Results 16,301-16,320 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Ceisteanna - Questions: Strategic Communications Unit (28 Nov 2017)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 5 to 11, inclusive, together. Staff of the strategic communications unit met with the Office of Emergency Planning to discuss the winter ready campaign and provided it with the Government of Ireland identity, which appeared on the cover of the winter ready booklet. The Government of Ireland identity replaced 17 logos of Departments and State agencies whose...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Northern Ireland (28 Nov 2017)

Leo Varadkar: It was a real humbling experience to attend in Enniskillen a few weeks ago. I had been there before but not to attend Remembrance Sunday. When one stands there on a very cold day and sees people gathering around the cenotaph to mourn the dead in two wars, one can only imagine in one's mind's eye what it must have been like when people suddenly experienced a bomb going off and all of the...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Northern Ireland (28 Nov 2017)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 4, inclusive, together. While I have not had detailed discussions with Prime Minister May on the Enniskillen bombing, I have raised the Dublin and Monaghan bombings and other legacy cases with her. I have stressed to her the importance of making progress on legacy issues and the overall arrangements for dealing with the past. The Government is strongly...

Order of Business (28 Nov 2017)

Leo Varadkar: I have been the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation for only approximately an hour and am not yet on top of that issue. I will endeavour to ensure the Deputy gets an answer from the correct Department.

Order of Business (28 Nov 2017)

Leo Varadkar: I have no role in respect of the parliamentary questions rota.

Order of Business (28 Nov 2017)

Leo Varadkar: Rush is fairly rural. It would be worth the Deputy's while to pay a visit to north County Dublin. He would be surprised how rural certain parts of it are. Those six Garda stations are to be reopened on a pilot basis and thereafter their impact on Garda service and crime in the areas will be assessed. There are no proposals to open any Garda stations apart from those six until the pilot...

Order of Business (28 Nov 2017)

Leo Varadkar: It is my intention that the review will be carried out under my auspices and that of my Department. I will ask my Secretary General who is the Secretary General to the Government to carry out the inquiry. I do not think it will require legislation. Similar investigations have been carried out in the past by the Secretary General to the Government. I intend to proceed in that manner and to...

Order of Business (28 Nov 2017)

Leo Varadkar: It is intended to bring the legislation before the House before the end of the session. Obviously, there is other priority legislation, including the Finance Bill 2017, the Appropriation Bill-----

Order of Business (28 Nov 2017)

Leo Varadkar: Technically, it could be amended, although it has never actually happened. History shows, however, that for some reason, even though it is never amended and is always just voted through, the number of speakers is often very high. I imagine that is because people like to talk about their own constituencies and use the legislation as an opportunity to do so. The matter has to be discussed by...

Order of Business (28 Nov 2017)

Leo Varadkar: People who have any fear that there will not be a referendum on this important matter should not fear. In my first speech in this Chamber as Taoiseach I committed to holding a referendum on the eighth amendment. I was the first Taoiseach to do so. When I spoke at the FemFest on Saturday morning, I assured the young women present that the referendum would be held.

Order of Business (28 Nov 2017)

Leo Varadkar: I intend to stay in office until it is.

Order of Business (28 Nov 2017)

Leo Varadkar: I understand the suggestion is made in a report being published today by a joint committee. It is not a Government proposal and I have not yet read the report. Like all joint committee reports, the Government will consider it and respond to it in due course.

Order of Business (28 Nov 2017)

Leo Varadkar: I would have to check the law in that area, but I am fairly certain that transcripts of proceedings at a commission of investigation are privileged and cannot be released. They were released to GSOC following a court order and they were obviously released to the tribunal, but I am almost certain that it would not be lawful to release the transcripts of proceedngs at a commission of...

Order of Business (28 Nov 2017)

Leo Varadkar: This is something we examined over the weekend. Term [h] of the terms of reference for the Charleton tribunal includes media and broadcasting personnel, members of the Government, TUSLA, the Health Service Executive and any other State entity. Obviously, the Department of Justice and Equality is a State entity. We are satisfied from our work over the weekend that the Department of Justice...

Order of Business (28 Nov 2017)

Leo Varadkar: The Minister, Deputy Charles Flanagan, has indicated to me that he is keen to make a statement today. He will be happy to do so at 4 p.m., 4.30 p.m., 5 p.m. or later.

Order of Business (28 Nov 2017)

Leo Varadkar: Yes, he will.

Leaders' Questions (28 Nov 2017)

Leo Varadkar: I would certainly be happy to sit down with the Deputy between now and Christmas and talk to him about housing. I acknowledge it is an area in which the Deputy has much more experience than I do so I would be happy to take him up on that particular offer. I have no doubt the Deputy can come to the House with all sorts of terrifying allegations about malpractice and misconduct among...

Leaders' Questions (28 Nov 2017)

Leo Varadkar: I am as dissatisfied about all of this as is the Deputy. He may not believe that but I really am. This is not the way I want to see Parliament or Government operate and these are not the kind of issues on which I want to focus. In particular, I want to focus on the important negotiations regarding Brexit. An important summit is coming up in only two weeks' time and I have been unable to...

Leaders' Questions (28 Nov 2017)

Leo Varadkar: First, I did not discover it at the weekend. I spoke with Deputy Michéal Martin by telephone on Wednesday and Thursday, and we met on Friday, before the weekend, in our efforts-----

Leaders' Questions (28 Nov 2017)

Leo Varadkar: -----to avert an unnecessary general election. It is the Deputy and his fellow travellers who are continuing to demand an election. We in the two large parties in the House managed to avoid that. Again, the Deputy is accusing me of not coming to the House to answer questions. What am I doing now other than standing here and answering questions put to me by the Deputy? The Minister for...