Results 21,261-21,280 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Jobseeker's Benefit Payments (2 Mar 2017)

Leo Varadkar: The person concerned had been in receipt of Jobseeker’s Benefit and was requested to attend a scheduled activation meeting with her Case Officer at the local Intreo Centre on 15th February 2017. She failed to attend this meeting and, because she did not contact the office to explain her absence, she did not receive her payment. In order to have her payment issue resolved, the person...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: School Meals Programme (2 Mar 2017)

Leo Varadkar: The Deputy may not be aware that funding for the school meals scheme was increased this year, as part of Budget 2017, by an additional €5.7 million (almost 14% over the previous year’s allocation) which will benefit more than 50,000 children. I want to emphasise that recent reports suggesting that funding under this scheme has reduced is not the case. The school meals...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Legislative Process RIA (2 Mar 2017)

Leo Varadkar: Regulatory Impact Analyses (RIAs) are undertaken by my Department in accordance with the relevant Department of the Taoiseach guidelines on significant legislative, policy and other changes. A Regulatory Impact Analysis is not ordinarily undertaken on the package of tax, welfare and other measures announced in the annual Budget Day Statements. As most of the Social Welfare Bills provide for...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Legislative Process RIA (2 Mar 2017)

Leo Varadkar: Regulatory Impact Analyses (RIAs) are undertaken by my Department in accordance with the relevant Department of the Taoiseach guidelines on significant legislative, policy and other changes. In recent years two RIAs have been published by my Department. One of these RIAs relates to amendments to the funding standard applying to defined benefit pension schemes, which were provided for in...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Free Travel Scheme (7 Mar 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. 874,000...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Applications (7 Mar 2017)

Leo Varadkar: The application for carer’s allowance in respect of the person concerned was awarded on 1 March 2017 and the first payment will issue to the person’s bank nominated post office on 9 March 2017. Arrears of allowance due from 28 July 2016 to 8 March 2017 2017 were issued by cheque on 1 March 2017. The person concerned was notified of these details on 1 March 2017. I hope this...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Applications (7 Mar 2017)

Leo Varadkar: I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that an Appeals Officer, having fully considered all of the available evidence including that adduced at the oral hearing, has decided to allow the appeal of the person concerned. The person concerned has been notified of the Appeals Officer’s decision The Social Welfare Appeals Office functions independently of the Minister for...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Applications (7 Mar 2017)

Leo Varadkar: The person concerned applied for carer’s allowance (CA) on 15 April 2016. CA is a means-tested social assistance payment, made to persons who are providing full-time care and attention to a person who has a disability such that they require that level of care. A person can be considered to be providing full-time care and attention where they are engaged in employment, self-employment...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Employment Support Services (7 Mar 2017)

Leo Varadkar: The Jobsplus incentive is designed to encourage employers and businesses to focus their recruitment efforts on those who have been out of work for long periods, or on young people seeking employment. It provides employers with two levels of payment - €7,500 or €10,000 over two years, paid in monthly instalments, provided the employment is maintained. The rate of payment...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Employment Support Services (7 Mar 2017)

Leo Varadkar: Jobsireland.ie is a free online jobs site that enables employers to post job opportunities and jobseekers to search and apply for these opportunities online. At 20 years old, the original site was showing its age. For example, although it enabled jobseekers to search for job opportunities based on job type and location, it wasn’t possible for employers to search for suitable...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Labour Activation Projects (7 Mar 2017)

Leo Varadkar: As the Deputy will be aware, JobPath is a service that supports people who are long-term unemployed (over 12 months) and those most at risk of becoming long-term unemployed to secure and sustain paid employment. Contractors are paid via a combination of an initial registration fee and thereafter only on the basis of job sustainment fees: which are only paid in respect of each period of 13...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Departmental Legal Costs (7 Mar 2017)

Leo Varadkar: The European Court of Justice (ECJ) delivered a judgement on 25 April 2013 arising from an investigation of complaints under Directive 2008/94/EC on the protection of employees in the event of the insolvency of their employer and the resultant contractual obligations that derive under the transposition of that Directive by the Irish Government. The ECJ found in favour of the plaintiffs who...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Education Funding (7 Mar 2017)

Leo Varadkar: The Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI) Grant, payable by the Department of Education and Skills, represents the primary support for persons pursuing education. My Department provides income support in the form of the Back to Education Allowance (BTEA) scheme for people on certain social welfare payments who wish to participate in full- time education. The scheme provides an approved...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Exceptional Needs Payment Applications (7 Mar 2017)

Leo Varadkar: Under the supplementary welfare allowance (SWA) scheme, the Department may make a single exceptional needs payment (ENP) to help meet essential, once-off and unforeseen expenditure which a person could not reasonably be expected to meet out of their weekly income. The Government has provided €31.5 million for exceptional needs payments (ENPs) and urgent needs payments (UNPs) in 2017....

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Rent Supplement Scheme Data (7 Mar 2017)

Leo Varadkar: The rent supplement scheme, for which the Government has provided €253 million for in 2017, plays a vital role in housing families and individuals, with the scheme currently supporting approximately 46,000 tenants. In recognition of the on-going rental market difficulties, my Department implements a targeted case-by-case policy approach that allows for flexibility where landlords seek...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: National Internship Scheme Review (7 Mar 2017)

Leo Varadkar: In 2015 my Department initiated a rolling, multi-annual evaluations programme, using econometric and qualitative methods, of Pathways to Work programme and process reforms. This includes large-scale annual customer satisfaction surveys. It draws upon an episodic administrative database, the Jobseekers’ Longitudinal Database (JLD), capturing jobseekers spells of unemployment and exits...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Free Travel Scheme (7 Mar 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. 874,000...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Public Relations Contracts Expenditure (7 Mar 2017)

Leo Varadkar: There has been no expenditure by my department on public relations consultants in 2016. Concerning matters relating to public relations costs, expenditure of €395 was incurred on an Effective Press Release Writing course delivered by the Public Relations Institute of Ireland in September 2016.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes Operation (7 Mar 2017)

Leo Varadkar: As the Deputy may be aware, I brought a Memo to Government last week and obtained approval to publish my Department’s review report on CE and the other work schemes, and to progress the various changes that were recommended. I will be publishing the review report shortly. The changes proposed to the Community Employment (CE) scheme include moving the reference year. Currently...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Jobseeker's Allowance Applications (7 Mar 2017)

Leo Varadkar: The person concerned was requested to supply additional information to the department so that a decision could be made on their application for Jobseekers Allowance. The department has now received that information and is in a position to make a decision on the application which will be done today. The Intreo Office concerned will be in contact with the applicant to advise of that decision....