Results 14,201-14,220 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Leaders' Questions (12 Jun 2018)

Leo Varadkar: -----and had no particular issue with it as it was being done to gather evidence to support the HSE's counterclaim relating to consultants not compliant with their contract.

Leaders' Questions (12 Jun 2018)

Leo Varadkar: Philip Lee wrote unexpectedly to the Office of the Chief State Solicitor on 6 April seeking confirmation that this approach was appropriate. Both the Departments of Health and Public Expenditure and Reform confirmed it was appropriate and that it should continue. There was, however, no Cabinet decision on the matter. A letter to that effect issued from the Department of Health on 19 April...

Leaders' Questions (12 Jun 2018)

Leo Varadkar: "RTÉ Investigates" did the country a service by using private investigators to follow some of these consultants who were in breach of their contract. A consultant or anybody working in the public service receives taxpayers' money-----

Leaders' Questions (12 Jun 2018)

Leo Varadkar: They receive public money that they are supposed to use in the interests of patients, students in schools and the people they are supposed to look after. Any person in breach of a contract such as a consultant moonlighting in a private hospital when he or she is supposed to be working in a public hospital is damaging the interests of patients who are not seen and is also taking money from...

Leaders' Questions (12 Jun 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I have no reason to have any concern that patient data were compromised in any way.

Leaders' Questions (12 Jun 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I do not know if there was a legal contract with the private investigators. The Cabinet agreed that compliance with the contract should be part of the defence but there was no ministerial involvement in the execution of the strategy.

Leaders' Questions (12 Jun 2018)

Leo Varadkar: The Department of Health maintains the view it was necessary to pursue all avenues in the gathering of material relating to non-compliance in order to put forward the strongest possible defence in line with the Government decision. The use of private investigators and surveillance work is not unusual in defence and prosecution cases before the courts.

Leaders' Questions (12 Jun 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy. As he is aware, a court case on this matter is under way and even today there are negotiations on the possibility of settling the case to the satisfaction of consultants and the Government which, of course, is tasked with protecting taxpayers' money and money that should be going towards providing a better health service for patients. This case is active and negotiations...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Cabinet Committee Meetings (12 Jun 2018)

Leo Varadkar: There were no Cabinet Committee meetings held in May 2018. However, there were 2 Cabinet Committee meetings held in April and a meeting of the Cabinet Committee B on 7 June. Further Cabinet Committee meetings are scheduled for later this month.

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: EU Meetings (12 Jun 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 120 to 122, inclusive, together. I last met with Prime Minister Viktor Orban on 4 January 2018, and I reported extensively on this engagement in the Dáil on 31 January 2018. I have not met with the Prime Minister formally since then, although we both attended the Informal EU Summit and High Level Conference on the Sahel in Brussels in February, the...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: EU Meetings (12 Jun 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 123 and 124 together. I met with Prime Minister May on the margins of the EU-Western Balkans summit in Sofia, Bulgaria, on 17 May. We discussed current developments in relation to Brexit and the ongoing efforts to assist the parties in Northern Ireland to re-establish the institutions of the Good Friday Agreement. Prime Minister May told me that she expected...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Freedom of Information Requests (12 Jun 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I have no involvement in the processing of Freedom of Information requests. This is managed by the Civil Servants in my Department.

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Programme for Government Implementation (12 Jun 2018)

Leo Varadkar: Government recently approved the annual report setting out progress on the Programme for Government. This sets out detailed progress since May 2017 on commitments being implemented across Government and will be published shortly and laid before the Oireachtas. The report contains details of progress on commitments falling under the responsibility of the Department of the Taoiseach,...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Legislative Measures (12 Jun 2018)

Leo Varadkar: There are no Acts, or parts of Acts under the Department of the Taoiseach awaiting commencement.

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Departmental Budgets (12 Jun 2018)

Leo Varadkar: My Department has no capital allocation for the years in question.

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: EU Data (12 Jun 2018)

Leo Varadkar: No such fines have been imposed on my Department.

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): Agreements with Members (30 May 2018)

Leo Varadkar: As I have informed the House before, there are no written or formal agreements with Independents. There is a commitment in the confidence and supply agreement with Fianna Fáil to publish any written agreement. As there are no written agreements, there is, therefore, none to be published. I noted Deputy Micheál Martin's remark about precedents which I do not think are quite...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): Agreements with Members (30 May 2018)

Leo Varadkar: The Deputy referred to something as being unprecedented. The precedent was a very strange one - a private written agreement between a Fianna Fáil-led Government and Independent Deputies which was not published or released under FOI legislation on the basis that it was an agreement with Fianna Fáil, not the Government. I assure the Ceann Comhairle that I would not engage in that...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): Agreements with Members (30 May 2018)

Leo Varadkar: That does not constitute a deal.

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): Agreements with Members (30 May 2018)

Leo Varadkar: Often for one reason or another, it is not possible to assist, but if it is, we certainly try to do so. In many ways, that courtesy is often extended to Independent Members who do not support the Government. If we can provide them with assistance, we do. Even members of Fianna Fáil and Sinn Féin come to the Government to raise particular issues. On the confidence and supply-----