Results 20,341-20,360 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Social Welfare Bill 2016: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (24 Nov 2016)

Leo Varadkar: The employer would have to compensate the individual fully for his or her loss of income and also the Department of Social Protection for the payments made. This needs to be considered further and I would need to receive the advice of the Attorney General on whether we could introduce double penalties. I am not familiar with other instances in civil or criminal law where double penalties...

Social Welfare Bill 2016: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (24 Nov 2016)

Leo Varadkar: Second, the amendment proposed is very broad and includes all social welfare payments. For example, if someone was unfairly dismissed and, separately, his or her partner or a relative became unwell and the person availed of carer's benefit or carer's allowance, the amendment would allow that payment to be recouped, even though it had no connection whatsoever with the unfair dismissal. A...

Social Welfare Bill 2016: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (24 Nov 2016)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputies for raising this issue and touching on some of the anomalies that exist in the way we calculate contributory pensions. Regarding the issue raised by Deputy Boyd Barrett, my officials and I are not familiar with the situation whereby only one person in a couple was required to make PRSI contributions but the history of social insurance legislation is lengthy and...

Social Welfare Bill 2016: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (24 Nov 2016)

Leo Varadkar: -----details we would be happy to check that out, even for our own education. It is the case that pre-1995 public servants paid a lower rate of PRSI. As a result, public servants recruited before 1995 pay a lower rate of PRSI at 0.9%. This means that they are not entitled to a State contributory pension. That is the case for men and women, married or unmarried. It has nothing to do with...

Social Welfare Bill 2016: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (24 Nov 2016)

Leo Varadkar: Yes. Those recruited to the public service before 1995 pay a lower rate of PRSI and are not entitled to a State contributory pension as a result. That has nothing to do with them being men or women, married or not married. It is just that public servants recruited before 1995 pay less than one quarter of the amount of PRSI paid by anyone else. Their employer pays nothing at all for them...

Social Welfare Bill 2016: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (24 Nov 2016)

Leo Varadkar: The cost of retrospective payment will be examined. To go back and recalculate people's pensions would be a very big job. If there is a significant change in the rules, we could recalculate the pensions of people who have already retired and tell them their pensions are being reduced. We are facing into people coming to us and saying they are not getting the pension they thought they would...

Social Welfare Bill 2016: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (24 Nov 2016)

Leo Varadkar: I do not propose to accept the amendment. The original purpose of the mortgage interest supplement scheme was to provide a short-term support to eligible people who were unable to meet their mortgage interest repayments in respect of their home. Section 11 of the Social Welfare and Pensions Act 2013 provided for the closure of the scheme to new entrants from January 2014 and the cessation...

Social Welfare Bill 2016: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (24 Nov 2016)

Leo Varadkar: I totally disagree. If we want to have a genuinely targeted and short-term solution, persons who cannot pay their mortgage for a few months should approach the lending institution and be given a mortgage holiday, have their mortgage term extended or have their payments changed.

Social Welfare Bill 2016: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (24 Nov 2016)

Leo Varadkar: If the State and taxpayers decide to pay someone's mortgage interest for a few months in these circumstances, it would amount to a subsidy for the banks. I find it remarkable that we are having this debate and that the Deputy is proposing to use public money to provide a further subsidy for the banks. I totally disagree with her.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Family Income Supplement Eligibility (24 Nov 2016)

Leo Varadkar: In order to qualify for family income supplement (FIS), the applicant must be engaged in full-time remunerative employment as an employee for at least 38 hours per fortnight (19 hours per week). An application for FIS was received from the lady concerned on 25thOctober 2016 but was disallowed on the grounds that she is not working the required number of hours. A letter was issued to the...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Supplementary Welfare Allowance Payments (24 Nov 2016)

Leo Varadkar: Further to my response to PQ 191 of 10 November 2016, I am taking it that the period in question referred to in this question is the period for which the person concerned was overpaid supplementary welfare allowance. That period is 5 August 2010 to 21 November 2011. The lady in question was paid carer's allowance at the weekly rate of €301.40 during this period. This was the maximum...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits Eligibility (24 Nov 2016)

Leo Varadkar: The person in question does not have a recent or current claim with the Department. He should, accordingly, contact his local Intreo Centre or Citizens Information Centre in Blanchardstown whereupon appropriate advice can be given to him in light of his prevailing domestic, personal and financial circumstances. I trust that this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Departmental Programmes (24 Nov 2016)

Leo Varadkar: While systemised data are not readily available on employment outcomes on all programmes, some indicative figures are available. For example: - The evaluation of JobBridge by Indecon (report published October 2016), shows on the basis of self-reported survey results that 64.2% of interns were currently in employment at the time of the survey. Overall, individuals similar to those who...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Departmental Programmes (24 Nov 2016)

Leo Varadkar: Given the need to manage the allocation of places effectively, the Department does not, in general, facilitate or encourage jobseekers to transfer from or leave one activation support scheme to take up a place on another activation support scheme. While systematic data are not readily available on activation programme participants who subsequently move to another activation programme, some...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Departmental Agencies Staff Data (24 Nov 2016)

Leo Varadkar: The statutory bodies operating under the aegis of my Department are the Citizens Information Board, the Pensions Authority, the Pensions Council, the Pensions Ombudsman (which does not have a board) and the Social Welfare Tribunal. Currently, there are no vacancies on the boards of these statutory bodies. I have made 8 board appointments, all of which were to the Citizens Information Board,...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits Eligibility (24 Nov 2016)

Leo Varadkar: In assessing means for social assistance payments, account is taken of the income and the value of property of the claimant and his or her spouse/partner, where applicable. Social welfare legislation provides that the yearly value of property, including capital, owned but not personally used or enjoyed is assessable for means-testing purposes. Such property includes all monies held in...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Farm Assist Scheme (24 Nov 2016)

Leo Varadkar: The farm assist scheme provides support for farmers on low incomes and recipients retain the advantages of the jobseeker’s allowance scheme such as the retention of secondary benefits and access to activation programmes. The 2016 Revised Estimates for my Department provide for expenditure of €85 million on the farm assist scheme. Budget 2017 introduces new measures in...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Supplementary Welfare Allowance (24 Nov 2016)

Leo Varadkar: When the supplementary welfare allowance (SWA) scheme was introduced in 1977, replacing the public assistance scheme, it was proposed that the public assistance footwear scheme would continue within the general context of the SWA scheme. From 1977 to 1990 child clothing and footwear payments were made under the exceptional needs payment (ENP) scheme. The back to school clothing and...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Pensions Reform (24 Nov 2016)

Leo Varadkar: As Minister for Social Protection, I have previously indicated that the development of a new, universal, workplace retirement saving system for those workers without supplementary pensions will be a priority area of policy reform. This development of such a system is consistent with the key recommendation contained in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Applications (24 Nov 2016)

Leo Varadkar: The application for carer’s allowance from the person concerned was awarded on 9 November 2016 and the first payment issued to her nominated bank account on 17 November 2016 together with arrears of allowance from 27 October 2016. The person concerned was notified of these details on 9 November 2016. I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.