Results 161-180 of 8,669 for speaker:Leo Varadkar in 'Dáil debates'

Competition (Amendment) Bill 2007: Second Stage (18 Dec 2007)

Leo Varadkar: Furthermore, the authors seem to disregard the separation of powers. It is most unorthodox for a Government to be able to make a declaration to exclude the effects of an Act for a particular body. The normal course would be to give authority to the Minister to make regulations by statutory instrument in line with specific criteria laid down in law.

Competition (Amendment) Bill 2007: Second Stage (18 Dec 2007)

Leo Varadkar: The Competition Act is an advocate of competition and acts as a prosecutor; it is not an arbiter of the law. The final interpretation of law is a matter for the courts. The Bill assumes that the Competition Authority ruling in the Equity case is the law, which is not necessarily so. This also applies to the Attorney General's advice given to the Government with regard to HSE negotiations...

Competition (Amendment) Bill 2007: Second Stage (18 Dec 2007)

Leo Varadkar: In that case, the Supreme Court determined that the representative services of the ILCU on behalf of its members were not economic activities——

Competition (Amendment) Bill 2007: Second Stage (18 Dec 2007)

Leo Varadkar: ——and therefore were not covered by the Competition Act. Surely something like the Equity case or the HSE decision to follow the Attorney General's advice should be legally reviewed before changing the Act. That is the obvious course of action. There are a number of other means to resolve some of the problems which Labour Deputies have mentioned. With regard to Equity and similar...

Competition (Amendment) Bill 2007: Second Stage (Resumed) (19 Dec 2007)

Leo Varadkar: It was EC Council Regulation 1 of 2003.

Tribunals of Inquiry: Motion (30 Jan 2008)

Leo Varadkar: It is with great pleasure that I have the opportunity to support this motion and to demonstrate my support and the support of my party for the good work being done in Dublin Castle by the Mahon tribunal and, in particular, to demonstrate our revulsion at and to reject the attacks made by Ministers and Government Deputies on the tribunal and the work it has done. The tribunal was set up to...

Tribunals of Inquiry: Motion (30 Jan 2008)

Leo Varadkar: Like all the Members in this House, I share some concerns about the tribunals. I share concerns about the costs and the time taken. However, the reason the costs have escalated is because of the non co-operation by various Members opposite with the tribunal and the failure of the Government to limit the legal fees. The same applies to the time taken. Like everyone in Ireland, I want to...

Legislative Review. (7 Feb 2008)

Leo Varadkar: Question 1: To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the status of the review of the Competition Act 2002 in view of the completion of the public consultation stage of this process; the changes he is considering at this stage; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4414/08]

Legislative Review. (7 Feb 2008)

Leo Varadkar: The Minister of State might inform us what stage the Minister is at with regard to this matter. It is customary for the Minister to advise us, or at least advise the Chair, if he is not going to be here to take questions. As regards this specific question, will the Minister of State indicate how many Competition Authority reports have been published to date and how many recommendations have...

Legislative Review. (7 Feb 2008)

Leo Varadkar: I can give the Minister of State a rough idea and although we do not have all the answers we have managed to find some of them. There have been 11 such reports to date, excluding those made last year which, in fairness, we do not expect to be implemented at this stage. Going back to 1998, one out of four recommendations in the report on liquor licensing was adopted. One out of ten...

Live Register. (7 Feb 2008)

Leo Varadkar: Question 3: To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he will revise upwards the Government's projected unemployment rate for 2008; the measures he is taking to reverse this rise in unemployment and under-employment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4415/08]

Live Register. (7 Feb 2008)

Leo Varadkar: I agree with everything Deputy Penrose said. This is the week after the highest increase in the numbers signing on since I was one year old and it is very disappointing the Minister is not present to answer questions. Why not?

Live Register. (7 Feb 2008)

Leo Varadkar: I accept fully that the quarterly household survey is the most accurate measure of unemployment, but the live register is still significant. It measures both unemployment and underemployment. It is interesting that since the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment took office, the number on the live register has increased by 21,000 compared to a reduction of 100,000 when his...

Live Register. (7 Feb 2008)

Leo Varadkar: The Minister of State has not answered either of my questions.

Live Register. (7 Feb 2008)

Leo Varadkar: Does the Minister of State stand over the Government's projection that the SUR will increase to 5.4% this year or will it be higher? Is he proud of his senior Minister's record on unemployment, which has increased by 0.5% since he took office, with 21,000 more people on the live register?

Live Register. (7 Feb 2008)

Leo Varadkar: Unemployment has been on the increase since 2004 and most jobs lost are non-construction.

Live Register. (7 Feb 2008)

Leo Varadkar: What about the services industry? What about Jacobs?

Live Register. (7 Feb 2008)

Leo Varadkar: Not in services.

Skill Shortages. (7 Feb 2008)

Leo Varadkar: There is no need to argue about the need for upskilling. Many of the jobs that were lost in recent times were low skilled in nature. The best thing we can do for the people who lost those jobs and those who will lose similar jobs is to deliver on the national skills strategy. I understand that the aim is to upskill 500,000 people by one qualification people in the next 12 to 13 years. How...

Skill Shortages. (7 Feb 2008)

Leo Varadkar: I have no doubt about the Minister's capacity and that of the Government to spend billions of euro. The question I asked is simple. How many people does the Minister of State envisage will be upskilled by one level this year? If the Minister of State does not know, will he give a ballpark figure? Is it 10,000 or 20,000? Is there any idea how many people will be upskilled at a time when...