Results 13,541-13,560 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (26 Sep 2018)

Leo Varadkar: This is a budgetary matter but no decisions have yet been made on spending our taxation in the budget. There was an increase in funding for third level of €50 million last year and it is anticipated that there will be a similar increase for next year but I cannot say for sure how that will be divvied up. That is yet to be decided.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (26 Sep 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I will have to ask the Minister, Deputy Eoghan Murphy, to provide a reply to the Deputy on the specifics. He must, however, bear in mind that what we are trying to do at the moment is increase our social housing stock. A huge amount of social housing stock was sold off and there are consequences as a result. It is not the cause of the housing crisis by any means but we need to be careful...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (26 Sep 2018)

Leo Varadkar: This is awful play-acting on an important and serious issue. The Deputy is well aware that those councils have developed plans for those lands: Fingal County Council with Damastown, and South Dublin County Council with Kilcarbery. What they have proposed is a mix of housing, that is, some private housing for young people who want to buy and own their first house, some affordable housing for...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (26 Sep 2018)

Leo Varadkar: What was the question?

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (26 Sep 2018)

Leo Varadkar: There is legislation pending on the rent pressure zones and to strengthen the provisions therein. The ESRI report today actually says something quite different from what the Deputy claims. It indicates that 18,655 new homes will be built this year, rising to 24,500 units in 2019. Therefore, it indicates we will meet or exceed our new build targets.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (26 Sep 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I cannot give any particular commitments on the budget at this stage. There are many moving parts, and decisions have yet to be made on tax or spending.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (26 Sep 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I can absolutely guarantee there are not 63 motorway projects-----

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (26 Sep 2018)

Leo Varadkar: -----in Project Ireland 2040. The Dublin-Cork motorway, the M20, the Galway ring road and a few others need to be done. I may be totally wrong but I highly doubt that as things are going all the peat will gone by 2030. There is a lot of it out there.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (26 Sep 2018)

Leo Varadkar: If the Deputy has a specific proposal to make on the wording of the referendum, we would be happy to consider it but we always need to be very cautious about amending our Constitution. As the Deputy rightly points out, 83 countries have a legal right to housing and many of those countries have a homelessness crisis and people living in shanty towns. Putting something into the Constitution...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (26 Sep 2018)

Leo Varadkar: That is why it is important that on housing Sinn Féin should have thought-out policies, which it does not at the moment.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (26 Sep 2018)

Leo Varadkar: If the vessel makes an application to the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport or the Irish Maritime Development Office, the application will be considered. That would be the case for any vessel as whether it is a ship or an aircraft that wants to be registered in Ireland or have an Irish flag, it will be considered.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (26 Sep 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I have not seen the application. Is the captain qualified? Is the vessel seaworthy?

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (26 Sep 2018)

Leo Varadkar: The Deputy and I are not as far apart as he may think or wish people to believe. There will be three priorities in the budget coming before the House in two weeks. The first priority is that it be broadly balanced and that we do not repeat the mistakes of the past by ramping up spending and slashing taxes when the economy is strong and doing well. We will reduce the deficit and our...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (26 Sep 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I am not entirely clear what the Deputy's question is. I will await the report from the all-party committee, which is being ably chaired by my colleague, Deputy Hildegarde Naughton. On the Government's commitment to climate action, it is important to put the kind of initiatives that the Government has committed to on the record of the House. We do not need an all-party agreement to make...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (26 Sep 2018)

Leo Varadkar: The Deputy is a very excitable gentleman, is he not?

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (26 Sep 2018)

Leo Varadkar: The Deputy can be passionate but he can also be measured and logical.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (26 Sep 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I encourage the Deputy to read Project Ireland 2040 because I would love to know where these 53 big motorways are going.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (26 Sep 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I can guarantee that the Government will engage with unions on pay and terms and conditions and on co-operation with the reforms that are necessary to bring about a better health service. It is because of engagement that we have a three-year pay deal with all public servants to increase their pay every year. The sum of €400 million has been set aside for next year alone for increases...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (26 Sep 2018)

Leo Varadkar: -----but that is not the approach of Government or what is in the interest of the Irish taxpayer or people who use our public services.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (26 Sep 2018)

Leo Varadkar: The Deputy raises some valid points. In respect of our tax base, ten years ago we relied heavily on stamp duty, tax revenues from capital gains tax and tax receipts from the property sector. Now, our tax base is much more broadly based. We have a local property tax which, unpopular as it may be, has broadened our tax base. We also have a sugar tax and a carbon tax and as such we have a...