Results 13,681-13,700 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Departmental Communications (18 Sep 2018)

Leo Varadkar: My Department provides a LoCall phone number to those who may wish to avail of it. It is an 1890 number and it is not the primary contact number for my Department. This is made clear on my Department's website, through my Department's various entries in publicly available telephone directories, and through Internet search engines. Where the LoCall number is published on my Department's...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: State Visits (18 Sep 2018)

Leo Varadkar: The visit by Pope Francis in August included a number of large scale events which were open to the public to attend. Thousands of people were expected to attend the Shrine at Knock and Mass in the Phoenix Park as well as lining the streets of Dublin to see the Pope. The involvement of many of the State's agencies in these events was to ensure the security, health and safety of the...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Cabinet Committee Meetings (18 Sep 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I have chaired three Cabinet Committee meetings since June 2018. Cabinet Committee B (Social Policy and Public Services) met on 7 June, Cabinet Committee C (European Union) on 21 June and Cabinet Committee A (Economy) on 9 July.

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): European Council Meetings (11 Jul 2018)

Leo Varadkar: The negotiations will be bilateral, not trilateral. They will be negotiations between the EU on the one side and the UK on the other. I have explained why that should be the case. I agree with Deputy McDonald's analysis as to why that should continue to be the case. There will not be any softening of our position on our core objectives. They include the common travel area, no hard...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): European Council Meetings (11 Jul 2018)

Leo Varadkar: The European political parties, as we all know, are wide churches and umbrella organisations. I know the Czech Government, which I think is in the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Party, ALDE, - the liberal group of which Fianna Fáil is part - has almost identical views to Viktor Orbán on migration. Deputy Micheál Martin may wish to check that out and see how...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): European Council Meetings (11 Jul 2018)

Leo Varadkar: Sinn Féin is in the European United Left–Nordic Green Left, which is a group that is highly Eurosceptic and euro-cynical. I know Sinn Féin denies that it is a Eurosceptic party but it continues to be in a group of people who want to break up the European Union in many cases. I am not altogether sure who the European bedfellows of Solidarity–People Before Profit are.

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): European Council Meetings (11 Jul 2018)

Leo Varadkar: If there are any, I shudder to think of some of the more extreme opinions they may have. Anyway, I do not agree with Viktor Orbán on these points. I do not agree with him on migration, civil rights or academic freedom. On the one occasion we had a bilateral meeting in Budapest – the Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Deputy McEntee, was there...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): European Council Meetings (11 Jul 2018)

Leo Varadkar: When we do not agree with people we should, at least in our own heads, try to understand why they have the views they have. That is the best way we can change them. If we want to change the views of others, we need to try to understand what they think and then convince them otherwise. We should not swat them away and dismiss them in an elitist fashion. If we do, what happens is that they...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): European Council Meetings (11 Jul 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 9 to 25, inclusive, together. I have an ongoing programme of strategic engagement with my EU counterparts, including by means of formal bilateral meetings as well as informal discussions in the margins of EU summits. I report to the House regularly on these engagements. Recent formal bilateral meetings included those with the Belgian Prime Minister, Mr....

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): Urban Renewal Schemes (11 Jul 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I am not a member of the Sub-Committee on Dáil Reform, but a bit longer for me to answer the questions and a bit less time for them to be asked might be a solution, but if that is not possible I understand.

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): Urban Renewal Schemes (11 Jul 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I was asked about the priorities in terms of capital projects. The priorities are Fitzgibbon Street Garda station and Rutland Street school. With regard to Fitzgibbon Street Garda station, €3 million has been approved for enabling works and the Garda and the OPW continue to engage closely to finalise the details on the accommodation brief. A design team has been appointed and...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (11 Jul 2018)

Leo Varadkar: It is also important to state an obvious fact, which is that the United Kingdom does not want to be in the Single Market. I wish it did, but its Government has said on many occasions that the UK is leaving the Single Market and we need to respect that. What we can do, however, is negotiate access to the Single Market for them, or we can negotiate as the EU with the UK for the United Kingdom...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (11 Jul 2018)

Leo Varadkar: -----and I think that is where the negotiations can go in the next couple of months. Other people said it was Jesuitical. I think it is very clear.

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (11 Jul 2018)

Leo Varadkar: Being in the Single Market, yes.

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (11 Jul 2018)

Leo Varadkar: That is obviously part of the negotiations that are going to have to pan out. Cherry-picking would be having access without giving anything in return. Like I say, I do not wish to engage in a running commentary on the talks and I am not in a position to make any concessions on behalf of the European Union on the floor of the House. Any concessions or modification of the EU's position has...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): Urban Renewal Schemes (11 Jul 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 5 to 8, inclusive, together. My Department is actively involved with the work of the programme implementation board, headed by its independent chairperson, Mr. Michael Stone. The board and its four subgroups meet every month to oversee progress on the 54 actions set out in the Mulvey report. The chairman of the board reports on a regular basis to an...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (11 Jul 2018)

Leo Varadkar: From the top, I have not spoken to President Juncker since the Chequers statement was issued. I anticipate that I will speak to him later this month when we have seen the White Paper. As often said, the Chequers statement is three pages long while the White Paper, which we have yet to see, will be more than 100 pages long. Consequently, I would like to see, read and digest that before...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (11 Jul 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 4, inclusive, together. I was pleased to welcome the Commission President, Jean-Claude Juncker, to Government Buildings on Thursday, 21 June, where we had a very constructive and friendly meeting. This was President Juncker’s first visit to Dublin in his current role. He was accompanied by Commissioner Hogan and Mr. Michel Barnier, the...

Questions on Promised Legislation (11 Jul 2018)

Leo Varadkar: We are making great progress on broadband in Ireland.

Questions on Promised Legislation (11 Jul 2018)

Leo Varadkar: When this Government of Fine Gael, the Independent Alliance and Independents came to office, just over 50% of premises in the country had access to high-speed broadband.