Results 17,721-17,740 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Ceisteanna - Questions: Programme for Government (27 Jun 2017)

Leo Varadkar: As with many other Ministers, I speak to Deputy Ross regularly. We spoke just last night, for example, and obviously met at Cabinet this morning. We had two phone calls last Sunday, and on no occasion during either of those phone calls did he threaten resignation to me. I have seen reports that he may have done so in the newspapers, but perhaps that was in conversation with other people or...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Programme for Government (27 Jun 2017)

Leo Varadkar: It is very much the norm that when a judge is nominated, he or she is appointed by the President, often within a matter of days and sometimes within a week or two, for the obvious reason that someone cannot take new cases the minute he or she is nominated.

Ceisteanna - Questions: Programme for Government (27 Jun 2017)

Leo Varadkar: I only know about that from the newspapers. Absolutely no threat was made to me in either telephone conversation on that particular Sunday. The Judicial Appointments Commission Bill was due to be in the Dáil on 20 June anyway and was actually put back a bit.

Ceisteanna - Questions: Programme for Government (27 Jun 2017)

Leo Varadkar: If I had to ascertain with Government Ministers every piece of gossip that appeared in the newspapers, I would have no time to get any work done.

Ceisteanna - Questions: Programme for Government (27 Jun 2017)

Leo Varadkar: There are 20 things every day if one actually reads the papers.

Ceisteanna - Questions: Programme for Government (27 Jun 2017)

Leo Varadkar: The Bill was due to be in the House on 20 June. That was the case several weeks ago when we were in discussions with the Independent Alliance on the election of a new Taoiseach and Government. It was delayed a week because Deputy Charles Flanagan, who was newly appointed as Minister for Justice and Equality, did not want to take it on his second or third day in office. It was put back a...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Programme for Government (27 Jun 2017)

Leo Varadkar: The timeline is dependent on the House. There are nine and a half hours provided for Second Stage and it can be on Committee-----

Ceisteanna - Questions: Programme for Government (27 Jun 2017)

Leo Varadkar: No one has requested a guillotine.

Ceisteanna - Questions: Northern Ireland (27 Jun 2017)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 8 to 14, inclusive, together. I had separate meetings with DUP party leader, Arlene Foster MLA, and her colleague, Simon Hamilton MLA, and with a Sinn Féin delegation including Michelle O'Neill MLA and Deputy Gerry Adams in Government Buildings on 16 June. In my discussion with the DUP, we spoke about a range of topics, including Brexit, their...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (27 Jun 2017)

Leo Varadkar: I have no update on the position of ambassador. A name has been mentioned and the Deputy has seen that name in the press but that person has yet to be formally nominated or to go to confirmation. In the meantime the chargé d'affaires is acting-----

Ceisteanna - Questions: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (27 Jun 2017)

Leo Varadkar: If the name has been withdrawn the chargé d'affaires is working actively in lieu of the ambassador. It is very hard to talk about a phone call that has not happened yet.

Ceisteanna - Questions: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (27 Jun 2017)

Leo Varadkar: We had a great debate yesterday at my meeting with Teresa May which I think ran for just under an hour but we had two hours of questions on it.

Ceisteanna - Questions: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (27 Jun 2017)

Leo Varadkar: That is fair enough. I am happy to answer those questions but it is my intention initially to speak about the long-standing links that exist between the two countries and mention as many other issues as I possibly can but free trade is certainly one that I would like to mention and to restate Ireland's and the European Union's commitment to free trade and opposition to protectionism which...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Programme for Government (27 Jun 2017)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 5, 6 and 7 together. A Programme for a Partnership Government, published in May 2016, sets out the agreement between the parties and Deputies who are participating in, or supporting, the Government. Independent Deputies brought their own vision and ideas to that programme, to how our country should be governed and how we need to deal with the myriad...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Programme for Government (27 Jun 2017)

Leo Varadkar: In response to the question about Deputy Lowry there is no agreement between my party and Deputy Lowry. We did speak by telephone on two occasions in the run up to the vote for the Taoiseach and for the new Cabinet. He is free to contact Ministers directly about matters that are in the programme for Government or constituency issues but he has not sought any particular commitments in that...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Programme for Government (27 Jun 2017)

Leo Varadkar: I cannot speak for everyone else in government but certainly in my year as Minister for Social Protection I would have been regularly in contact with Deputy Mattie McGrath on particular queries he had relating to social protection-----

Ceisteanna - Questions: Programme for Government (27 Jun 2017)

Leo Varadkar: ----- and he was afforded the same courtesy as was extended to other Independent Deputies.

Ceisteanna - Questions: Programme for Government (27 Jun 2017)

Leo Varadkar: The interim report was a long time coming. The decision that we would open six Garda stations on a pilot basis and that there would be a review of the Garda stations that were closed was made over a year ago. That interim report was a long time coming and it recommends six new Garda stations, some brand new and some old ones being reopened such as Rush and Leighlinbridge in County Carlow,...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (27 Jun 2017)

Leo Varadkar: The phone call is at Mr. Trump's request to congratulate me on my election as Taoiseach. I am going to receive the phone call. Relations between Ireland and America are very important. They are going to go on long after Presidents, taoisigh and Governments change in both countries. They are relations that go back centuries. There are very important economic, cultural and family ties that...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (27 Jun 2017)

Leo Varadkar: I am not sure if I will have an opportunity to speak about it but I certainly do not agree with the travel ban imposed by the US Administration and I have no difficulty saying that if I have an opportunity to do so. Equally, even when there are governments with whom we do not agree, I generally believe that engagement is better than refusing to engage, and I would apply the same principles...