Results 1,921-1,940 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Ceisteanna - Questions: Departmental Policies (9 May 2023)

Leo Varadkar: That should be read across the board. We should also have fair rules on that; they are not always there. I do not think it is right that only Ministers should be required to attend to the Dáil, particularly when it does not relate to their ministerial functions which is what is being argued here. In the case of the Minister of State, Deputy Niall Collins, this relates to events of 16...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Commissions of Investigation (9 May 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 13 and 14 together. The IBRC Commission of Investigation was established in June 2015 following consultation with Oireachtas parties to investigate certain transactions, activities and management decisions at the IBRC, beginning with the Siteserv transaction in its first module. The commission’s original deadline for reporting was 31 December 2015...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Departmental Policies (9 May 2023)

Leo Varadkar: In respect of the Focus Ireland legislation, as I said earlier, the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage is going to consider it. He is considering some amendments to the Housing Act and it will be considered in that context. I know local authorities would argue they already do take into account the best interests of the child but perhaps that is not what happens on the...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (9 May 2023)

Leo Varadkar: On Deputy Murnane O'Connor's question, the case for park-and-ride in Carlow is very strong and sounds like a very good idea. We want to encourage people to use the bus and the train. If you live in a rural area, it is not practical for you to walk or cycle to the bus stop or the train station, so park-and-ride facilities make a lot of sense. I will let both the Minister, Deputy Ryan, and...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (9 May 2023)

Leo Varadkar: -----but if she has not, I will make sure they know. On section 39 and section 38 facilities, we are moving some section 39 facilities into section 38 status. These are hospices. However, it is not straightforward. Section 39 organisations tend to own their own property, have their own pension funds and often have salaries that are out of kilter with public sector salaries. They are...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Departmental Policies (9 May 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 12, inclusive, together. The role of the social policy and public service reform division is to assist me, as Taoiseach, and the Government, in fulfilling programme for Government objectives to help create a socially inclusive and fair society. Specifically, the division assists the work of the newly established Cabinet committees, as follows. The...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (9 May 2023)

Leo Varadkar: The Minister, Deputy Catherine Martin, is responsible for media. She is doing some work on the list of fixtures that are free to air. It is not decided yet but she should be able to conclude it in the next couple of weeks. As I mentioned earlier, what the former uachtaráin of Cumann Lúthchleas Gael, Liam O’Neill, said to me this morning made a lot of sense. Yes, it would...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (9 May 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I have discussed this with the Minister for Finance. I have an engagement once a year with the Central Bank governor. Deputy Bruton’s point is very valid. Rising interest rates should not be used by banks as an opportunity dramatically to increase their profits. If interest rate increases are passed on to mortgage holders then they should also be passed on to depositors and I am...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (9 May 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. I am aware of a number of people whose mortgages are with non-bank lenders who are facing very high interest rates in some cases. It is 8% or 9% in some cases. I understand that it is relatively easy to switch if a person has equity in the property and a good payment record. They can switch back or switch to another bank where they might get a...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (9 May 2023)

Leo Varadkar: The short answer is “Yes”. This tax was introduced to penalise people who were hoarding land during a housing crisis. It now appears to be affecting 100 or possibly 200 landowners who are not land hoarders. They are farmers who have sought de-zoning, which has been refused in some cases by An Bord Pleanála. As Deputy Canney mentioned earlier, the issue of R2 zoning...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (9 May 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I utterly condemn and express my revulsion at the attack on a prison officer the other day. It was really shocking and I hope he makes a speedy recovery. Our thoughts and prayers are with him and his family. Nobody should be subjected to assaults or violence in the course of their work. I know it can happen in uniformed services and other places but it does not make it any less horrific...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (9 May 2023)

Leo Varadkar: The underlying cause of the problems that we face is a lack of housing. There is a major housing shortage and a lack of social housing in particular. Until we address the deficit, close it, and build the additional housing we need, and the additional social housing we need, unfortunately, these problems will continue to arise. Temporary solutions are not solutions.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (9 May 2023)

Leo Varadkar: That means building a lot more social housing, which is what we are doing all over the country.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (9 May 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I am not proposing to have a debate on the matter.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (9 May 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy. As I said earlier, this is a sad case. We all sympathise with Micheline and her family. As the Deputy mentioned, there are approximately 100 or 200 people over 65 years of age in emergency accommodation. That represents approximately 2%, but it is still a lot. There are more than 100 people over the age of 65 in emergency accommodation. Many of those became homeless...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (9 May 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I thank Deputies for raising these issues. The security of our skies is a national security question and, therefore, I am limited in what I can say about it. What I can say is that any arrangements we have in place are consistent with our foreign defence and security policy. We have a very good and effective Air Corps in Ireland. We do not have an air force of the nature of the United...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (9 May 2023)

Leo Varadkar: We are an outlier in some ways; we are not in others. Lots of countries, particularly in eastern Europe, have taken in many more people from Ukraine than we have, both in raw numbers and as a percentage of their populations. While we have taken in many more people from Ukraine than France has, for example, France would point out how many it has taken in from Syria, Algeria and other parts...

Minute's Silence for Former TD, Mr. Derek Keating (9 May 2023)

Leo Varadkar: Yes, a Cheann Comhairle.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (9 May 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy for raising this. It is a serious issue and one that it is right and valid to raise. There are a lot of tourism towns in the country that are being adversely affected by the fact that we had no alternative but to accommodate so many people fleeing the war in Ukraine and fleeing war in other parts of the world in tourist accommodation. Whether it is Killarney, Westport,...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (9 May 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I am the Taoiseach and the buck does stop with me when it comes to matters such as this. However, it has to go through a certain process. It has to be designed. Planning permission will be required. It has to go to tender, be built, installed and commissioned. I do not want to make a commitment to the Deputy in good faith that I cannot necessarily honour. I cannot give her an exact...