Results 20,241-20,260 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Child Maintenance Payments (22 Nov 2016)

Leo Varadkar: My Department operates a range of means tested social assistance payments such as jobseeker’s allowance, one-parent family payment and so on. Social welfare legislation provides that the means test for these schemes takes account of the income and assets of the person and a spouse/partner, if applicable. Income and assets include income from employment, self-employment, occupational...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Fraud (22 Nov 2016)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 65 and 81 together. The majority of people in receipt of a payment from the Department of Social Protection receive what they are entitled to. Nevertheless, the Department recognises that abuse of the welfare system is an ongoing reality and must be tackled through a range of measures.These measures are governed by the Department’s Compliance...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Direct Provision Payments (22 Nov 2016)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 66 and 98 together. A weekly direct provision allowance (DPA) is paid to asylum seekers who reside within the system of direct provision. DPA is administered by my Department’s Community Welfare Service (CWS) on an administrative basis on behalf of the Department of Justice and Equality at the weekly rate of €19.10 per adult and...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: JobPath Implementation (22 Nov 2016)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 67 and 102 together. Some 60,000 jobseekers have engaged with JobPath since the service commenced in July 2015 with only 145 complaints recorded. This is 0.2% of the total. The majority of the complaints were about people’s initial reluctance to engage with the service or in respect of individual customer experience. All complaints have been...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: One-Parent Family Payment (22 Nov 2016)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 68 and 72 together. As the deputies are aware, I discussed the reforms to the one parent family payment with the Joint Oireachtas Committee during the Committee stage of the Social Welfare Bill 2016 last week. We are still at an early stage of the implementation of the reforms to the one parent family payment and I think it will take several years...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes Administration (22 Nov 2016)

Leo Varadkar: My Department provides a range of activation supports and programmes catering for long-term unemployed jobseekers and those most distant from the labour market. These include the JobPath service and programmes such as Community Employment (CE). CE schemes provide part-time temporary work in their local communities, as a stepping-stone back to employment, for people in receipt of a range...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Fuel Poverty (22 Nov 2016)

Leo Varadkar: The risk of fuel poverty is influenced by a combination of fuel prices, weather, income and the heat efficiency of housing. My Department will continue to ensure that those on low incomes and those who are more vulnerable to energy poverty are supported through the fuel allowance and the household benefits package. The fuel allowance is a payment of €22.50 per week for 26 weeks...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: JobPath Implementation (22 Nov 2016)

Leo Varadkar: As the Deputy will be aware, JobPath is an employment activation service that supports people who are long-term unemployed and those most at risk of becoming long-term unemployed to secure and sustain paid employment. Some 30,000 jobseekers have started their JobPath engagement with Seetec. The service was rolled out on a phased basis from mid-2015 and the first groups of participants...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Mortgage Interest Supplement Scheme (22 Nov 2016)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 73 and 85 together. The mortgage interest supplement (MIS) scheme is supporting 2,200 recipients at an estimated cost of €6 million for 2016 and is paid to people who were availing of this support prior to the closure to new claimants from 1st January 2014. I have no plans at this time to restore this scheme. The most appropriate pathway for people...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Child Poverty (22 Nov 2016)

Leo Varadkar: The CSO Survey on Income and Living Conditions (SILC) for 2014 shows that 11.2 per cent of children were in consistent poverty, a slight decrease on the 2013 rate of 11.7 per cent. The full impact of the recovery is not yet reflected in these figures. Ireland has returned to strong economic and employment growth. The monthly unemployment rate in October 2016 announced by the CSO was...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: State Pension (Contributory) Eligibility (22 Nov 2016)

Leo Varadkar: The rate of payment under the State pension (contributory) scheme is related to contributions paid over the years into the Social Insurance Fund, and credited contributions where applicable. As such, those with a stronger attachment to the workforce, who have paid more into that fund, are more likely to be paid at a higher rate under that scheme than those with more intermittent...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Legislative Reviews (22 Nov 2016)

Leo Varadkar: In Ireland, occupational pension schemes are generally set up under trust and are maintained by the employer on a voluntary basis. The trust deeds and rules of a scheme differ from scheme to scheme, and as with any contractual situation, reflect the level of obligation of the parties involved. While the Pensions Act provides a framework for the regulation and supervision of occupational...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Jobseeker's Allowance Payments (22 Nov 2016)

Leo Varadkar: In addition to assisting unemployed jobseekers through the payment of income supports the Department of Social Protection, through its Intreo service, provides a range of employment supports and services to assist jobseekers find and secure employment. As unemployed jobseekers in receipt of jobseeker payments certify that they are genuinely seeking and available for work it is expected that...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Fuel Allowance Eligibility (22 Nov 2016)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 78 and 93 together. The fuel allowance is a payment of €22.50 per week for 26 weeks from October to April, to 376,000 low income households to assist them with their energy costs. The allowance represents a contribution towards the energy costs of a household. It is not intended to meet those costs in full. Only one allowance is paid per...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (22 Nov 2016)

Leo Varadkar: After a series of challenging years, improvements for people in receipt of social welfare payments began in Budget 2015 and continued in Budget 2016. This included increases in the weekly rates of payment for pensioners and in the living alone allowance. There were also increases in child benefit, fuel allowance and the Carer’s Support Grant. In addition, new initiatives aimed at...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments Administration (22 Nov 2016)

Leo Varadkar: Primary responsibility for An Post and the Post Office network rests with my colleagues the Minister for Communications, Climate Change and Natural Resources and the Minister for Regional Development, Rural Affairs, Arts and Gaeltacht. My department makes a significant contribution to An Post through the current contract for cash services. In 2015 there were over 38 million social...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits Data (22 Nov 2016)

Leo Varadkar: Social Assistance payments act as a safety net for people who have insufficient income and who do not qualify for a contributory payment. The use of a means test is to ensure that limited resources are directed to those in greatest need. Payments from the United Kingdom (UK) are assessed as income under current legislation. If the person applying for a Social Assistance payment has a UK...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Waiting Times (22 Nov 2016)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 83 and 90 together. My Department is committed to providing a quality service to all its customers. This includes ensuring that applications are processed and decisions on entitlement are made as quickly as possible. The average waiting time for new carer's benefit (CARB) claims at the end of October 2016 is 9. The average waiting time for new CA...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Rent Supplement Scheme Administration (22 Nov 2016)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 86, 87 and 99 together. Supports in relation to housing are a key priority for this Government, as evidenced by the early implementation, in July 2016, of its commitment to introduce increased rent limits under rent supplement, currently supporting 49,700 tenants at a total cost of €267 million this year. The rent limit review process...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: State Pensions Reform (22 Nov 2016)

Leo Varadkar: I understand the Deputy has clarified that when he refers to a “transition to a universal pension system” he is referring to an introduction of a universal flat rate State pension. There are no plans to abolish either the State pension (contributory), or the State pension (non-contributory), as both are very effective in ensuring that older people have a decent standard of...