Results 15,721-15,740 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Leaders' Questions (6 Feb 2018)

Leo Varadkar: It is something the Government is working on now. No proposal was brought to Cabinet today. I have not had backbenchers from outside Dublin object to this, or at least they have not made objections to me. Proper consideration of how this would work and what the role would be is required. It may be that a directly-elected mayor for the city of Cork on the new city boundaries might work...

Leaders' Questions (6 Feb 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I am and remain in favour of a directly-elected mayor for Dublin. I think the same logic applies to other cities as well, and even potentially to counties and other local authorities. That would involve a major transfer of power from county and city managers, or chief executives as they are now called, to somebody elected. That would be a very big change in the way our local government...

Leaders' Questions (6 Feb 2018)

Leo Varadkar: The Minister for Health has already announced that all deaths in maternity hospitals will be subject to an external review, which is necessary and welcome. It is also a provision of the national maternity strategy which was published not too long ago. I am advised by the Chief Whip and the Minister for Justice and Equality that this legislation is on the A list and that he intends to...

Leaders' Questions (6 Feb 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I would like once again to extend my condolences to the families of the women Deputy Clare Daly mentioned. As she is aware, I met some of those families when I was Minister for Health and I know they still suffer every day from the loss of their loved ones and as a result of the traumatic events that occurred to them. My sympathies and those of the House are with the families. Ireland...

Leaders' Questions (6 Feb 2018)

Leo Varadkar: The Deputy is correct to be concerned. This is not done yet. No one on this side of the House has ever claimed that everything was sorted and resolved in December. Phase 1 ended in December, and we are now in phase 2. We need to stay engaged and stay vigilant and we shall. There are a number of ways in which we can avoid a hard border - meaning new barriers to the movement of people...

Leaders' Questions (6 Feb 2018)

Leo Varadkar: It would also mean new barriers to trade between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK, and all the political problems that would arise from that, particularly for the unionist community. We are working towards a new relationship between the United Kingdom and the European Union that allows free trade and free movement of people to continue between all parts of Britain and all parts of...

Leaders' Questions (6 Feb 2018)

Leo Varadkar: The biggest single transport investment in the past two years was the Gort to Tuam motorway, costing €550 million. The biggest single transport investment in the past two years was in the west of Ireland, helping us to connect Galway and Limerick and we will connect Limerick to Cork in due course. The Deputies will know about the investment in projects such as greenways around the...

Leaders' Questions (6 Feb 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I greatly regret that they do so.

Leaders' Questions (6 Feb 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I said a number of things about the UK-EU joint report which was agreed in December. The contents are there in black and white for everyone to see. The language used is one of commitments and guarantees - commitments and guarantees written in black and white. I also said it was the end of the beginning, not the beginning of the end, and that we would need to stay vigilant, focused and...

Leaders' Questions (6 Feb 2018)

Leo Varadkar: Perhaps most important of all, 80% of jobs that were created in the last quarter in this country were created outside the Dublin area. The Government's target - the Deputy asked me about delivering on our targets - was to ensure 68% of new jobs created were outside the greater Dublin area. We have exceeded our target by providing 80% of new jobs outside the greater Dublin area. I do not...

Leaders' Questions (6 Feb 2018)

Leo Varadkar: That is what sustains communities. If there are jobs there, people can stay in those areas.

Leaders' Questions (6 Feb 2018)

Leo Varadkar: In addition, changes were made to ensure GPs have more funding to establish in rural areas.

Leaders' Questions (6 Feb 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I did not need to be told it because I signed the order to make it easier for GPs-----

Leaders' Questions (6 Feb 2018)

Leo Varadkar: -----to qualify for the rural practice allowance and to increase the rural practice allowance.

Leaders' Questions (6 Feb 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I signed the order so I do not need to be told about these things.

Leaders' Questions (6 Feb 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I would like to make a final point about the railways. In the past ten years, much of which was a very difficult period of budget cutbacks, we did not close any railway lines in rural Ireland or any other part of Ireland. Now that we are in a position to invest in our railways again and to increase Iarnród Éireann's subvention, which has increased by 35% in three years, Deputies...

Leaders' Questions (6 Feb 2018)

Leo Varadkar: The Minister, Deputy Ring, will make a statement on Leader in due course.

Leaders' Questions (6 Feb 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I will pick up on the other points mentioned by the Deputy.

Leaders' Questions (6 Feb 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I have answered the Deputy's question about what has already been spent.

Leaders' Questions (6 Feb 2018)

Leo Varadkar: I mentioned that 230 measures have been taken to speed up the funding. I am not one to come into this House and-----