Results 21,761-21,780 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Work Placement Programmes (12 Apr 2017)

Leo Varadkar: Tús provides part-time temporary work in the communities, as a stepping stone back to employment for people on a long term jobseeker’s payment. However, Tús placements are not full-time sustainable jobs. Tús is designed to break the cycle of unemployment and maintain work readiness thereby improving a person’s opportunities of returning to the labour market....

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Paternity Leave Scheme (12 Apr 2017)

Leo Varadkar: The paternity benefit scheme was introduced on 1 September 2016 and provides a benefit payment of €235 per week to cover two weeks paternity leave, to be taken within 26 weeks of the birth of the baby. The detail requested on the total number of claims awarded in 2016, covering the period from 1 September to year end, along with the expenditure on the scheme is set out in the...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Maternity Benefit Data (12 Apr 2017)

Leo Varadkar: The detail requested on the total number of maternity benefit claims received and awarded in 2016, along with the expenditure on the scheme is set out in the following table: Maternity Benefit Received Awarded Expenditure 2016 44,930 41,406 €253,798,390.28 The Department does not collate statistics on the number of claimants who take a shorter maternity leave, so it is not possible...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Maternity Benefit Data (12 Apr 2017)

Leo Varadkar: Maternity benefit is paid for 26 weeks at a rate of €235 per week. The 2017 Estimates for my Department provide for expenditure of approximately €266 million on maternity benefit. The estimated additional cost of extending the duration of maternity benefit by two weeks in one budgetary year is approximately €20 million. This estimate is on a full year basis and assumes...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Rural Social Scheme (12 Apr 2017)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 220 and 221 together. The Government recognises the benefits the Rural Social Scheme (RSS) provides for participants and their families, as well as the valuable contribution the scheme is making to the provision of services in communities across Ireland. Participants also have the opportunity to improve existing skills, or develop new skills, while...

Questions on Promised Legislation (13 Apr 2017)

Leo Varadkar: I have read the recommendation. My Department is not the employer, and the responsibility for implementing any Labour Court recommendation falls on the employer. While the Department is certainly the employer of many staff, the supervisors are employed by the sponsoring bodies.

Questions on Promised Legislation (13 Apr 2017)

Leo Varadkar: I will certainly examine the matter. I know the cost of transport is a real issue. Of course it is not only an issue for people who are attending JobPath. It is an issue for people who go to work.

Questions on Promised Legislation (13 Apr 2017)

Leo Varadkar: It is an issue as well for people who take part in CE schemes and in other areas.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Maternity Benefit Expenditure (13 Apr 2017)

Leo Varadkar: Maternity benefit is paid for 26 weeks at a rate of €235 per week. The 2017 Estimates for my Department provide for expenditure of approximately €266 million on maternity benefit. The estimated additional cost of extending the duration of maternity benefit is €10 million for each extra week. The following table estimates the additional cost of increasing the duration of...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Parental Leave Expenditure (13 Apr 2017)

Leo Varadkar: Parents have an entitlement to parental leave which is unpaid but there is no provision under current legislation for paid parental leave. Since 8 March 2013 the amount of parental leave available for each child amounts to a total of 18 working weeks per child. Both parents have an equal separate entitlement to parental leave. There is a commitment in the Programme for Partnership...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Ministerial Travel (13 Apr 2017)

Leo Varadkar: St. Patrick’s Day offers a unique opportunity to promote Ireland’s economic and political interests overseas, with levels of publicity and media attention unmatched by the national day of any other country. Ministerial visits around this period are organised to ensure that we use this exposure to maximise the promotion of Ireland’s trade, tourism and investment interests...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Employment Data (13 Apr 2017)

Leo Varadkar: The State’s Public Employment Service is managed by my Department and delivered directly by its own Intreo service as well as by contracted private companies, such as JobPath, Local Employment Service (LES) and Job Club providers. The department currently has contracts in place with in excess of 60 companies for the provision of these services, comprising 44 Job Club, 22 Local...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Child Benefit Eligibility (13 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: Mortgage Interest Relief Application (13 Apr 2017)

Leo Varadkar: The original purpose of the mortgage interest supplement scheme was to provide short-term support to eligible people who are unable to meet their mortgage interest repayments in respect of a house which is their sole place of residence. The scheme was discontinued to new entrants from 1 January 2014. Customers availing of this support prior to 1 January 2014 have been able to retain...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes Administration (13 Apr 2017)

Leo Varadkar: Community Employment (CE) has its origins in 1994. At that time, long-term unemployment was undermining the employability of many individuals and the capacity of communities to function as cohesive social structures. The alienation experienced by the long-term unemployed often reflected a sense of disempowerment in their communities. CE acted as a resource for communities to identify their...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Insurance Payments (13 Apr 2017)

Leo Varadkar: In general, workers in insurable employment or self-employment and whose income from that employment exceeds the relevant insurable threshold, are liable to pay PRSI. The payment of PRSI entitles them to access a range of social insurance benefits including the contributory State pension, depending on the nature of their employment or self- employment. Similar to other people, priests in...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: One-Parent Family Payment Payments (13 Apr 2017)

Leo Varadkar: The person concerned made an application for an OFP payment on 30 March 2017, which has been awarded. The first payment was paid into the nominated Post Office on 7 April 2017 and all other payments will be issued to her bank account. The person concerned has been contacted by the Intreo Centre to advise her of these payment arrangements. An application form for Supplementary Welfare...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Benefit Payments (13 Apr 2017)

Leo Varadkar: My department received an application for carer’s benefit (CARB) from the person concerned on 12 January 2017 for a care recipient who is resident in Lithuania. In order to process a CARB application, both the applicant and the care recipient must have a Personal Public Service Number (PPS No). This application cannot be processed until the care recipient has obtained a PPS No. In...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Public Services Card Authentication (13 Apr 2017)

Leo Varadkar: The Department of Social Protection, in conjunction with a number of other Government Departments, has developed a rules based standard for establishing and authenticating an individual’s identity for the purposes of access to public services. This programme of work is known as the Standard Authentication Framework Environment or SAFE for short. Sections 241 and 247(C) of the...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Jobseeker's Allowance Appeals (13 Apr 2017)

Leo Varadkar: The person concerned was in receipt of jobseeker’s allowance from 4 July 2016 but the claim was disallowed following review. An appeal of this decision has been received by the Intreo Centre concerned and an Inspector is reviewing the case as a matter of urgency. The Intreo Centre will also review the case on receipt of a report from the Inspector. I hope this clarifies the matter...