Results 15,321-15,340 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Leaders' Questions (27 Feb 2018)

Leo Varadkar: The Deputy knows how pensions operate and pensions law. It is the trustees of the pension fund who make the decisions about the pension fund, not the employer or the members, subject to the rules laid down by the Pensions Authority. A covenant or deed of trust will set out the obligations and rights of the employer and others. Everything falls under trust law in that regard. Trustees...

Leaders' Questions (27 Feb 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I am satisfied it does. The draft withdrawal agreement will be published in Brussels tomorrow at 12 noon. Obviously, I am not at liberty to give detail of it here today, but it will be available for people to see at 12 noon tomorrow. The Tánaiste met with Mr. Michel Barnier yesterday to indicate our satisfaction with the text and I spoke by telephone to the Prime Minister, Mrs. May,...

Leaders' Questions (27 Feb 2018)

Leo Varadkar: The answer to the Deputy's question is "No". We have already explained how this works. The communications unit entered into media partnerships with media organisations. What happens there is that-----

Leaders' Questions (27 Feb 2018)

Leo Varadkar: -----those organisations have editorial control over content. Nobody in the unit suggested any particular person should be interviewed and nobody in the unit had any editorial sign off on the articles before they were published. Those were done by the media.

Leaders' Questions (27 Feb 2018)

Leo Varadkar: No, they do not.

Leaders' Questions (27 Feb 2018)

Leo Varadkar: It is always evident when people do not want to hear the answer because it does not suit them. The unit had no role in proposing or selecting people for interview, it did not interview anyone and it did not have final sign off on the editorial content.

Leaders' Questions (27 Feb 2018)

Leo Varadkar: That was signed off by the editors of the publications concerned. However, it is appropriate that any sponsored content should clearly show it is sponsored content. I have emphasised that in the past and I will do so again. If someone is interviewed, as a general rule, they should be told they are being interviewed for a commercial feature.

Leaders' Questions (27 Feb 2018)

Leo Varadkar: That is the editorial policy.

Leaders' Questions (27 Feb 2018)

Leo Varadkar: It is one thing to be getting a lecture from Fianna Fáil about this sort of thing. I refer to the national development plan advertisement.

Leaders' Questions (27 Feb 2018)

Leo Varadkar: It does not say "commercial feature". It says "public information".

Leaders' Questions (27 Feb 2018)

Leo Varadkar: What we have is a banner on the top saying "national development plan", just like we had for Project Ireland 2040.

Leaders' Questions (27 Feb 2018)

Leo Varadkar: It does not mention the Government of Ireland whatsoever. The first thing is a big feature, an opinion editorial with a picture of Mr. Brian Cowen. In the corner, we have a nice little picture of Deputy Micheál Martin------

Leaders' Questions (27 Feb 2018)

Leo Varadkar: -----and on the next page we have a picture of Mr. Bertie Ahern. In the one fromThe Irish Times, it is the same thing again.

Leaders' Questions (27 Feb 2018)

Leo Varadkar: There is another opinion editorial with Mr. Brian Cowen's picture and an even bigger picture of Deputy Micheál Martin. This is fromThe Limerick Chronicle.

Leaders' Questions (27 Feb 2018)

Leo Varadkar: Again, it says "public information" and "national development plan".There is nothing about the Government of Ireland whatsoever.

Leaders' Questions (27 Feb 2018)

Leo Varadkar: On the back of this we have an article from the-----

Leaders' Questions (27 Feb 2018)

Leo Varadkar: There are quotes from third parties.

Leaders' Questions (27 Feb 2018)

Leo Varadkar: The Deputy is not in a position to be giving lectures.

Leaders' Questions (27 Feb 2018)

Leo Varadkar: The strategic communications unit operates at arm's length from me and the rest of the Government. It is a Civil Service-staffed entity which operates at arm's length. It does so in accordance with the Civil Service code. That is the case. On the Deputy's assertion that it has been the most expensive public information campaign run by a Government, that is absolutely not the case. From...

Leaders' Questions (27 Feb 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I have said before and will say again that good communication is a virtue. It is right and proper that the Government should be able to inform the public about what it is doing, what is happening, how public money is being spent and how it is acting in the people's interest. I often meet people who say to me that the Government is not communicating correctly or not getting its message...