Results 14,101-14,120 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar
- Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): National Risk Assessment (13 Jun 2018)
Leo Varadkar: Ministers are more prominent at press conferences. We are also more prominent at the meetings. What has been different over the past year or two is that during a weather emergency Ministers have been involved by attending the meetings and the press conferences.
- Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): National Risk Assessment (13 Jun 2018)
Leo Varadkar: While one inevitably comes in for criticism for this let us not forget the alternative, which was provided by Fianna Fáil and the Green Party during the major snow event of 2010. The then Minister for Transport, former Deputy Noel Dempsey, was away in Malta and the then Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government in the Custom House decided he was not responsible at all...
- Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (13 Jun 2018)
Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 3 to 7, inclusive, together. I was pleased to welcome the Belgian Prime Minister, Mr. Charles Michel, to Government Buildings on Thursday, 24 May, where we had a constructive and friendly meeting. Belgium and Ireland have excellent bilateral relations, including strong trade relations. We are also like-minded on many EU issues and we discussed how to...
- Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): National Risk Assessment (13 Jun 2018)
Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 and 2 together. The national risk assessment is an annual exercise which aims to ensure a broad-based and inclusive debate on the strategic risks facing the country. One of the lessons of the recent crisis is that Government did not pay enough attention to dissenting opinions and the national risk assessment provides an opportunity for an open and inclusive...
- Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): National Risk Assessment (13 Jun 2018)
Leo Varadkar: I will deal first Deputy Heydon's question on the very risk of overheating of our economy. This is a very real risk but one which we should not over-exaggerate.. The enormous political challenge over the next couple of months, or perhaps the next year, is to break the cycle of boom and bust that we have had in Ireland for generations, the procyclical economic policies that slash taxes and...
- Questions on Promised Legislation (13 Jun 2018)
Leo Varadkar: I am having that matter examined at the moment. I appreciate that the Deputy raised it with me a few weeks ago and I share his concerns about it. There has been an increase in resources for home care this year. I am not clear yet whether additional demand has exceeded the additional supply or whether it is a problem of recruitment. I understand that, in some areas, it has been difficult...
- Questions on Promised Legislation (13 Jun 2018)
Leo Varadkar: It is always the case that additional staff are taken on over the summer period so I imagine that this is happening or has happened. Some 770,000 passport applications have been processed to date. This gives an indication of the increase in demand because of people availing themselves of their right to Irish citizenship and because of more people being able to afford to travel abroad.
- Questions on Promised Legislation (13 Jun 2018)
Leo Varadkar: Eir is a private company that-----
- Questions on Promised Legislation (13 Jun 2018)
Leo Varadkar: -----the party opposite sold off. Perhaps the Deputy may wish to contact the company directly. Certainly, as far as the national broadband plan and the associated contract are concerned, the contract will be signed this year.
- Questions on Promised Legislation (13 Jun 2018)
Leo Varadkar: I am afraid I do not have the figures for Laois-Offaly to hand but I do appreciate that there are people in those counties-----
- Questions on Promised Legislation (13 Jun 2018)
Leo Varadkar: -----and many others who are waiting far too long to access therapies. We have a recruitment programme under way for additional occupational therapists, physiotherapists and speech and language therapists but we know from the bitter experience of recent years that more staff and more resources often does not make much of a difference. We need systems change as well. Part of the systems...
- Questions on Promised Legislation (13 Jun 2018)
Leo Varadkar: I will have to come back to the Deputy on that matter. We already have an industrial relations Act which provides for the recognition of unions in various circumstances. As I am not sure about the particular aspect of the convention to which the Deputy referred, I will reply to the Deputy by correspondence.
- Questions on Promised Legislation (13 Jun 2018)
Leo Varadkar: It is important that we have those data as soon as possible because they are at the crux of several issues. The two key issues are those of open disclosure and why that did not happen properly and whether the laboratories were up to standard. We need answers to both of those questions and I am keen that we have them as soon as possible. It is one of the modules under the Scally inquiry....
- Questions on Promised Legislation (13 Jun 2018)
Leo Varadkar: However, it is important to bear in mind that there is a separate piece of work being done by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and the British Society for Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology. They are looking at every individual smear test, each slide of the women affected, to try to determine where abnormalities were missed and whether they were abnormalities that should...
- Questions on Promised Legislation (13 Jun 2018)
Leo Varadkar: The answer to the Deputy's question is "No". As is often the case, the Deputy is out of date and misinformed. The number of gardaí has increased by 600. There are 600 more gardaí in the force since the start of 2017, since this Government came to office. We are on target to meet our objective of increasing the size of the Garda force to its highest ever, 21,000, including...
- Leaders' Questions (13 Jun 2018)
Leo Varadkar: We have a long way to go yet. We are catching up on a seven-year period during which almost no new homes were built, and we know why that was. I do not need to give people-----
- Leaders' Questions (13 Jun 2018)
Leo Varadkar: -----a history lesson as to how it came about. We are finally starting to catch up and are starting to see that now in the figures. However, the Deputy is absolutely right that we have much more to do and it will take many more years to do it.
- Leaders' Questions (13 Jun 2018)
Leo Varadkar: I will certainly give the Deputy's suggestion consideration. I know the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government has met with Ms Farha. At the time, she had not had the chance to read Rebuilding Ireland, so perhaps, as part of that engagement, we could get her views on Rebuilding Ireland. She certainly said a whole-of-government approach is needed. If I recall correctly, when I...
- Questions on Promised Legislation (13 Jun 2018)
Leo Varadkar: Section 4 of the Civil Liability (Amendment) Act, which was just passed last November, is due to be commenced this month, in June. I will have to check with the Minister for Justice and Equality if it is still on schedule but I have not heard otherwise. It is necessary to do more than pass laws. Open disclosure requires guidelines for staff and training. This is why a commencement order...
- Questions on Promised Legislation (13 Jun 2018)
Leo Varadkar: Who? The doctors or the-----