Results 21,501-21,520 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Jobseeker's Allowance Payments (30 Mar 2017)

Leo Varadkar: The person concerned is in receipt of a jobseeker’s allowance payment which comprises a full personal rate, an adult dependent rate and a dependent child rate for 3 dependent children who qualify for payment under the provisions of the schemes. Additionally the person concerned is in receipt of a fuel allowance. The person concerned has 2 other children who do not qualify as...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: State Pension (Contributory) Eligibility (30 Mar 2017)

Leo Varadkar: The farm assist scheme was introduced in 1999 to provide income support for low income farmers. It replaced the former smallholders’ unemployment assistance payment. In line with the then existing arrangements for unemployment assistance (including smallholders) and pre-retirement allowance, the income of farm assist recipients was exempt from class S PRSI for self-employed workers....

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits Waiting Times (30 Mar 2017)

Leo Varadkar: The claims in question are being dealt with by Newbridge Intreo Centre. There have been some delays in claim processing recently due to high demand but it is expected that claims for the customers concerned will be processed this week. All customers are advised of their right to apply for Supplementary Welfare Allowance, as an interim payment, while they await a decision on their...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Jobseeker's Allowance Payments (30 Mar 2017)

Leo Varadkar: The person concerned was awarded Jobseekers Allowance from 20th March, 2017. The rate of payment of Jobseekers Allowance is age-related and therefore the customer is currently receiving the maximum rate payable to claimants in 18 to 24 years age range. I trust that this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Employment Support Services (30 Mar 2017)

Leo Varadkar: The Department of Social Protection delivers its services in County Monaghan through our network of offices including Branch Offices, Community Welfare Clinics, Activation Services, Social Welfare Inspectorate Services, Community Employment Services, Local Employment Services (LES) and the JobPath Programme. Provision of information and access to income supports is provided by the...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Labour Activation Projects (4 Apr 2017)

Leo Varadkar: Community Employment (CE) drugs rehabilitation places provide opportunities for people in recovery from substance misuse to re-engage in active community and working life. The CE rehabilitation places reflect the Department’s commitment to the National Drugs Strategy with a specific focus on opportunities for the training and development for participants in recovery and working...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes Operation (4 Apr 2017)

Leo Varadkar: As the Deputy may be aware, I brought a Memo to Government in March and obtained approval to publish my Department’s report on the review of Community Employment and the other work schemes and to progress the various changes that were recommended. I will be publishing the review report in the coming days. My Department will be consulting with key stakeholders in the coming weeks...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes Eligibility (4 Apr 2017)

Leo Varadkar: The pattern of participation on the Community Employment (CE) programme is dependent on the individual circumstances of each person and the length of time she has been in receipt of a CE-qualifying social welfare payment. CE is intended for the long-term unemployed and other specified disadvantaged groups, including those who are in receipt of Farm Assist, a means-tested payment which is...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Citizen Information Services (4 Apr 2017)

Leo Varadkar: At the outset, it is important to note that there are no plans for the dissolution of the network of independent countrywide Citizens Information Services. The Citizens Information Board (CIB), which has statutory responsibility for the Money Advice and Budgeting Service (MABS) and the Citizens Information Services (CIS), decided on 15 February 2017, to restructure the governance...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Legal Costs (4 Apr 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...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Code (4 Apr 2017)

Leo Varadkar: As is common with social security systems across the world, the Irish social welfare system generally applies the principle of one person, one payment. It can happen that a person may experience more than one contingency at the same time such as being on maternity leave, while providing full-time care and attention to a person, who consequent on an illness or disability, requires such care....

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Money Advice and Budgeting Service (4 Apr 2017)

Leo Varadkar: The Citizens Information Board (CIB), which has statutory responsibility for the Money Advice and Budgeting Service (MABS) and the Citizens Information Services (CIS) decided, on 15 February 2017, to restructure the governance arrangements of these services. The decision was communicated by the Board of CIB to all CIS and MABS Boards and to all staff on the same day. The decision comes...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: School Meals Programme (4 Apr 2017)

Leo Varadkar: The school meals programme provides funding towards the provision of food to schools and organisations benefitting over 200,000 children at a total cost of some €47.7 million in 2017. The funding for the 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 over 50,000...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Bereavement Grant (4 Apr 2017)

Leo Varadkar: In recent Budgets my Department has protected primary social welfare rates. Abolishing the bereavement grant provided a significant annual saving and allowed my Department to protect other core social welfare payments such as the State pension. The number of bereavement grant claims in 2013 was 23,716, and this represented an increase of approximately 4% on 2012. Based on a similar yearly...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Waiting Times (4 Apr 2017)

Leo Varadkar: My Department is committed to providing a quality service to all its customers. This includes ensuring that applications are processed and that decisions on entitlement are made as quickly as possible. The average waiting time for new carer's allowance (CA) applications at the end of January 2017 was 11 weeks, compared to 20 weeks in 2016. At the end of January, there were 2,842 CA...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Treatment Benefit Scheme (4 Apr 2017)

Leo Varadkar: The intention to re-introduce additional treatments and benefits as part of the treatment benefit (TB) scheme was announced in Budget 2017. The first part of this commitment involves the extension of the existing TB scheme to cover some 450,000 self-employed people and their spouses for the first time. I am pleased to inform the Deputy that this extension is now in place with...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Insurance (4 Apr 2017)

Leo Varadkar: I can confirm the person concerned is entitled to credited contributions for the period she was in receipt of Carer’s Allowance. Her social insurance record has been credited for the period 4 December 2003 to 31 December 2016 and the record up to 3 May 2017 will be updated shortly. I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Training Support Grant (4 Apr 2017)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 356 and 357 together. The Training Support Grant (TSG) funded by my Department is designed to facilitate quick access to short-term training that is identified to assist an individual jobseekers access immediate work opportunities. The scheme is activation focused and the jobseeker is required to provide reasonable evidence of need, in the form of a potential...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Jobseeker's Benefit Eligibility (4 Apr 2017)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 358 and 359 together. I gave a commitment at Dáil report stage of the Social Welfare Bill 2016 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. My Department is currently undertaking two reports – one in...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Departmental Information (4 Apr 2017)

Leo Varadkar: My Department’s Customer Charter and Action Plan 2016-2018, published on www.welfare.ie, sets out its commitments to providing a professional, efficient and courteous service to all its customers. Specific commitments are included in relation to the provision of interpretive and translation services and the provision of information in alternative formats such as Braille or Audio. The...