Results 13,861-13,880 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Leaders' Questions (4 Jul 2018)

Leo Varadkar: -----important and essential work and in a free society and a democracy it is as important as the parliamentary or courts system.

Leaders' Questions (4 Jul 2018)

Leo Varadkar: That is why I support and the Government supports the work of the news media and I always try to be as accessible and open with the media as I can be. Sometimes there are tensions between the Government and media but that is as it should be. I read the story in the newspaper today and I profoundly regret if anyone in the country thinks that in any way I do not support a free press or...

Leaders' Questions (4 Jul 2018)

Leo Varadkar: -----Russia and many other things. There was a conversation about social media and fake news and it developed from there. I said a lot of positive things about the media internationally and in Ireland-----

Leaders' Questions (4 Jul 2018)

Leo Varadkar: -----in particular I acknowledged the role of investigative journalism in bringing about social change. I acknowledged the example of that in the #MeToo movement and the exposure of Harvey Weinstein, and we talked about the role of personal stories as evidenced in the media and how important that was in our last two referendum campaigns on abortion and marriage equality. I also said that...

Leaders' Questions (4 Jul 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue. When it comes to the Cabinet, there is no denial whatsoever of the enormous economic and social challenge we face as a result of the housing crisis and its worst and most distressing aspect - family homelessness, with children not being able to go home at night and having to do their homework on a hotel bed. The Government is aware of the...

Leaders' Questions (4 Jul 2018)

Leo Varadkar: The number of people living in emergency accommodation is levelling off. In the Dublin area, for example, last month there was a reduction in the number of families entering homelessness.

Leaders' Questions (4 Jul 2018)

Leo Varadkar: For the first time, we were taking more people out of homelessness than were entering it.

Leaders' Questions (4 Jul 2018)

Leo Varadkar: We are moving away from the use of hotels and bed and breakfast accomodation which are totally unsuitable for families and towards family hubs which are very different as they have cooking and washing facilities and play areas. While it is by no means a long-term solution and an alternative to a house or an apartment, it is a much better temporary solution. There are 500 such places, with...

Leaders' Questions (4 Jul 2018)

Leo Varadkar: The CSO figures which nobody disputes and which cannot lie show that last year 14,446 new homes were built. That figure does not include the number of vacant houses - more than 2,000 - being brought back into use. It also does not include the student accommodation being made available, of which there is a lot.

Leaders' Questions (4 Jul 2018)

Leo Varadkar: The 14,446 new homes built last year amounted to an increase of 50% on the figure for the previous year. That is evidence that the level of housing supply is ramping up.

Leaders' Questions (4 Jul 2018)

Leo Varadkar: We expect 18,000 or 20,000 new homes to be built this year.

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (4 Jul 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I met Tim Cook, Chief Executive of Apple, on 18th June in Dublin. Apple is a major investor in the country, and employs more than 5,000 people in Ireland – mostly in Cork. I regularly meet with companies with a presence in Ireland, and it is right for me to do so. Indeed, during our meeting, Mr. Cook highlighted Apple's continued investment in Ireland, in particular a new extension...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: European Council Meetings (4 Jul 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I attended the European Council in Brussels on 28 and 29 June. Our discussions covered Brexit; economic and monetary union; migration; security and defence; jobs, growth and competitiveness; digital and innovation; the Multiannual Financial Framework; external relations and other items. I will be reporting on the meeting to the House today, 4 July. Migration has been a divisive issue for...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Strategic Communications Unit (4 Jul 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 135 and 141 together. The Department did receive legal correspondence from the company mentioned. This correspondence was received during the review of the Operation of the Strategic Communications Unit (SCU) conducted in March of this year, as a result of clarification sought by my Department specifically on the facts of matters relating to the SCU and...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Departmental Expenditure (4 Jul 2018)

Leo Varadkar: There was no expenditure on commercial archaeology services by my Department in each of the years 2013 to date.

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Departmental Staff Redeployment (4 Jul 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 137 and 138 together. Staff from the Protocol Division in my Department are involved with a number of elements of the forthcoming visit by Pope Francis to Ireland. The Division includes the Head of Protocol (Principal Officer), 2 Assistant Principal Officers and 5 Protocol Officers (Executive grade, 2 part-time). In addition two members of staff from...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Departmental Expenditure (4 Jul 2018)

Leo Varadkar: The development and management of the public safety information regarding the upcoming visit of Pope Francis on gov.ie is managed by in-house resources and therefore no direct costs were incurred with these aspects. €1,216 was spent on the translation of these pages to the Irish language.

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Electric Vehicles (4 Jul 2018)

Leo Varadkar: My Department is located in one building - Government Buildings on Merrion Street - which is managed by the Office of Public Works. There are no e-car charging ports or parking bays provided in Government Buildings. No property is owned, part-owned or under the control of my Department.

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Strategic Communications Unit (4 Jul 2018)

Leo Varadkar: Following the report into the operation of the Strategic Communications Unit (SCU) conducted in March last, it was agreed that the SCU should be wound down and that my Department would revert to a reformed GIS model, with a smaller budget and less staff. It was agreed that surplus staff would be redeployed, either within the Department of the Taoiseach or in other Departments or agencies;...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Departmental Contracts Data (4 Jul 2018)

Leo Varadkar: My Department engaged a market research company, Behaviour and Attitudes, on one occasion in 2017. The market research for which they were engaged has not yet been undertaken on behalf of the Department.