Results 21,701-21,720 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (11 Apr 2017)

Leo Varadkar: Diet supplement, administered under the supplementary welfare allowance (SWA) scheme, is payable to qualifying persons, in receipt of the supplement prior to February 2014, who have been prescribed a special diet as a result of a specified medical condition. There are currently 3,300 in receipt of the diet supplement of diet supplement at a cost of €4.6 million in 2017. Following...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Invalidity Pension Applications (11 Apr 2017)

Leo Varadkar: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 27 February 2017. It is a statutory requirement of the appeals process that the relevant Departmental papers and comments by the Deciding Officer on the grounds of appeal be sought. When these papers have been received from the Department, the case in question will be...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Appeals (11 Apr 2017)

Leo Varadkar: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 23 February 2017. It is a statutory requirement of the appeals process that the relevant Departmental papers and comments by the Deciding Officer on the grounds of appeal be sought. When these papers have been received from the Department, the case in question will be...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Rural Social Scheme (11 Apr 2017)

Leo Varadkar: The rural social scheme (RSS) is an income support scheme which provides part-time employment opportunities in community and voluntary organisations for farmers or fishermen who are in receipt of certain social welfare payments and underemployed in their primary occupation. As part of the social welfare budget package for 2017, I announced an additional 500 places on the RSS. These places...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes Operation (11 Apr 2017)

Leo Varadkar: My Department introduced a new Community Employment (CE) childcare strand in 2013 under which there is a dedicated childcare training programme leading to a major award at QQI Level 5 for CE participants who work directly with children. The QQI Major Level 5 Award is the entry-level requirement to work as a basic practitioner in childcare. This has led to rationalised entry requirements,...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes Operation (11 Apr 2017)

Leo Varadkar: A training grant is allocated to Community Employment schemes in respect of all approved places on a “per-place, per annum” basis. Training is identified in accordance with a tailored individual learning plan (ILP) compiled by the CE supervisor with the participant, given the participant’s training needs and employment goals. Any proposed training that exceeds the...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes Administration (11 Apr 2017)

Leo Varadkar: The Deputy may be aware that under Budget 2017 every Community Employment (CE) participant received an extra €5 per week with effect from 13 March 2017 and those in receipt of an increase for a qualified adult also received an additional €3.30 or €2.10 depending on the individual circumstances. There are no plans to provide further increases to CE participants at this...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: JobPath Implementation (11 Apr 2017)

Leo Varadkar: Activation supports are provided for customers of my Department who are in receipt of a jobseeker’s payment. The activation services and schemes are provided directly by the Intreo Case Officers; by private companies such as the JobPath companies, the Local Employment Services and Job Clubs or through Community Employment Schemes such as CE and Tús. The aim of activation is to...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Employment Schemes (11 Apr 2017)

Leo Varadkar: Jobseekers can only participate with one activation scheme or service at a time; this is to ensure that the scheme and service providers have sufficient time to work with the participants and also that the best use is made of the available places. In general jobseekers are not transferred to Community Employment (CE) once they are referred to JobPath. However, jobseekers who on the date...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Local Employment Service (11 Apr 2017)

Leo Varadkar: In 2016 LES providers were asked to increase the frequency with which they engage with jobseekers to enhance the quality of the services they provide. To facilitate this more intensive engagement, caseloads were reduced. The number of local employment service mediators also increased from (circa) 163 in 2015 to (circa) 170 in 2017 and there is no plan to replace them. Ireland’s...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits Applications (11 Apr 2017)

Leo Varadkar: The person concerned made an application for supplementary welfare allowance and one-parent family payment both of which were disallowed. Correspondence received from the person concerned was treated as an appeal for both schemes. The supplementary welfare allowance appeal submission has been prepared by the designated person administering the supplementary welfare allowance scheme and is...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Youth Guarantee (11 Apr 2017)

Leo Varadkar: Some elements of the programmes that contribute to Ireland’s response to the EU recommendation on a youth guarantee are part-funded by the EU’s Youth Employment Initiative (YEI). Management of Ireland’s European Social Fund (ESF) Operational Programme, which includes the YEI, is carried out by the ESF Managing Authority, within the Department of Education and Skills. ...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Employment Schemes (11 Apr 2017)

Leo Varadkar: As the Deputy is aware, Gateway is a work scheme which aims to provide short-term work opportunities for those who are unemployed for more than 24 months while, at the same time, carrying out beneficial work identified by Local Authorities. Gateway participants work for an average of 19½ hours a week and placements last for 22 months and cannot be extended. My Department has no...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: JobPath Implementation (11 Apr 2017)

Leo Varadkar: JobPath is a payment by results model which means that companies will not be able to fully recover their cost until they place sufficient numbers of jobseekers into sustainable jobs. Therefore the overall cost of JobPath will be determined by the number of people who participate in the programme and the number who get sustainable jobs. The payments made are in respect of registration...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: JobPath Implementation (11 Apr 2017)

Leo Varadkar: The Pathways to Work initiative launched in 2012 signalled the potential of contracting with third party providers to complement the existing capacity of the Department of Social Protection and that already provided on behalf of the department by Local Employment Service providers, to deliver employment services. The additional capacity was and is essential, to facilitate meaningful...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Child Benefit Eligibility (11 Apr 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: Community Employment Schemes Operation (11 Apr 2017)

Leo Varadkar: As the Deputy may be aware, I published the Report of the Analysis of the Community Employment Programme on Friday 7 April. The Analysis of the Community Employment Programme was conducted by the Department and looks at Community Employment (CE) and the other work programmes. Work schemes offer opportunities for the long term unemployed to gain valuable work experience and participate in...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Departmental Properties (11 Apr 2017)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 367 and 405 together. My Department currently has approximately 300 premises under its ownership or control. One of these premises, in Damastown Industrial Estate Mulhuddart Dublin 15, is unoccupied since March 2016. However, part of the building is in use as a file storage facility for the Department. It is expected that this premises will be occupied...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Jobseeker's Allowance Appeals (11 Apr 2017)

Leo Varadkar: I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that an oral hearing of the appeal of the person concerned took place on 28 February 2017. At the hearing it was agreed that additional information was required and would be provided by the person concerned. As the Deputy will be aware certain information was submitted by email through his office on 20th March 2017. It was indicated in that...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes Funding (11 Apr 2017)

Leo Varadkar: Each Community Employment (CE) scheme has an individually-set weekly materials rate per participant based on a detailed appraisal of their actual annual expenditure levels in previous years. All consumable services and materials necessary for the effective operation of the project will normally be considered. For materials to be allowable, they must be for the use of the participants and...