Results 16,121-16,140 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Leaders' Questions (12 Dec 2017)

Leo Varadkar: I will give the Deputy the best answer that I can give him-----

Leaders' Questions (12 Dec 2017)

Leo Varadkar: -----and that comes from the Housing Agency, which is purchasing 600 of the homes mentioned. The Minister with responsibility for housing has already committed to Sinn Féin that he will examine the other homes to establish why the Housing Agency did not purchase them. The Housing Agency is the expert body when it comes to this matter and it is its advice that is followed as to whether...

Leaders' Questions (12 Dec 2017)

Leo Varadkar: We have agreed that we will examine the others to see why they were not suitable for purchase. I point out once again the contradiction in the position that is being put to us here again by Sinn Féin. Only last week and the week before we got criticised for buying homes. We were told it does not count and all that matters is houses that are built directly by local authorities-----

Leaders' Questions (12 Dec 2017)

Leo Varadkar: -----and they are the only ones that count. If they are not directly built by local authorities they do not matter.

Leaders' Questions (12 Dec 2017)

Leo Varadkar: The consistent argument from Sinn Féin for two weeks was that we should not buy houses from developers-----

Leaders' Questions (12 Dec 2017)

Leo Varadkar: -----and only direct builds by local authorities count, and then it turns up the next week wanting to know why we are not buying more houses from private developers. This is a party that is all over the place on everything.

Leaders' Questions (12 Dec 2017)

Leo Varadkar: I thank Deputy Collins. To answer his question, it is not the right way to treat our citizens. Nobody should have to wait for long periods for any procedure and certainly not a cataract procedure which, as the Deputy knows, can save people's sight, allowing them to maintain their independence and, in many cases, avoid further injuries that can occur because of sight loss. What are we...

Leaders' Questions (12 Dec 2017)

Leo Varadkar: What we are going to see from now on is consistent steady falls in the number of people waiting. I do not have the exact figures for cataracts. I had them on me last week but I do not have them to hand now. The number of people waiting for cataract procedures has fallen very considerably. I do not know whether it is down by 25% or 50%. That may not be enough for the individuals...

Leaders' Questions (12 Dec 2017)

Leo Varadkar: We are at a situation now, at long last, when it comes to operations, procedures and scopes - not outpatients admittedly because we are still not making much progress there - where we have seen a fall for four months in a row in the number of people waiting for operations and procedures. We are at a situation now where one third of people wait less than three months and more than half of...

Leaders' Questions (12 Dec 2017)

Leo Varadkar: The Deputy has my commitment. I will ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Deputy Madigan, and the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment, Deputy Denis Naughten, to examine the issues in order to identify what options are available and see if there is a way the Government can assist. It is always important to consider the opportunity cost of not...

Leaders' Questions (12 Dec 2017)

Leo Varadkar: As part of their consideration, they would need to look at how RTÉ is spending its money and see if RTÉ could make savings in other areas. Could it restrict spending in other areas to preserve what the Deputy and I both agree are national assets?

Leaders' Questions (12 Dec 2017)

Leo Varadkar: I will have to come back to the Deputy on the detailed numbers relating to those homes. I think they were some time ago and, if I recall correctly, a number of them were not in areas where there was a high level of demand for social housing. As a result, they were not all suitable for social housing. I will certainly get the details on that and give the Deputy a detailed answer by...

Leaders' Questions (12 Dec 2017)

Leo Varadkar: We will continue to increase capacity in the next couple of weeks so we can ensure that there will be an emergency bed available for anyone who needs one.

Leaders' Questions (12 Dec 2017)

Leo Varadkar: We all know how politics works. If the Deputy genuinely wanted an answer to that question, he could have got it by tabling a parliamentary question to the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government.

Leaders' Questions (12 Dec 2017)

Leo Varadkar: That is how one gets an answer to a question of that nature. If you are going to ask a question without any notice to me on Leaders' Questions then obviously-----

Leaders' Questions (12 Dec 2017)

Leo Varadkar: I share the Deputy's sentiments on the orchestras. I would not like to see either being lost, or the two being merged. I read a letter in the newspaper recently - I cannot remember who wrote it - which pointed out that Finland, which is a similar sized country to ours, has many orchestras where we only have two. In the past the Army had bands and orchestras, but it no longer does, and we...

Leaders' Questions (12 Dec 2017)

Leo Varadkar: It is important that orchestras do not get caught up or find themselves used as part of any attempt to campaign for an increase in the licence fee. RTÉ receives considerable revenues from the licence fee, from the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection and it also receives commercial revenues. That gives it an income - I cannot give an exact figure but it must be some...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: European Council Meetings (12 Dec 2017)

Leo Varadkar: I will attend the European Council in Brussels on 14 and 15 December. The draft agenda for the main meeting consists of security and defence - including Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) - and social, educational and cultural matters - where we expect a report on the recent Gothenburg Social Summit, and the proclamation of the European Pillar of Social Rights. Foreign policy issues...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Strategic Communications Unit (12 Dec 2017)

Leo Varadkar: To date the Cabinet has approved the Strategic Communications Unit in my Department to work on the following campaigns in the coming months: The 10 Year Capital Plan, Brexit, National Children's Hospital, Healthy Ireland, Creative Ireland, Global Ireland and Rural Ireland. Further campaigns will be added to this list in due course. All Government Departments and State agencies are...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces Medicinal Products (12 Dec 2017)

Leo Varadkar: I am aware of the Ministry of Defence’s six-monthly progress report on the use of Lariam for military personnel, published by the House of Commons Defence Committee. The choice of malaria chemoprophylaxis in use by other armed forces is an internal matter for those forces. It would not be appropriate for me to comment on the policy and practices of other States in this regard .