Results 14,981-15,000 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Leaders' Questions (27 Mar 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I stand corrected; I am getting my committees mixed up. It is indeed Deputy Ó Caoláin who is the Chair of the committee and not Deputy McGuinness. It is very difficult for me to comment or form a view on remarks which somebody made off the record and in private. That is virtually impossible to do. However, I spoke to the Attorney General yesterday and sought clarification on the...

Leaders' Questions (27 Mar 2018)

Leo Varadkar: It has been general practice for a long time for journalists to observe Chatham House rules and I am disappointed that Deputies are laughing at their inability to do so. That is another day's work. It is important to point out that the case has already been heard. The hearings are over. There is no jury. The judgment is reserved. Taking account of these facts and circumstances, I am...

Leaders' Questions (27 Mar 2018)

Leo Varadkar: There is a provision in the confidence and supply agreement that there should be no surprises. We thought it appropriate that there should not be a surprise in this case.

Leaders' Questions (27 Mar 2018)

Leo Varadkar: There is no such agreement with Sinn Féin.

Leaders' Questions (27 Mar 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I would point out as well that when this was done by other countries - and in the past, it was done without even a Government decision - it was done simply as a decision of the foreign Minister. However, we decided not to make our decision at the same time as the 14 other European countries that acted yesterday afternoon because we thought it appropriate to brief Cabinet on that decision...

Leaders' Questions (27 Mar 2018)

Leo Varadkar: The Judiciary has, in the main, served us very well. It has acted impartially and in an unbiased way and has been very objective and professional in discharging its functions down the years. Regarding the appointments system, as the Deputy knows, the Constitution provides that the Government appoints judges, and we do not propose to change this. However, the Government can take advice...

Leaders' Questions (27 Mar 2018)

Leo Varadkar: At last week's European Council meeting EU leaders unanimously agreed with the assessment of the Government of the United Kingdom that the Russian Federation is highly likely to have been responsible for the attack in Salisbury on 4 March and that there is no plausible alternative explanation. We affirmed that all EU member states stand in unqualified solidarity with the United Kingdom in...

Leaders' Questions (27 Mar 2018)

Leo Varadkar: As I mentioned earlier, the Tánaiste will be happy to brief spokespeople or party leaders. The Deputy is welcome to send her spokesperson or to attend herself if she wishes. I will be here for the next few hours and then I will be back in Cabinet. I then have an Article 28 meeting with the President so it is just not possible for me to do it today, but the Tánaiste is available...

Leaders' Questions (27 Mar 2018)

Leo Varadkar: As is always the case in negotiations, it is difficult to set a timeline because it depends on the willingness of the two parties in the negotiation to compromise and meet each other half way. Having been involved in some negotiations, I believe that setting a deadline oneself can be counterproductive because having done so, it makes it harder to achieve the outcome one wants. We will not...

Leaders' Questions (27 Mar 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I think I am correct in saying that since the Fine Gael-Independent Alliance-Independent Government came to office, we have managed to increase the number of teachers employed by the State by 2,000. We have 2,000 more teachers working in the education system than we had just under two years ago. Overall, we are able to recruit teachers but we acknowledge that we are encountering...

Death of former Ceann Comhairle: Expressions of Sympathy (27 Mar 2018)

Leo Varadkar: Will there be an opportunity to say something?

Death of former Ceann Comhairle: Expressions of Sympathy (27 Mar 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I would like to begin by offering my condolences and those of the Government to the family of Seán Treacy. As a member of the Labour Party and as an Independent, he served the people of Clonmel, Tipperary South and the country with great honour and distinction. I would like in particular to extend my condolences to Deputy Howlin and former Members from the Labour Party, who all knew...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (27 Mar 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I was very pleased to welcome the President of the European Council, Donald Tusk, to Dublin on 8 March. Our discussions, which took place ahead of the March European Council, covered the Brexit negotiations, EU trade policy, Economic and Monetary Union, and the taxation challenges posed in the digital era, as well as a number of foreign policy issues. On Brexit, we discussed progress...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (27 Mar 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 127 to 134, inclusive, together. I visited the United States from 11-17 March for this year's St Patrick's Day programme. My visit included engagements in Austin Texas, Durant Oklahoma, Washington D.C. and New York. In Austin, I paid a courtesy call on Governor Abbott. Our conversation focused on the bilateral economic relations between Ireland and...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Government Information Service (27 Mar 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 135, 136 and 140 together. There are no plans to replace merrionstreet.ie as a website or as a social media identity. Twitter has procedures in place for reporting fake social media accounts. Staff in Merrionstreet have been in contact with Twitter regarding this. As a result, Merrionstreet is now part of Twitter's Partnership Support Portal. This means...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (27 Mar 2018)

Leo Varadkar: The President has already indicated his desire to see an Ambassador appointed at the earliest opportunity and the Irish Government understands that the US Administration is treating this matter as a priority. I did not have detailed discussions on the matter with the President on this occasion.

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Taoiseach's Communications (27 Mar 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 138 and 139 together. I and the staff working in my Private Office have been assigned official email accounts. These accounts are only accessible through my Department's secure network and, in some circumstances, remotely using officially supplied and appropriately secured mobile devices such as laptop computers or mobile telephones. My Department's...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (27 Mar 2018)

Leo Varadkar: During a visit which I undertook to the United States in early November 2017, I met Mr. Mark Zuckerburg, CEO of Facebook. I did not have any substantive discussion on regulatory matters with Mr. Zuckerburg. I did not meet with the CEO, or any company representatives, of Twitter, during my visit.

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Seanad Reform (27 Mar 2018)

Leo Varadkar: The question of who might Chair the Implementation Group on Seanad Reform is still under consideration.

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Cabinet Committee Meetings (27 Mar 2018)

Leo Varadkar: Cabinet Committee G deals with justice issues. It last met on 18 January 2018 and its next meeting is scheduled to take place on 16 April 2018.