Results 21,981-22,000 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: JobPath Data (16 May 2017)

Leo Varadkar: I assume the Deputy is referring to JobPath as the Department does not administer a scheme called JobPass. As the Deputy will be aware, 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. These services...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Applications (16 May 2017)

Leo Varadkar: I confirm that my Department received an application for carer’s allowance from the person concerned on 5 April 2017. The application is currently being processed and once completed, the person concerned will be notified directly of the outcome. I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy. Do not hesitate to contact my office for further assistance with this query.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Applications (17 May 2017)

Leo Varadkar: I confirm that my department received an application for Carer’s Allowance (CA) from the person concerned on 19 July 2016. It is a condition for receipt of a CA that the person being cared for must have a disability whose effect is that they require full-time care and attention. This is defined as requiring from another person, continual supervision and frequent assistance throughout...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Maternity Benefit Administration (17 May 2017)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 161 and 162 together. Maternity benefit claims are processed in leave commencement date order. The average time to process a paper claim is 6 weeks. Processing claims by leave commencement date order ensures that those whose maternity leave has already started, or is due to start soon, receive priority. Once a decision is made and the claim has been...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Exceptional Needs Payment Applications (17 May 2017)

Leo Varadkar: Further to Parliamentary Question No. 288 of 14 February 2017, the decision to refuse an application for an exceptional needs payment in the case of the second person concerned was reviewed on request and the decision of the designated officer upheld. There are no outstanding applications for an exceptional needs payment in the case of the persons concerned. It is open to the persons...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Departmental Expenditure (17 May 2017)

Leo Varadkar: The statutory bodies operating under the aegis of my Department are the Citizens Information Board, the Pensions Authority, the Pensions Council, the Pensions Ombudsman and the Social Welfare Tribunal. With the exception of the Citizens Information Board, none of these bodies incurred costs in renting car park spaces in the period from 2011 to date. The following table sets out the amount...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Free Travel Scheme (17 May 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. 880,000...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes Data (17 May 2017)

Leo Varadkar: The number of Community Employment schemes and number of participants in the Dublin North Division are set out in Table 1. Table 1 - Dublin North CE figures as at 15 May 2017 Number of Schemes No of Participants 59 1,459 A breakdown of the table is as follows:- CE Area No of Projects No of Participants Dublin 5 9 207 Dublin 9 7 171 Dublin 11 17 358 Dublin 13 3 55 Dublin 17 12 347...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance Scheme Data (17 May 2017)

Leo Varadkar: The back to school clothing and footwear allowance (BSCFA) scheme provides a once-off payment to eligible families to assist with the extra costs when children start school each autumn. End of year records show that under the 2016 BSCFA scheme, payments were made to over 154,000 families in respect of some 283,000 children at a cost of over €39.8 million. The Government has provided...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Rent Supplement Scheme Data (17 May 2017)

Leo Varadkar: Since 1st Jan 2017, the Dublin Central Rents Unit received 705 applications for rent supplement. Under the Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness – Rebuilding Ireland, HAP was rolled out to all Dublin Local Authority areas with effect from the 1st March 2017. Since 1st March, where an application for rent supplement is received from a client with a long term housing need as...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Employment Support Services (17 May 2017)

Leo Varadkar: The aim of the JobPath service, which is provided for long term unemployed jobseekers only, is to assist them in finding sustainable full-time paid employment by providing intensive individual support and assistance. All decisions regarding the participation by jobseekers on work experience programmes such as the First Steps internship programme are taken by my Department. I am advised...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Farm Assist Scheme Appeals (17 May 2017)

Leo Varadkar: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was referred to an Appeals Officer on 11 April 2017, who will make a summary decision on the appeal based on the documentary evidence presented or, if required, hold an oral hearing. The Social Welfare Appeals Office functions independently of the Minister for Social Protection and of the Department and...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Appeals (17 May 2017)

Leo Varadkar: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was referred to an Appeals Officer on 5 April 2017, who will make a summary decision on the appeal based on the documentary evidence presented or, if required, hold an oral hearing. The Social Welfare Appeals Office functions independently of the Minister for Social Protection and of the Department and...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: State Pension (Contributory) Expenditure (17 May 2017)

Leo Varadkar: As provided for in Budget 2012, from September 2012, new rate bands for State pension (contributory) were introduced. This resulted in one of the bands (in respect of those with a yearly average of 20-47 contributions) being replaced with three bands (in respect of yearly averages of 40-47, 30-39, and 20-29 respectively). These additional bands more accurately reflect the social insurance...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Departmental Staff Data (17 May 2017)

Leo Varadkar: My Department does not employ staff through agencies. All staff recruitment for my Department is carried out by the Public Appointments Services with the exception of unestablished Service Officers, Service Attendants and Interns who are recruited directly by the Department. The number of staff employed by bodies under the aegis of my Department through recruitment agencies are outlined...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Departmental Contracts Data (17 May 2017)

Leo Varadkar: The cost of all work including investigations, completed by external agencies/consultants during 2016 in the areas of human resources and industrial relations contracted out by my Department and by the bodies that come under its aegis are outlined in the table. Department/Agency Cost Department of Social Protection €52,551 Citizens Information Board €207,128* Pensions...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments Administration (18 May 2017)

Leo Varadkar: The Department for Social Protection operates its contract for cash payment services with An Post. The Department signed this contract with An Post in December 2013 and it came into effect in January 2014. The contract ran for an initial two years, expiring at the end of 2015. However the contract can be extended for up to a further four years on an annual basis, i.e. to the end of 2019....

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: State Pension (Contributory) (18 May 2017)

Leo Varadkar: A number of reforms have been made over the years to the State pension (contributory) scheme to provide for sustainable pensions in the future. “Developing the National Pensions System – Final Report of the National Pensions Board” published in 1993, recommended that the number of paid contributions required to qualify for a contributory pension should be increased...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments Administration (18 May 2017)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 160 to 162, inclusive, together. Disability Allowance is a means-tested social assistance payment which is paid to persons aged 16 to 66 who are substantially restricted in undertaking suitable employment arising from a medical condition (subject to satisfying the relevant medical criteria). The estimated cost in 2018 (and a full year) of increasing the...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Household Benefits Scheme (18 May 2017)

Leo Varadkar: The savings arising from the initial reduction and subsequent discontinuance of the telephone allowance meant that my Department was able to retain the other valuable elements of the household benefits package such as the electricity and gas allowance and the television licence. My Department will spend approximately €232 million this year on these elements of the household benefits...