Results 13,721-13,740 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Leaders' Questions (11 Jul 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I cannot say for certain when the examination of the slides will commence. I anticipate, however, that it will commence very soon. The scoping and preliminary work done by the Royal College of Surgeons and the British Society for Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology make certain suggestions - for example, that women should be asked for consent. Things were not done properly in the past and we...

Leaders' Questions (11 Jul 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I thank Mr. Pádraig Ó Ríordáin and his group for the report provided to the Government. We approved it yesterday. It builds on the Toland report and sets out an 18-month timeframe during which the Department of Justice and Equality is to be reformed. It involves dividing the Department into two divisions, one with responsibility for home affairs and the other with...

Leaders' Questions (11 Jul 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I totally acknowledge that far too many people have been waiting too long to access the services they need. That is true of child and adolescent mental health and of mental health more generally. It is true of our health service generally. The question is what we can do about it. The first step is to provide additional resources, funding and staff. We are using taxpayers' money to do...

Leaders' Questions (11 Jul 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I want to say again how distraught I am, and the country is, that so many women have had to endure the uncertainty and worry that have accompanied the CervicalCheck controversy, on which the Government has focused significantly in recent weeks and months. This has been a difficult issue to deal with. Like the women concerned, Deputy McDonald and everyone else, we did not have all the facts...

Leaders' Questions (11 Jul 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I assure the Deputy that I, as Taoiseach, and the Government are very much aware of the shortcomings in our mental services generally, and in CAMHS. We all have constituency responsibilities and are aware of the cases that come into our offices of those waiting for the appointment to access to psychologist or specialist that they very much need. I am also aware that people are increasingly...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (11 Jul 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 29, 32 to 34, inclusive, together. I had a very positive tête-à-tête meeting with Ms Christine Lagarde, IMF Managing Director, in Government Buildings on 25 June. I also hosted a dinner to mark her visit to Ireland on the evening of 26 June. Our exchanges covered the economic outlook, international trade, and gender equality issues. On the...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (11 Jul 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 35 and 36 together. I had a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister May on the margins of the EU Council in Brussels on June 28. We discussed the current political situation in Northern Ireland where I emphasised my Government’s full commitment to the Good Friday Agreement and we re-affirmed the determination of both Governments to secure the effective...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: British-Irish Council (11 Jul 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I attended the 30th British Irish Council (BIC) Summit in Guernsey on Friday 22 June, hosted by Chief Minister Gavin St. Pier. I was accompanied by Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government, Eoghan Murphy TD. The discussion at the summit covered key political developments for Administrations since the last summit in November. The discussion focused largely on the implications...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Cabinet Committee Meetings (11 Jul 2018)

Leo Varadkar: Cabinet Committee E last met on 11 April 2018. The Committee has met once since January 2018

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (11 Jul 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 50, 51, 52 and 55 together. I travelled to New York on Sunday 1 July to take part in a series of events marking the launch of Ireland’s election campaign for a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council for the 2021-2022 term. I was joined at a number of these events by the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Deputy Coveney,...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Cabinet Committee Meetings (11 Jul 2018)

Leo Varadkar: The Committee has met once this year on 8 February last. The meeting was attended by Ministers and Senior Officials from the Department of Finance and Public Expenditure and Reform; Foreign Affairs and Trade; Justice and Equality; Health; Communications, Climate Action and Environment; Transport, Tourism and Sport; Housing, Planning and Local Government; and Defence. Arrangements are being...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (11 Jul 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I met with the Austrian Chancellor, Sebastian Kurz, in Dublin Castle on Sunday 8 July. The Chancellor’s visit to Ireland took place as Austria begins its six-month Presidency of the Council of the European Union. It followed my own visit to Vienna in February. Topics discussed during our meeting included Brexit, migration, trade, the digital agenda, and the EU's budget post 2020 -...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Ministerial Advisers Data (11 Jul 2018)

Leo Varadkar: The Government Press Secretary acts as a spokesperson for me, as Taoiseach, and the Government and is supported by the Assistant Government Press Secretary in coordinating the media relations of all Government Departments. The Government Press Secretary is paid at Assistant Secretary level while the Assistant Government Press Secretary is paid at Principal Officer level. The Deputy...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Cabinet Committee Meetings (11 Jul 2018)

Leo Varadkar: The Government approved the establishment of Cabinet Committee C on 5 July 2017. This Cabinet Committee covers issues relating to the European Union, and assists the Government in its ongoing consideration of Brexit, as well as considering broader international issues. It also supports my participation as a member of the European Council. Cabinet Committee C has met three times;...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: General Data Protection Regulation (11 Jul 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 119, 121 and 122 together. As the Deputy will appreciate, my Department is not a holder of personal data on the scale of some other public service bodies. As regards access by persons to their own data held by my Department, such access was previously provided for under the Data Protection Acts 1988 and 2003. On the coming into effect of the General Data...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Departmental Staff Data (11 Jul 2018)

Leo Varadkar: My Department is committed to protecting the rights and privacy of individuals in accordance with the Data Protection Acts and the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) The Data Protection Officer (DPO) in my Department - who is at Assistant Principal (Higher) grade - is a member of the Information and Records Management Unit. There are currently 7.9 whole time equivalent staff...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (10 Jul 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I do not know why they cannot be published. It may be due to commercial sensitivities. I will ask the Minister for Finance to respond to the Deputy directly on it.

Ceisteanna - Questions: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (10 Jul 2018)

Leo Varadkar: For the avoidance of doubt, Mr. Tim Cook's name can be mentioned in the Chamber. His name was mentioned in my response. I do not know why it did not appear in the question. I have used his name in the Chamber. I do not think there is any person in the world whose name cannot be mentioned in this Chamber. The money that has been mentioned is being paid into an escrow account which is...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (10 Jul 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I do not have the exact amount that has been paid in so far.

Ceisteanna - Questions: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (10 Jul 2018)

Leo Varadkar: It is not the full amount, but it will be by the end of the year. It is being paid in in tranches on the basis of an agreed schedule. I do not know why it is not part of the Exchequer returns. I will ask the Minister for Finance to provide an answer for Deputy Joan Burton in that respect. I am sure there is a good reason, but I honestly do not know what it is. Ireland is not a tax...