Results 17,081-17,100 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Leaders' Questions (4 Oct 2017)

Leo Varadkar: Deputy Adams can be assured that any trade agreement between the EU and Mercosur will have to benefit Ireland if it is going to pass the Government and this Parliament. Once again I detect an ambiguity in Sinn Féin's position towards the European Union. At present, Sinn Féin is campaigning against Brexit, it wants to keep Northern Ireland in the European Union and yet along the...

Leaders' Questions (4 Oct 2017)

Leo Varadkar: We have free trade among ourselves. We have a customs union. We have a Single Market. We negotiate trade deals with other parts of the world-----

Leaders' Questions (4 Oct 2017)

Leo Varadkar: -----and we do so from a position of strength because we are the largest economy in the world with 500 million people and that allows us to negotiate beneficial deals with places, such as Canada, Japan and, at present, Mercosur. Sinn Féin really needs to decide whether or not it is a eurosceptic party because its position-----

Leaders' Questions (4 Oct 2017)

Leo Varadkar: I assure the Deputy that I am just as interested in people with disabilities and their families as he is. I do not think any party in this House has a monopoly on compassion and I do not think any party in the House should claim to. I assure the Deputy that everyone on these benches, both Fine Gael and Independents, is doing their best to assist people with disabilities through constituency...

Leaders' Questions (4 Oct 2017)

Leo Varadkar: I do not accept that my response is complacent. I am just offering balance and accuracy and if I can acknowledge that there are failings and shortcomings, surely Deputy Martin should be big enough to acknowledge that there has been progress as well? Everything I itemised is genuine progress and has really happened. To mention the sort of thing that is being done in the budget this year,...

Leaders' Questions (4 Oct 2017)

Leo Varadkar: Genuine work is ongoing. I am willing to accept that there are shortcomings and-----

Leaders' Questions (4 Oct 2017)

Leo Varadkar: -----failings. More progress will be made and I guarantee the Deputy that more progress will be made in the years ahead but it is disappointing that the opposition is unable to acknowledge any progress that has been made, which is substantial, and I gave examples which are certainly not made up, and I encourage people to check them.

Leaders' Questions (4 Oct 2017)

Leo Varadkar: I acknowledge absolutely that there are lots of shortcomings and problems and that plenty more needs to be done. This is something that will have to form part of the budget and the Estimates process. I am sure we will find additional funding for disability services next year, as we did last year. On behalf of the Government, I want to say that we are very much committed to improving the...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Seanad Reform (4 Oct 2017)

Leo Varadkar: In the Programme for a Partnership Government, the Government stated its commitment to pursuing the implementation of the Report of the Working Group on Seanad Reform (the Manning Report). That Report was published in 2015 and it is available on my Department's website. One of the recommendations of the Report was the establishment of an Implementation Group to oversee implementation of the...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Overseas Visits (3 Oct 2017)

Leo Varadkar: Bombardier was mentioned in the meeting with the Prime Minister, Mr. Trudeau, but we did not have a detailed discussion on it because we did not know the outcome at that stage. We have, however, used our bilateral contacts with the United States in recent weeks to raise our concerns on behalf of Bombardier and the 4,000 staff in east Belfast, the men and women who work in the company. We...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Overseas Visits (3 Oct 2017)

Leo Varadkar: I hope to have the opportunity to travel to the United States in March for the regular White House and Washington DC engagements and, as I did in the telephone call I had with the President a few months ago, I imagine we will discuss things on which we do not agree, such as climate change, multilateralism and free trade. I know Deputy Boyd Barrett and President Trump will be close allies on...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Overseas Visits (3 Oct 2017)

Leo Varadkar: As a free trader I do not have the same view as President Trump but I am sure we will have the opportunity to discuss things on which we differ, as well those on which we agree. It is just a matter of approach. My view is that relations with America are important - much more important than any President, Taoiseach, Government or Administration.

Ceisteanna - Questions: Overseas Visits (3 Oct 2017)

Leo Varadkar: We must maintain close relations with the United States. The general approach I take towards other democratically elected leaders is to engage with them, which might be more successful than the alternative policy of the far left which is to shout them down and then ignore them. I just do not see how that approach could yield any positive results for the people who elect us. I went to...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Diplomatic Representation (3 Oct 2017)

Leo Varadkar: I can assure the Deputies that this is something to which I am very seriously committed. When I was Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport I had the opportunity to travel to all parts of the world promoting aviation and tourism in particular, as well as doing other work including general Government representation and IDA Ireland and Enterprise Ireland work, as part of that travel. I was...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Diplomatic Representation (3 Oct 2017)

Leo Varadkar: That is exactly what it will do. That is what the document will detail but for example, in the case of our embassies, there are many ways that we can double our diplomatic presence. We could just open the exact same number of embassies again or, in some places, we might decide to build up the embassy. We have a lot of embassies that only have one or two members of staff where we might go...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Overseas Visits (3 Oct 2017)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 9 to 13, inclusive, together. At the invitation of the Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, I visited Canada between 19 and 23 August. The visit was an excellent opportunity to further deepen the very important economic and cultural links that exist between our two countries. My visit commenced in Montréal with an official welcoming ceremony and a...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committee Meetings (3 Oct 2017)

Leo Varadkar: They have travelled with taoisigh to summits. In terms of my video, it is 2017. People do videos fairly regularly now.

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committee Meetings (3 Oct 2017)

Leo Varadkar: It is the equivalent of where in the past, for example, a Taoiseach or Minister attending a summit would issue a press statement.

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committee Meetings (3 Oct 2017)

Leo Varadkar: Of course, their press officer would type up that press statement and then send it out. Things are a bit different now. One's press officer may take a video of the Taoiseach and one sends that out on the Internet instead. It negates the need to type up a printed statement which is what would have been done in the past.

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committee Meetings (3 Oct 2017)

Leo Varadkar: In terms of the future of Europe debate, I am familiar with Mr. Juncker's speech and President Macron's speech. All of these contributions are welcome. In the 36 seconds I have left, I am not in a position to outline my own thoughts on the future of Europe debate. Suffice to say that I think we should be engaged in it. Ireland is a founder member of the euro and a founder member of the...