Results 17,141-17,160 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Leaders' Questions (3 Oct 2017)

Leo Varadkar: If Deputy Brendan Howlin wants to see the substance, I will give him some examples.

Leaders' Questions (3 Oct 2017)

Leo Varadkar: In the past few months this is the substance the Government has brought about.

Leaders' Questions (3 Oct 2017)

Leo Varadkar: Today the unemployment rate fell to 6.1%. A total of 50,000 jobs have been created this year so far. The universal social charge is down, while the minimum wage is up. Pensions are also up, as are payments to people with disabilities, carers, lone parents and the unemployed. We have hired 900 additional special needs assistants and brought in bursaries to help lone parents to access education.

Leaders' Questions (3 Oct 2017)

Leo Varadkar: We have brought in medical cards for children with disabilities by right; started construction work on the national children's hospital; paid off IMF loans early; and concluded a public sector pay agreement with public servants to restore the pay of 90% of public servants within the next few years.

Leaders' Questions (3 Oct 2017)

Leo Varadkar: We presented Ireland's Rugby World Cup bid in London the other day.

Leaders' Questions (3 Oct 2017)

Leo Varadkar: We have introduced subsidised child care for families across Ireland and extended treatment benefits, invalidity pension and maternity and paternity benefits to the self-employed. We have laid out a very clear position on Brexit and next week we will bring forward a budget that will balance the books for the first time in ten years. That is a lot of substance.

Leaders' Questions (3 Oct 2017)

Leo Varadkar: The Deputy is absolutely right to point out that when he was in government with my party, we commissioned research on polls. I am not sure we are actually carrying out polls-----

Leaders' Questions (3 Oct 2017)

Leo Varadkar: -----but certainly the strategic communications unit is going to carry out some research. I have no difficulty at all with the findings being published. I note that the Deputy has pointed out that this is not new. It is something the last and previous Governments did.

Leaders' Questions (3 Oct 2017)

Leo Varadkar: Therefore, it is not a major change. In terms of staffing levels, there will be six staff in the new unit who will be seconded from other areas of the public service. I do not yet know what the net cost will be, but as soon as I do, I will let the Deputy know. I do not know about the staff being employed at departmental level. The Deputy will have to ask the individual Departments...

Leaders' Questions (3 Oct 2017)

Leo Varadkar: People often think Government agencies are non-governmental organisations, NGOs. This is an opportunity to end that fragmentation, save money and have clearer communications. That is what we intend to do.

Leaders' Questions (3 Oct 2017)

Leo Varadkar: I absolutely agree that dialogue is required and that neither violence nor unilateralism is required. Contacts will be made at official level and, when the opportunity is appropriate, I will certainly discuss the matter with the Prime Minister, Mr. Rajoy. I have not yet had the chance to meet him on a one-to-one basis, but we have attended summits together, although he was not at the summit...

Leaders' Questions (3 Oct 2017)

Leo Varadkar: Ar dtús, fáilte ar ais a Ghearóid-----

Leaders' Questions (3 Oct 2017)

Leo Varadkar: An-mhaith. Like Deputy Adams, everyone in this House and everyone in Ireland who watched the news on Sunday was horrified at the scenes we saw broadcast from Barcelona and Girona and to see that level of violence happening in what is a European country that has been a democracy since the 1970s. As I said on Monday, violence is never the solution to political disagreements. Violence by...

Leaders' Questions (3 Oct 2017)

Leo Varadkar: I am not sure from where that instruction that the Deputy referred to came. It certainly did not come from the Oireachtas.

Leaders' Questions (3 Oct 2017)

Leo Varadkar: The FEMPI legislation - the Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interests Acts - is a direction from the Oireachtas to reduce pay and, because the legislation is now being unwound, the new FEMPI Acts require by law that public bodies increase pay and restore pay, and that is exactly what is happening. However, the Deputy rightly stated there are differences in pay. There are...

Leaders' Questions (3 Oct 2017)

Leo Varadkar: We are now in the middle of an Estimates process. I am aware of this issue. The Deputy can be assured that section 39 bodies operating in my constituency and elsewhere, such as hospices, have been in contact with us. We are aware of this issue. It is something that will be discussed, and hopefully resolved, as part of the Estimates process. The Deputy should bear in mind, because they...

Leaders' Questions (3 Oct 2017)

Leo Varadkar: That is the law, under the Health Act.

Leaders' Questions (3 Oct 2017)

Leo Varadkar: Before I answer, I join with Deputy Martin in offering my condolences and those of the Government to the victims and families of those killed and wounded in the recent attack in Las Vegas. In the face of such horror and tragedy, the Irish Government and people stand in solidarity with our friends and families in the United States. I leith a leithéid d'uafáis agus de thragóid,...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Trade Strategy (3 Oct 2017)

Leo Varadkar: While in Canada recently I announced a plan to double Ireland’s global footprint by 2025. It is clear that there is a new self-confidence in Ireland, as an island at the centre of the world, and that national self-confidence requires that we always be ambitious, visible and active in promoting the interests of our nation on the international stage. I expect that this...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Departmental Communications (3 Oct 2017)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 82 to 89, inclusive, together. The work of the Government is vast - over 200 different Government bodies constantly producing and updating policies and services, while initiating and running a variety of separate information campaigns annually. Despite extensive investment in communications, it can sometimes be difficult for the public to access the...