Results 15,461-15,480 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Ceisteanna - Questions: Departmental Staff Data (20 Feb 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I was not sure what to make of it. The ad was very good, though.

Ceisteanna - Questions: Departmental Staff Data (20 Feb 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 and 2 together. The role of my Department is to support my work as Taoiseach and to co-ordinate the work of the Government and Cabinet. My Department uses workforce planning and succession planning to ensure that there are sufficient staffing resources in place to deliver the Department's strategic goals. With the exception of politically appointed...

Order of Business (20 Feb 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I am advised by the Department of Health that these are local disputes, which centre mainly on issues around staffing, the development of a bed management protocol and other measures to help staff dealing with pressures on the service. Phase 1 of this action commenced this morning with members of the Psychiatric Nurses Association, PNA, refusing to answer phones, send faxes, open doors or...

Order of Business (20 Feb 2018)

Leo Varadkar: This is a hugely important issue for Deputies given the number of people who have raised it today. I reiterate that, as a Government, we stand on the side of people and families who are making an honest attempt to settle their debts and pay off their mortgages and loans, whether business or personal loans. PTSB has not yet sold any of these loans and it has not identified a buyer. People...

Order of Business (20 Feb 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue. The Tolka Valley straddles his constituency and mine, and a few others. It is a very beautiful place that is often blighted by illegal dumping. Under the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment's new 2018 anti-illegal dumping initiative, €2 million has been allocated for smart technology, including imagery from...

Order of Business (20 Feb 2018)

Leo Varadkar: It is in the best interests of the Irish people that they get their money back from the bank bailouts and we will get at least half of it back, if not more. It is in the interests of the Irish people that their deposits in the banks are protected and it is in their interest that banks operate commercially in order that they can lend to people who need to borrow money, businesses and others....

Order of Business (20 Feb 2018)

Leo Varadkar: There is no legislation promised on this matter, nor is it covered in the programme for Government, but I did give a detailed response to Deputies on the question of Merlin Park University Hospital specifically last week during Questions on Promised Legislation. I refer the Deputy to that answer.

Order of Business (20 Feb 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I am not sure what is the connection between Sceilig Mhichíl and that particular legislation.

Order of Business (20 Feb 2018)

Leo Varadkar: However, I understand-----

Order of Business (20 Feb 2018)

Leo Varadkar: One would have a hard time setting fire to the birds on Sceilig Mhichíl. I guarantee it.

Order of Business (20 Feb 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I understand that legislation is being advanced for reasons of road safety and other matters.

Order of Business (20 Feb 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I imagine or suspect that is an error. I worked in hospital medicine and community medicine for seven years and I often saw people get appointments for six months or four months later but I never saw anyone get an appointment for six years' time. If the Deputy would like to pass it on to me or the Minister, Deputy Harris, we will have it examined. As I said, there are different types of...

Order of Business (20 Feb 2018)

Leo Varadkar: As is always the case, to ensure a referendum passes will require both political leadership and civic society. If we just have one and not the other we will be in difficulty but I am confident we will have both and that the referendum will be approved by the people. I can understand where the theory comes from on the link to International Women's Day. That is not the reason. I am...

Order of Business (20 Feb 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I do not have information on that particular service but I will raise it with the Minister for Health and ask him to contact Deputy Healy-Rae about it.

Order of Business (20 Feb 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I do not have the breakdown of the different lists to hand-----

Order of Business (20 Feb 2018)

Leo Varadkar: -----but the Government certainly does not wish to see anyone, child or adult, waiting long periods for treatment. I know the figures that came out just last week show that the number of patients waiting for an inpatient or day case procedure such as procedures on hips, knees and cataracts - all those procedures that people need - was down another 1,264 on the previous month and from a peak...

Order of Business (20 Feb 2018)

Leo Varadkar: -----but in the past two years the focus has been on inpatient day case waiting lists, which-----

Order of Business (20 Feb 2018)

Leo Varadkar: The Minister for Health sought and received approval today to draft the referendum Bill to delete Article 40.3.3° from the Constitution and insert a new article enabling the Oireachtas to regulate abortion services in Ireland. The wording is the wording we gave at the press conference some weeks ago. The intention is to publish the Bill in the first week of March but we need to get...

Order of Business (20 Feb 2018)

Leo Varadkar: -----to ensure that the referendum Bill passes this House and the other House quickly and is not held up. I cannot make any promise in this regard.

Leaders' Questions (20 Feb 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I assure the Deputy that I have met these people already. I represent the Dublin West constituency, most of the homes in which were built in the past 20 or 30 years. Several developments were not built well and now need very significant investment in order that they might be brought up to standard. This is an issue of which I am very aware. It involves people who have bought properties...