Results 21,441-21,460 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Money Advice and Budgeting Service and Citizens Information Centres: Motion (28 Mar 2017)

Leo Varadkar: I move amendment No. 2:To delete all words after “Dáil Éireann” and substitute the following:wholeheartedly commends the important work undertaken by the Citizens Information Board, CIB, together with its network of delivery partner services, including the Citizens Information service, CIS, and the Money Advice and Budgeting Service, MABS, in fulfilling its statutory...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Insurance (28 Mar 2017)

Leo Varadkar: Currently class A employers pay PRSI at the rate of 8.5% where weekly earnings are between €38 and €376. Once weekly earnings exceed €376, the rate of employer PRSI is 10.75%. The annual increase in the PRSI yield to the Social Insurance Fund from increasing the class A employer PRSI rate from 10.75% to 15.75% on the portion of salary is dependent on the number of people...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Offices (28 Mar 2017)

Leo Varadkar: Following the transfer of the Community Welfare Service (CWS) from the Health Service Executive (HSE) to the Department in 2011, the Department has re-engineered its business model to support the provision of integrated services across all business streams involved in the delivery of localised services. As part of this strategy, the Department is engaged in the delivery of integrated Intreo...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Treatment Benefit Scheme (28 Mar 2017)

Leo Varadkar: The treatment benefit scheme, which includes provision for a grant towards hearing aids, is based on PRSI contributions. There are two main qualification criteria for someone the age of the person concerned; - The first is that they must have paid at least 260 qualifying PRSI contributions since first starting work. The person concerned meets this condition. - The second is that they must...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Departmental Staff Relocation (28 Mar 2017)

Leo Varadkar: The Department facilitates staff transfers in accordance with the appropriate protocols. In this regard, where a permanent post falls to be filled by transfer the relevant transfer list is consulted. In addition to having to satisfy attendance and performance criteria, the question as to whether the person can be released from their current office/Department arises. There are a number of...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Youth Unemployment Measures (28 Mar 2017)

Leo Varadkar: Government policy to reduce unemployment is twofold. First, through policies set out in the Action Plan for Jobs, to create an environment in which business can succeed and create jobs; and second, through Pathways to Work, to ensure that as many as possible of these new jobs and other vacancies that arise in our economy are filled by people taken from the Live Register, including young...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Unemployment Benefits Data (28 Mar 2017)

Leo Varadkar: The information requested by the Deputy is detailed in the following table. It should be noted that the county level statistics indicate the number of people signing-on for payment at an office located in the county indicated. As the catchment area of many local offices cross county borders this data is not equivalent to the number of people residing in each county who are signing-on....

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals Waiting Times (28 Mar 2017)

Leo Varadkar: The average appeal processing times for all appeals determined from 2014 to 2016 broken down by all social welfare scheme types is outlined in the following tables. I am advised by the Chief Appeals Officer that statistics are not maintained on a county by county basis and she is not in a position to supply information specific to counties Sligo and Leitrim. Appeal processing times are...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Employment Support Services (28 Mar 2017)

Leo Varadkar: The main social welfare schemes offered by my Department for unemployed people in the State are jobseeker’s allowance and benefit. Both schemes provide significant support to unemployed people such that they can work up to 3 days a week and still retain access to a reduced payment, subject to continuing to satisfy all of the qualifying conditions. The goal of Government’s...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Unemployment Levels (28 Mar 2017)

Leo Varadkar: The official measure of unemployment is sourced from the Quarterly National Household Survey (QNHS). Measures of unemployment from the QNHS are based on International Labour Office (ILO) definitions. To be ‘ILO unemployed’ a person must in the week before the survey be without work but available for work and have recently taken specific job-search steps. The Live Register,...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Protected Disclosures Data (28 Mar 2017)

Leo Varadkar: The Protected Disclosures Act 2014 provides a statutory framework within which workers can raise concerns regarding potential wrongdoing that has come to their attention in the workplace. The Department of Social Protection is committed to fostering an appropriate environment for addressing concerns relating to potential wrongdoing in the workplace and to providing the necessary support for...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Work Placement Programmes (28 Mar 2017)

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. This includes programmes such as Tús and Community Employment (CE). As the Deputy will be aware, both of these schemes provide part-time temporary work for participants in local communities as a stepping-stone back to...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes Eligibility (28 Mar 2017)

Leo Varadkar: The Department sets down eligibility criteria for participation on employment schemes so as to ensure that opportunities to avail of activation measures are managed effectively. The maximum duration of participation available on Community Employment (CE) is determined having regard to a range of factors including the age and signing record at date of commencement on the scheme. The...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Free Travel Scheme Eligibility (28 Mar 2017)

Leo Varadkar: The person concerned is in receipt of invalidity pension and qualifies for free travel in his own right. However, to qualify for a free travel companion pass, he must be medically assessed as unfit to travel alone as well as satisfying the other qualifying conditions of the scheme. The person concerned applied for the companion pass in February 2017. The application was submitted to a...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: State Pension (Non-Contributory) Appeals (28 Mar 2017)

Leo Varadkar: I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that there is no record of an appeal on behalf of the estate of the deceased person concerned. In general, an appeal should be submitted within 21 working days of the Deciding Officer’s decision. In light of ongoing correspondence between the executor of the estate of the deceased person concerned and the State Pension (Non...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Employment Schemes (28 Mar 2017)

Leo Varadkar: Data on the number of participants in job activation programmes is reported monthly by programme by the Central Statistics Office. Table 1 gives the number of persons on activation programmes under the remit of my Department in each January from 2012 to 2017. Table 1: Numbers on DSP Activation Programmes as at January, 2012 to 2017 2012 M01 2013 M01 2014 M01 2015 M01 2016 M01 2017 M01...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Child Benefit Data (28 Mar 2017)

Leo Varadkar: Child Benefit is a monthly payment made to families with children in respect of all qualified children up to the age of 16 years. The payment continues to be paid in respect of children up to their 18th birthday who are in full-time education, or who have a disability. Child Benefit is currently paid to around 627,000 families in respect of some 1.2 million children, with an estimated...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Departmental Schemes (28 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 Post Leaving Certificate Courses (PLCs) and higher education undergraduate courses. My Department administers the Back to Education Allowance (BTEA) scheme which is an educational opportunities scheme for persons in receipt of certain...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Employment Support Services (28 Mar 2017)

Leo Varadkar: JobsPlus provides a direct monthly financial incentive to employers who recruit people who are long-term on the live register and those transitioning into 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 depends on the length of time the...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Insurance Costs (28 Mar 2017)

Leo Varadkar: My Department does not take out insurance policies but pays out compensation where necessary. Accordingly, there are no insurance claims against my Department. In cases where a person takes a personal injury claim against the Department, this is handled by the State Claims Agency. The Pensions Authority, Pensions Ombudsman, Pensions Council and Social Welfare Tribunal have no insurance...