Leo Varadkar, TD

An Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar has announced the Government’s appointments as Minister of State.

A dhaoine uaisle, Is mór an onóir dom a bheith anseo libh inniú mar thaoiseach i nDáil Éireann. Táim fíor-chorraithe agus thar a bheith buíoch as ucht an tacaíocht atá faighte agam ón Dáil.

This afternoon Leo Varadkar, Leader of Fine Gael, addressed the first meeting of the Fine Gael Parliamentary Party since his election as Leader.

The pilot-scheme initiative that I am announcing today is one of ten tasks of The Creative Ireland programme for this year.

"I had a series of meetings today with Fianna Fáil Leader Micheál Martin, and Independent Ministers and TDs.

Fine Gael introduced paid Paternity Leave in September 2016. This provides two weeks' benefit, currently paid at the weekly rate of €235 per week, to support fathers in caring for their newly born babies.

Minister Varadkar, Minister Harris and Minister McGrath together published the “Make Work Pay” Report, designed to help people with disabilities to achieve their ambitions and find work, and to remove the many barriers which prevent them from doing so.

Minister for Social Protection Leo Varadkar has this week extended the Treatment Benefit scheme to some 450,000 self-employed people and their dependent spouses for the first time.

Minister for Social Protection Leo Varadkar & Minister for Education & Skills Richard Bruton have announced a €3 million expansion of the school meals programme from September. Up to 245 schools will either join the programme or see their services expanded with around 47,000 pupils benefiting from school lunches or breakfasts.

Minister for Social Protection Leo Varadkar has confirmed that the new rate of pensionsand weekly social welfare increases announced in Budget 2017 will start to come into effect from this week onwards, with all higher payments in place by St Patrick’s Day.