Results 14,081-14,100 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Leaders' Questions (19 Jun 2018)

Leo Varadkar: Elected members in this Chamber hold me to account-----

Leaders' Questions (19 Jun 2018)

Leo Varadkar: -----and I would expect elected members on local authorities to hold their executive to account as well, not least in Donegal.

Leaders' Questions (19 Jun 2018)

Leo Varadkar: On compliance, while our compliance rate has improved beyond measure in recent years, our system is far from perfect and it would seem that a certain minority continues to feel that flouting the law is worth the risk. Enforcement is beginning to pay dividends and several important environmental and criminal outcomes in the past year represent a roadmap to put potential illegitimate waste...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Freedom of Information Requests (19 Jun 2018)

Leo Varadkar: Up to the end of May this year my Department received 254 freedom of information requests. Of these, 152 requests were granted or part granted, 15 requests were refused and no records were held in relation to 28 requests. 10 requests were withdrawn or handled outside FOI and one request was transferred to another Department. 48 requests were ongoing at the end May and will be decided upon...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Strategic Communications Unit (19 Jun 2018)

Leo Varadkar: The review of the Operation of the Strategic Communications Unit was accepted by Government on 27th March last and published on the same date. This is now being implemented. In accordance with the report, a managed reversion to a more traditional GIS model is underway. Actions taken so far include staff reductions and a cut to the budget by €2.5 million. Further measures outlined...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Cabinet Committee Meetings (19 Jun 2018)

Leo Varadkar: As I have previously indicated to the House on 23 May 2018, Cabinet Committee D last met on 1February 2018. The date of the next meeting of the Committee is being finalised. Cabinet Committee D covers infrastructure investment and delivery, housing, and climate action and provides political oversight in relation to Project Ireland 2040. Significant work is underway across each of these...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (19 Jun 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 87 to 94, inclusive, together. I visited Northern Ireland on Thursday and Friday 7th and 8th of June. I had a number of different engagements during my visit, which was part of my and the Government's continuing commitment to remain engaged with all parts of society in Northern Ireland, notwithstanding the absence of functioning political institutions there....

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Departmental Staff (19 Jun 2018)

Leo Varadkar: The Programme for Partnership Government sets out the agreement between the Party Groups and Deputies who are participating in/or supporting the Government. My Department, as outlined in the Strategy Statement, provides support services for the Taoiseach and the Government, including the Independent Members of Government, through the Government Secretariat, the Parliamentary Liaison Unit, the...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Departmental Contracts (19 Jun 2018)

Leo Varadkar: There are no contracts with the Strategic Communications Unit. The Strategic Communications Unit is not a contracting authority. The Department has a number of contracts for communications related services. These will continue to be availed on in the future by GIS.

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Departmental Expenditure (19 Jun 2018)

Leo Varadkar: My Department has employed the services of the company in question on four occasions during the period January 2016 to date, as detailed in the table: Year Company Amount 2016 Citizens' Assembly - Call for submissions on the Eighth Amendment. €4,746.81 Advertisement regarding process for nomination of a person by the Government to the Office of Chief Justice. €3,118.53...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Departmental Websites (19 Jun 2018)

Leo Varadkar: My Department updates the websites www.taoiseach.ie and www.merrionstreet.ie with all relevant Government statements, speeches by Ministers, and other Government publications. The process for updating the websites is managed by staff in the Government Information Service and is based on Divisions within the Department providing material for publication and then agreeing the formatting and...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Public Consultation Process (19 Jun 2018)

Leo Varadkar: Details of the public consultations undertaken by my Department in each of the years 2011 to 2017 and to date in 2018 are set out in the following table. No public consultations were undertaken in the years in question by the National Economic and Social Development Office - the only body under the aegis of my Department. 2011 No. Details No. of Replies Received Cost 1 Consultation on...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): Legislative Programme (13 Jun 2018)

Leo Varadkar: It has been done in the past on a certain scale with Grangegorman and the docklands but this needs to be done in all our big cities if not nationwide. There is a lot of work done on contingency planning for Brexit. We should be in a position to publish some of that, probably in the next couple of weeks. As is always the case we would be happy to offer a briefing to party leaders on...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): Legislative Programme (13 Jun 2018)

Leo Varadkar: -----is gluing up the system. It is legislation which, to quote Senator Nash, could have been written "on the back of a receipt". Officials having to deal with that sort of stuff is causing problems and we should be honest about that. We should also be honest about the way we manage our time in the House in respect of the Dáil sitting for another week to get important legislation...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): Legislative Programme (13 Jun 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 8 to 10, inclusive, together. My Department has responsibility for the National Economic and Social Council, NESC. The National Economic and Social Council statutory basis is as a body under the framework of the National Economic and Social Development Office Act 2006. This framework is no longer necessary and Government has agreed that it should be...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): Legislative Programme (13 Jun 2018)

Leo Varadkar: On the question raised earlier by Deputy Boyd Barrett in regard to multinational tax evasion, I did not discuss that issue at my meeting with Prime Minister Michel but we did discuss the issue of digital taxation and the EU Commission's proposal for a digital levy, of which Belgium is a supporter and Ireland is not because we take the view that corporation tax should be applied where value is...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): Legislative Programme (13 Jun 2018)

Leo Varadkar: If it was amended such that some of the nonsense was taken out of it, we would.

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): Legislative Programme (13 Jun 2018)

Leo Varadkar: We will not use NAMA because that would require EU Commission clearance and that would set the process back a year or two. 2 o’clock That is why we will set up an agency de novo, which will take control of public landbanks to make them available for development and buy up private land if appropriate and do the same with that. That is perhaps something we should have done decades...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (13 Jun 2018)

Leo Varadkar: Deputy Howlin asked whether it would be possible to extend the Article 50 deadline beyond 29 March 2019. I understand that is possible under the treaties, but could only be done by unanimity - it would require all 27 member states to agree to it. Currently the United Kingdom has not asked for it and I do not see any benefit in offering it at this stage. I believe the UK needs to make...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): National Risk Assessment (13 Jun 2018)

Leo Varadkar: That indicates rents are stabilising and that the policy of rent pressure zones is working. The 600,000 tenants who have not experienced a significant rent increase in the past year or so know that. The risk assessments on Brexit are real and serious. It all depends on the type of Brexit, whether it is a hard Brexit or one where the UK stays in the customs union and is aligned with the...