Results 13,781-13,800 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Leaders' Questions (10 Jul 2018)

Leo Varadkar: To answer Deputy Howlin's question about Salzburg, I discussed it with Chancellor Kurz on Sunday and with Michel Barnier a few weeks ago. It is an option, but it is too soon to make that judgment call now.

Leaders' Questions (10 Jul 2018)

Leo Varadkar: We need to know what there is to discuss. Over the next couple of weeks, there will be an engagement between the Barnier task force, which is known as the TF50, and the UK Government. We will have to see what gets achieved during the period of August and September.

Leaders' Questions (10 Jul 2018)

Leo Varadkar: The purpose of having an Article 50 discussion, or an Article 50 Council, in September would be if the EU was to modify our guidelines. That would be the purpose of it. We can have an informal chat at any time, and I am sure we will. We will not have a formal Article 50 Council unless we are going to modify the EU negotiating guidelines. It is too soon at this stage to say we are going to...

Leaders' Questions (10 Jul 2018)

Leo Varadkar: As I said at the European Council in March, it is absolutely my preference to reach an agreement as soon as possible. An early agreement is in the interests of our citizens, who want certainty, and in the interests of business, which needs to plan for changes that might take place in the future. Of course I want to have an agreement as soon as possible. I am not going to make concessions...

Leaders' Questions (10 Jul 2018)

Leo Varadkar: There is always a fair bit of comitology. There is "the customs union" and "a customs union"; there is "the backstop" and "a backstop". When we talk about the backstop, we are referring to the text produced by the EU 27 in March. When the United Kingdom talks about "a backstop", it is accepting that there must be a backstop which, it agrees, has to be part of a withdrawal agreement.

Leaders' Questions (10 Jul 2018)

Leo Varadkar: The legal text might be different from the one produced in March by the EU 27. To answer the Deputy's question frankly, I am not hung up on legal texts. It is not about the legal texts but the outcome.

Leaders' Questions (10 Jul 2018)

Leo Varadkar: It is about what it achieves. What "the backstop", "a backstop", or any backstop must achieve is a legally binding guarantee that there will be no hard border on the island of Ireland and that must form part of the withdrawal agreement. Of course, I am happy to debate, discuss and negotiate with the European Union and the United Kingdom on the legal text. However, it is not about the legal...

Leaders' Questions (10 Jul 2018)

Leo Varadkar: Deputy McDonald may be getting a little bit muddled on the detail. In December, there was a political agreement. The UK Government has been very consistent that it stands by the political agreement that was made in December. The UK Government made the agreement in December and reaffirmed it in a letter from Theresa May to President Tusk in March. In fact, the UK Government reaffirmed it...

Leaders' Questions (10 Jul 2018)

Leo Varadkar: The statement produced at Chequers is a valuable input into the negotiations on the final status. It may produce a credible pathway towards further negotiations, but we need to study the White Paper first. On its own, it is not a solution and nobody is claiming that it is. As we have said so many times in the past, if the United Kingdom is willing to modify and evolve some of its red...

Leaders' Questions (10 Jul 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy. All of us are noting very closely the political events that are unfolding at Westminster. I note the resignation of the former Foreign Secretary, Mr. Johnson, and former Brexit Secretary, Mr. Davis. I also note that the Prime Minister did not waste too much time in replacing them. Of course, these are internal matters for the UK Government and the Conservative Party....

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (10 Jul 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 8 and 9 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 Michel Barnier, the EU’s Chief Brexit...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (10 Jul 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 109, 112 and 120 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 (10 Jul 2018)

Leo Varadkar: The most recent meeting of Cabinet Committee A took place on Monday, 9 July 2018. A date for the next meeting is currently been discussed.

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Papal Visit (10 Jul 2018)

Leo Varadkar: While this is not a formal state visit it will be a major event for Ireland, with a high degree of public participation and a high international profile. The involvement of civil authorities and various agencies in the visit and related costs will be as appropriate for an official visit by a Head of State, similar to previous high-profile visits to Ireland. This will include security,...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Data Protection (10 Jul 2018)

Leo Varadkar: The Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform as the Contracting Authority has issued a request for tenders in relation to the award of a contract for the provision of service to deliver training for Data Protection Officers in the civil service and bodies across the public sector. It is understood that the tenders submitted have been assessed and that the winning tenderer will be notified...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Constitutional Convention Agenda (10 Jul 2018)

Leo Varadkar: The Convention on the Constitution considered amending the clause on the role of women in the home at its second plenary meeting of 16-17 February 2013. Over the course of two days, the Convention considered submissions made by members of the public and heard presentations from a wide range of academics, political scientists, legal experts and advocacy groups. It also held a panel...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Constitutional Reform (10 Jul 2018)

Leo Varadkar: There are no plans for a new Constitution. As stated in the Programme for Government "achieving political and constitutional reform will be the responsibility of every member elected to Dáil Éireann. Reform will require constant pursuit throughout the lifetime of the next parliament".

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Freedom of Information Requests (10 Jul 2018)

Leo Varadkar: My Department received 299 Freedom of Information requests from the start of this year to the end of June. Of these, 187 requests were granted or part granted, 20 requests were refused and no records were held in relation to 38 requests. 10 requests were withdrawn or handled outside FOI, 1 request was transferred and 43 requests were ongoing at the end of June. There were 12 requests...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Vacancies on State Boards (10 Jul 2018)

Leo Varadkar: There are no vacancies on state boards under the remit of my Department.

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (10 Jul 2018)

Leo Varadkar: 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 operation of all its institutions. In line...