Results 21,101-21,120 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Other Questions: JobPath Implementation (21 Feb 2017)

Leo Varadkar: CE schemes and Tús do not constitute regular employment. It is not to say they are not valuable. They are very valuable and I have many such schemes also in my constituency. I know their value and they do involve a lot of real work. It is, however, a different thing to say the Tús scheme is real employment. It is not. It is an employment activation scheme where the State...

Other Questions: JobPath Implementation (21 Feb 2017)

Leo Varadkar: I wish to clarify that referrals are made only by my Department and through the Intreo centres. The rules are also made by my Department and the rules are that a person cannot move from one scheme or service to another. If a person has a start date, however, within four weeks for a Tús or CE placement, then he or she can take it up. We would like to move to a position where people who...

Other Questions: Homemakers Scheme (21 Feb 2017)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 40 and 44 together. The State pension is a very valuable benefit and is the bedrock of the Irish State pension system as a whole. There are two State pensions. The non-contributory State pension is a means-tested pension and is funded by general taxation. The contributory State pension is not means tested and is paid from the Social Insurance Fund....

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Youth Guarantee (21 Feb 2017)

Leo Varadkar: The Government’s primary strategy to reduce youth unemployment is through policies to create the environment for a strong economic recovery by promoting competitiveness and productivity. Economic recovery will underpin jobs growth and the availability of productive employment for young people. This strategy has been succeeding; by the third quarter of 2016 the number of people in...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits Reviews (21 Feb 2017)

Leo Varadkar: During the Dáil report stage debate on the Social Welfare Bill 2016, I agreed that I would ask my officials to examine the issue of jobseeker’s benefit and the treatment of part-time and seasonal workers, including those categorised as having subsidiary employment. Work has commenced with a view to having a report ready by the end of March / early April 2017. This report will be...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: State Pensions Payments (21 Feb 2017)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 41 and 45 together. The overall concern in recent years has been to protect the value of weekly social welfare rates. Expenditure on pensions is approximately €7 billion per annum. Due to demographic changes, my Department’s spending on older people is increasing year on year at an approximate rate of €1 billion every 5 years....

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Rent Supplement Scheme Administration (21 Feb 2017)

Leo Varadkar: The rent supplement scheme is supporting 47,000 tenants for which the Government has provided €253 million in 2017. The scheme is generally available to people whose means are insufficient to meet their accommodation costs and do not have alternative accommodation available. Rent supplement is subject to a means test which is normally calculated to ensure that a person, after the...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Labour Activation Projects (21 Feb 2017)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 46 and 74 together. As Deputies will be aware, my colleague Paschal Donohoe T.D. Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, recently announced a new approach that will be taken to reviewing current Departmental expenditure in advance of Budget 2018. The purpose of this review is to ensure the best value for money for the taxpayer. It is quite distinct...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Free Travel Scheme Administration (21 Feb 2017)

Leo Varadkar: There are no plans to introduce a surcharge on the free travel pass and I am fully committed to its retention as a service provided without charge to passholders. The free travel scheme provides free travel for those with eligibility on the main public and private transport services which includes road, rail and ferry services provided by companies such as Bus Átha Cliath, Bus...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes Administration (21 Feb 2017)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 48, 52, 56, 63 and 76 together. As the Deputies will be aware, my Department provides a range of activation supports catering for long-term unemployed jobseekers and those most distant from the labour market. These supports include employment schemes such as Community Employment (CE) and Tús. These schemes provide part-time temporary work in local...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Pension Provisions (21 Feb 2017)

Leo Varadkar: Internationally as well as in Ireland, Defined Benefit (DB) schemes have been facing an increasing headwind over the last two decades. This has been due to volatility in the stock markets, increasing liabilities arising from the demographic pressures of increasing life expectancy, low interest rates, and regulatory requirements. Essentially the cost of providing benefits has increased at a...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits Data (21 Feb 2017)

Leo Varadkar: Carer's Allowance (CA) is a social assistance payment made to carers who are providing full-time care and attention to someone who has a disability such that they require that level of care. As well as providing full-time care and attention, applicants must satisfy a means test and be habitually resident in the State. In order to qualify for disability allowance (DA), a person must be aged...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Free Travel Scheme Administration (21 Feb 2017)

Leo Varadkar: The free travel scheme provides free travel on the main public and private transport services for those eligible under the scheme. These include road, rail and ferry services provided by companies such as Bus Átha Cliath, Bus Éireann and Iarnród Éireann, as well as Luas and services provided by over 80 private transport operators. There are currently approx. 873,000...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Rates (21 Feb 2017)

Leo Varadkar: The various illness and disability payments administered by my Department provide income support for persons who cannot earn a living because of sickness and/or disability. The schemes also provide a range of supports to encourage and assist people on long-term illness and disability payments to identify and take up available employment, training, educational and other self-development...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Money Advice and Budgeting Service Administration (21 Feb 2017)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 54 and 65 together. At the outset it is important to note that The Citizens Information Board (CIB) assures me that there will be no job losses, no closure of services, no change to service delivery locations and no change to the terms and conditions of serving staff during the lifetime of the restructuring programme. Most importantly, there will be no...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Mortgage Arrears Information and Advice Service (21 Feb 2017)

Leo Varadkar: The most appropriate way for homeowners experiencing mortgage difficulties is through on-going engagement with their lender, exploring sustainable solutions within the Mortgage Arrears Resolution Process (MARP). The Money Advice and Budgeting Service (MABS), under the aegis of the Citizens Information Board, assists people who are over-indebted and need help and advice in coping with debt...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits Data (21 Feb 2017)

Leo Varadkar: At the end of January 2017, there were 59,480 casual workers on the Live Register. Equivalent figures for all months from May 2002 to January 2017 are published by the Central Statistics Office (CSO), based on returns made to them by my Department, in Table 7 of the Live Register statistical release (available at ). A tabular statement giving a breakdown of this total by last held occupation...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: State Pensions (21 Feb 2017)

Leo Varadkar: Since 1961, when contributory pensions were introduced, the average contributions test has been used in calculating the rate of pension entitlement. Entitlement is banded, with the maximum rate payable to those with a yearly average of 48-52 contributions, and the minimum rate payable to those with a yearly average in the range of 10-14 contributions per year. Even if someone has only 10...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Child Poverty (21 Feb 2017)

Leo Varadkar: The CSO Survey on Income and Living Conditions (SILC) for 2015 shows that 11.5 per cent of children were in consistent poverty. This is the first reduction in the number of children in consistent poverty since 2008. Compared to 2014, in 2015 there was a 13,000 or approximately 9 per cent decrease in the number of children in consistent poverty. The full impact of the recovery is not yet...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Paternity Leave Scheme (21 Feb 2017)

Leo Varadkar: The paternity benefit scheme was introduced on 1st September 2016 to enable fathers take time off work to care for their new born babies. The scheme provides payment for up to two weeks leave at the rate of €230 per week. Since its introduction, some 7,000 fathers have availed of the leave and the benefit payment. Details on the paternity benefit claims received in the period from...