Results 1,521-1,540 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (27 Jun 2023)

Leo Varadkar: Not really. It is very clear. We are participating in PESCO. We are founder members of PESCO. We had a referendum on the Lisbon treaty. People voted for it. I was proud to lead us into PESCO during my first term as Taoiseach. PESCO is the European structured co-operation on defence and security. We are not going to join NATO, but NATO is made up of many countries that are allies, for...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (27 Jun 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I will ask the Minister of State, Deputy Smyth, to reply to Deputy Stanton’s question on AI. Regarding Deputy O’Sullivan’s question on home tutors, I was not aware of that issue. I will certainly speak to the Minister, Deputy McGrath, about it. It sounds like a Revenue decision. I will make inquiries and get back to the Deputy as soon as I can. To Deputy...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (27 Jun 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I will certainly make the Minister, Deputy Donnelly, aware that Deputy Pringle raised it here in the Dáil today. Recruitment and retention of consultants is a challenge throughout the country but more so in some parts of the country than others. Under the new consultant contract, we offer a salary of €250,000 a year if people dedicate themselves to public practice. They can...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (27 Jun 2023)

Leo Varadkar: My understanding is that, at UHL itself, the new 96-bed block is under construction and another one has been approved. I do not know what the situation is regarding an additional bed block for St. John's but I will certainly make inquiries with the Minister, Deputy Donnelly, and ask that he come back to Deputy O'Dea directly. I can certainly see the advantages of additional beds in St....

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (27 Jun 2023)

Leo Varadkar: That is an interesting idea. Advertising does work. Otherwise, companies would not spend so much money on advertising, nor would we as politicians. However, I am not sure how I would feel about restricting advertising of holidays abroad, certain foods and so on. I am not sure we would want to get into that space-----

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (27 Jun 2023)

Leo Varadkar: -----but it is certainly something worthy of debate.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (27 Jun 2023)

Leo Varadkar: We are looking at it and taking it very seriously all the time. We have full employment now in Ireland - probably beyond full employment at this stage. There are more vacancies available than there are people with the skills to fill them. We see that in the public sector and the private sector. We see it in all parts of the country. We see it in jobs that are well paid and jobs that are...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (27 Jun 2023)

Leo Varadkar: The DEIS programme has been hugely successful, and a number of schools in my constituency benefit from the additional resources that come with it, and they need it, given the disadvantage in the area. I am not an expert on it at all. I know there is a special arrangement in the north-east inner city. There is also DEIS band 1 and DEIS band 2. I will certainly let the Minister, Deputy...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (27 Jun 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I do not know the facts of that case so it is impossible for me to comment on them in full. The Deputy might make the Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Humphreys, aware and she might be able to assist the person concerned. It is the case that jobseeker's payments are conditional on people genuinely seeking work, education and training, but I can absolutely understand how somebody might...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (27 Jun 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I absolutely agree that workers should be paid what they are owed. There are mechanisms to do that both through the Social Insurance Fund and through the Workplace Relations Commission.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (27 Jun 2023)

Leo Varadkar: There are a large number of things that we have been doing to help people with the cost of living. The Deputy will know, for example, about the energy credits, the reductions that we have done on VAT and excise, and the additional welfare payments we have made. Of course, through the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, CCPC, we are making sure there is proper competition in the...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (27 Jun 2023)

Leo Varadkar: The legislation on the safe access zones was approved by the Cabinet today, so it should be published in the next couple of days. I cannot tell the Deputy what the timeline is as that will depend on the business of the House and also the business of the Seanad. I think there will be opposition to it so it is difficult to say how long it will take to get through the Seanad and the Dáil....

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (27 Jun 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy. I do not have any further information on the 2017 to 2019 payments, other than the amounts and the person who received them. I have no other information. The Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Deputy Martin, will be happy to address the Dáil next week on this matter. We think it makes sense that we see the RTÉ statement this...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (27 Jun 2023)

Leo Varadkar: That is an interesting speech but it is a load of rubbish, quite frankly. Let me tell the Deputy what we have done for all people, ordinary and extraordinary, over the past three years-----

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (27 Jun 2023)

Leo Varadkar: We led Ireland through the pandemic, saving thousands of lives and hundreds of thousands of jobs at all levels. We helped families and business with the cost of living.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (27 Jun 2023)

Leo Varadkar: We have given them unprecedented financial support, in particular small businesses and families who needed it most. We have reduced the cost of childcare-----

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (27 Jun 2023)

Leo Varadkar: We have reduced the cost of healthcare and the cost of going to school for everyone with free school books in September. We have reduced the cost of childcare for everyone. We have improved patient outcomes. We now have one of the longest life expectancies in the European Union. We have full employment for only the second time in our history. We have strengthened workers' rights. We are...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (27 Jun 2023)

Leo Varadkar: We now have 700 first-time buyers drawing down their mortgages every week and we have secured an agreement with the British Government in regard to Northern Ireland. What on earth has Deputy McGrath done in his political career to help anyone?

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (27 Jun 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I appreciate the fact that people in Ireland pay a lot of tax, whether it is income tax, USC or PRSI. In budgets over the last number of years we have reduced the burden of taxation on people. In some budgets we reduced the USC, in other budgets we reduced income tax. We intend to do that in the forthcoming budget in October. There will be a package. The exact composition of that package...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (27 Jun 2023)

Leo Varadkar: As is always the case when it comes to any issue, we take into account a number of factors. It is absolutely about workers' rights and ensuring that these are protected and that people have better pay, terms and conditions and security. As the person who, as Minister, brought in statutory sick pay, began the process of bringing in a living wage, protected tips and gratuities and who led a...