Results 14,381-14,400 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Leaders' Questions (Resumed) (22 May 2018)

Leo Varadkar: The OPW is a part of the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, so the Deputy is quite correct. Many of his constituents benefitted from that particular expenditure.

Leaders' Questions (Resumed) (22 May 2018)

Leo Varadkar: There are no biscuits in the Department of the Taoiseach anymore, but that is another story. The Deputy does make a serious point about CCTV schemes. It is a good scheme, and I am aware that the Minister of Justice and Equality is very much behind it. I am also behind it, and we want to streamline the process to make sure that communities can draw-down that money and put CCTV systems in...

Leaders' Questions (Resumed) (22 May 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I do not have details of the expenditure that Deputy Mattie McGrath mentioned. That is a matter for the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. However, Government Departments regularly retain outside advice, whether that is legal advice, accountancy advice or people who come in and provide ICT projects for example. When a Department uses outside consultants it generally does so for...

Leaders' Questions (Resumed) (22 May 2018)

Leo Varadkar: The draft legislation which the Government has put forward is exactly that. I saw somebody pointing to it and claiming it was the law - it is not the law, it is the draft scheme of legislation that we intend to introduce if the referendum is carried on Saturday. That provides for the termination of pregnancies up to 12 weeks but after 12 weeks only where there is a medical indication, where...

Leaders' Questions (Resumed) (22 May 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy. I know there has been a lot of talk during this referendum campaign about those hardest of hard cases - young women who are just girls themselves who have become pregnant, often as a result of incest, women who are victims of rape or perhaps young couples or couples with a pregnancy that is very much wanted but who get the devastating diagnosis that the child they are...

Leaders' Questions (22 May 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I have discussed the matter again with the Minister for Education and Skills and he is very much aware of it. We are of the view that we are complying with the European Court of Human Rights judgment in the matter. If it is the case, as the Deputy said, that abuse has occurred and there is no doubt about that fact, then that is something we will have to consider. However, people will...

Leaders' Questions (22 May 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I join Deputy Micheál Martin in condemning the senseless and brutal crimes we have seen in the past few days. We condemn them unreservedly. Although nothing we can say will bring Ana Kriegel or Jastine Valdez back, I hope we can provide some reassurance to the many young women and families out there who are scared and concerned. I particularly recognise An Garda Síochána for...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Strategic Communications Unit (22 May 2018)

Leo Varadkar: The report from this review was accepted by Government on 27 March last and published on the same date. This is now being implemented. In accordance with the report, there will be a managed reversion to the more traditional GIS model, with a transition period until July 2018. At the time of the review and its accompanying reports, some information from a specific company was still...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (22 May 2018)

Leo Varadkar: Since I was appointed Taoiseach on 14 June 2017, I met with Google and Facebook on the following occasions. On 12 September 2017 I met with the Vice President of Google where our discussions included Google’s plans for their operations in Ireland, and ongoing technological trends and the resultant regulatory challenges. I had a three day visit to Seattle, Silicon Valley and...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: National Digital Strategy Implementation (22 May 2018)

Leo Varadkar: The Action Plan for Jobs 2018 commits to the development of a framework for a high level National Digital Strategy. The purpose of the Strategy is to provide a coherent vision across sectoral policies, which relate to digital matters. The Strategy will enable Ireland to maximise the economic and societal benefits that arise from ongoing digitalisation. A Digital Strategy...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committee Meetings (15 May 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I will attend the informal Council at the EU-western Balkan summit in Sofia in the next two days. I will have two objectives. First, I will take the opportunity to engage with other Heads of State and Government on EU issues, from Brexit to initial conversations on the next EU budget. I will also be expressing the Government's support for further enlargement into the western Balkans. We...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Departmental Policy Functions (15 May 2018)

Leo Varadkar: On the programme for Government, the progress report for year two was cleared by the Cabinet this morning and we will publish it at the most opportune moment in the next couple of days or weeks. It sets out all that has been achieved by the Government since it took office two years ago and signals what it wants to achieve in the next two or three years, should it survive that long. I...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Departmental Policy Functions (15 May 2018)

Leo Varadkar: On the structures below it, the recommendations made in the Sláintecare report are for community health organisations and hospital groups to be realigned. There are community health organisations which are geographical and usually cover two or three counties, or bits of counties, and there are hospital groups which do not align with them. The Sláintecare reports recommends...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Departmental Policy Functions (15 May 2018)

Leo Varadkar: Ireland East does not align with the CHO but extends from Navan through the Mater Hospital all the way down to Wexford, which made sense from the point of view of putting hospitals together to make them part of an academic group but which did not make sense geographically when it did not align with community health organisations. Putting hospital groups and CHOs together is going back to the...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committee Meetings (15 May 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 10 to 15, inclusive, together. The Government approved the establishment of Cabinet committee C on 5 July 2017. This Cabinet committee covers issues relating to the European Union and assists the Government in its ongoing consideration of Brexit. It also supports my participation as a member of the European Council. Cabinet committee C first met on...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committee Meetings (15 May 2018)

Leo Varadkar: We will review that legislation.

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committee Meetings (15 May 2018)

Leo Varadkar: That is correct. This is the first time there was-----

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committee Meetings (15 May 2018)

Leo Varadkar: -----an overarching one. It was initiated by the then Minister, former Deputy Pat Rabbitte, and after that by Deputy Howlin when he was Minister. It was an important step in the right direction as were the sectoral ones prior to that. We may need to build on it further. On the gentleman that Deputy Boyd Barrett mentioned, I wrote back to him after the Deputy raised it with me. I do...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committee Meetings (15 May 2018)

Leo Varadkar: -----and I am not in a position to organise employment for people in the public service, as much as I would like to. People need to apply for jobs that are available and that is how people get employment in general.

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committee Meetings (15 May 2018)

Leo Varadkar: With regard to refugees, particularly those who have been invited to this country such as Syrians, which Deputy Burton mentioned, I will make sure we get a detailed reply for the Deputy on access to English language education and training. I do not have an answer on that in front of me. I believe some is available but perhaps not to the extent it should be. The point Deputy Burton makes is...