travel area, it is true that there is no single piece of paper that states...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (14 Nov 2018)

Leo Varadkar: As the House will acknowledge, it is very much Government policy to ensure our nation's prosperity is shared, that everyone benefits and that all parts of the country benefit. Project Ireland 2040 is very much about making sure we have economic development in all parts of the country, that the large cities outside Dublin grow twice as fast as Dublin, that we develop new major urban centres,...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (14 Nov 2018)

Leo Varadkar: The Deputy mentioned the existence of the rural regeneration and development fund. It has €1 billion that we have set aside for the next ten years to invest in our towns and villages in rural areas to make them more attractive for people to stay in, move to and establish businesses in. There is also a €2 billion urban regeneration fund for settlements of more than 10,000...

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

Leo Varadkar: The budget for home support, home help and home care has increased to €420 million this year. That is up from €306 million in 2015, which is an increase of more than €100 million year in the past three years. That is a considerable increase. It provides 17 million home help hours to 50,000 people. The allocation has not yet been made for 2019. It will be part of the...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (14 Nov 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy. As everyone in the House will appreciate, Oberstown works with and serves children who have very profound difficulties. Many of them have had a very bad start in life and have immense needs and great difficulties. Sadly, they are often a risk to themselves, to other people, including family members, and to their communities. This is a very hard area to work in. The...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (14 Nov 2018)

Leo Varadkar: As the Deputy has rightly stated, these allegations are very serious and are being investigated by the Garda. It is important that we allow the Garda to carry out its investigations and that we support it in its work in this area. I have not seen these reports, but I appreciate that we must always have regard to the risk that the publication of any report could prejudice an investigation...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (14 Nov 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I can answer one of the Deputy's questions by telling her that the board has communicated with the authors of the report. On the issue more broadly, I assure the House that the Government is absolutely committed to improving child protection in Ireland. We have established a Department of Children and Youth Affairs with a dedicated Minister at the Cabinet table. We have amended our...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (14 Nov 2018)

Leo Varadkar: All things going to plan, we intend to offer a briefing to party leaders and their teams this evening and offer a similar briefing for the SDLP, the Alliance Party and the Green Party in Northern Ireland tomorrow morning. It is important to remember what the backstop is. It is not our preferred solution but, rather, a fallback or insurance policy. The joint report published in December...