Results 18,901-18,920 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Redundancy Payments (28 Jun 2016)

Leo Varadkar: The purpose of the redundancy payments scheme is to compensate employees for the loss of their jobs where the employer is unable to pay statutory redundancy due to financial difficulties or insolvency. Redundancy payments are based on the employee’s length of reckonable service and reckonable weekly remuneration. The scheme is funded by the Social Insurance Fund, which is made up of...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Work Placement Programmes (28 Jun 2016)

Leo Varadkar: TÚS is an activation initiative for those who are unemployed and on the Live Register. It provides short-term quality and suitable working opportunities for people who are unemployed while at the same time carrying out beneficial work within communities. Eligible clients are selected for inclusion in the initiative through a random selection process undertaken centrally within each...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Jobseeker's Benefit (28 Jun 2016)

Leo Varadkar: The jobseeker's benefit scheme provides income support for people who lose work and who have the required number of social insurance contributions. The 2016 Estimates for the Department provide for expenditure on jobseeker’s benefit of €369 million. Since the extension of full social insurance cover to part-time workers from April 1991, a range of measures were introduced...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Applications (28 Jun 2016)

Leo Varadkar: I confirm that my department received an application for carer’s allowance (CA) from the person concerned on 8 April 2016. Unfortunately, there are currently delays in the processing of new applications.Additional resources have been provided to the CA section in order to improve the waiting times for new applications and they are working hard to make this happen. Frequently, delays...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: One-Parent Family Payment Data (28 Jun 2016)

Leo Varadkar: The information that the Deputy has requested is currently not available in my Department. Given the complex nature of the request, my Department will provide the information directly to the Deputy in due course. This will include the answer to the previous question submitted by the Deputy regarding increasing the age of the youngest child to 14 years for receipt of the One-Parent Family...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: One-Parent Family Payment Data (28 Jun 2016)

Leo Varadkar: The full cost of extending the current threshold of the income disregard under the One-Parent Family Payment (OFP) from its current threshold of €90 a week to €95 a week; €100 a week; €105 a week; €110 a week; €115 a week; €120 a week; and €125 a week is outlined in tabular form. These figures are based on the current profile of OFP...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Schemes Data (28 Jun 2016)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 299, 301 to 303, inclusive, 305, 306, 309 and 310 together. The costings sought by the Deputy are outlined in the format agreed with the Deputy’s office. The costs of higher or lower increases in the various rates of payment are proportionate to the costs shown for a given rate of increase. As also requested by the Deputy’s office, the costs do...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance Scheme Data (28 Jun 2016)

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. The Government has provided €38.8 million for this scheme in 2016. I recently announced that the 2016 BSCFA scheme is open for applications. In 2016, similar to arrangements in previous years, a large...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Treatment Benefit Scheme (28 Jun 2016)

Leo Varadkar: The dental and optical benefit schemes were restricted to a free annual dental exam and a free two yearly optical examination from January 2010. The potential cost of restoring the scheme in 2016 to its 2009 format (assuming the same level of customer applications as in 2009), would be as set out in the following table, allowing for the potential % increase in fees as suggested by the Deputy...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Household Benefits Scheme (28 Jun 2016)

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 €228 million this year on these elements of the household benefits...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Fuel Allowance Data (28 Jun 2016)

Leo Varadkar: The fuel allowance is a payment of €22.50 per week for 26 weeks from October to April, to 391,000 low income households, at an estimated cost of €224 million in 2016. The purpose of this payment is to assist these households with their energy costs. The allowance represents a contribution towards the energy costs of a household. It is not intended to meet those costs in full....

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Applications (28 Jun 2016)

Leo Varadkar: I confirm that my department received an application for carer’s allowance (CA) from the person concerned on 8 April 2016. Unfortunately, there are currently delays in the processing of new applications.Additional resources have been provided to the CA section in order to improve the waiting times for new applications and they are working hard to make this happen. Frequently, delays...

Questions on Proposed Legislation (29 Jun 2016)

Leo Varadkar: If the Deputy provides details of cases for my Department, we will pursue them.

Questions on Proposed Legislation (29 Jun 2016)

Leo Varadkar: If Deputy Micheál Martin is aware of someone who is breaking the law, he has a responsibility to pass on the information. I am not being a smart aleck.

Questions on Proposed Legislation (29 Jun 2016)

Leo Varadkar: My apologies.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Blind Person's Pension (29 Jun 2016)

Leo Varadkar: Blind Pension is a means-tested payment for blind people and certain people with low vision operated by my Department. Some €14 million has been allocated for the scheme this year, which has over 1,300 recipients. Budgets 2010 and 2011 reduced the weekly rate of payment for all working age schemes, including the Blind Pension. In this regard, the weekly personal rate for Blind...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: State Pensions (29 Jun 2016)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 124 and 125 together. State pensions account for the single largest block of social welfare expenditure. In 2016, €6.976 billion will be spent on pensions, which represents 35% of the Department's total current expenditure. While expenditure on pensions is increasing by approximately €1 billion every five years because of demographic...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Rent Supplement Scheme (29 Jun 2016)

Leo Varadkar: The provision of rent supplement in the Ballymun designated area of regeneration was identified by housing authorities as a risk to the tenure diversity objective of the project, aimed at achieving a balanced tenure mix through the provision of additional private market housing. In response to these concerns, Section 25 of the Social Welfare and Pensions Act 2007 provided that a payment of...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Appeals (29 Jun 2016)

Leo Varadkar: I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that an Appeals Officer, having fully considered all of the available evidence, has decided to allow the appeal of the person concerned by way of a summary decision. The person concerned has been notified of the Appeals Officer’s decision. The Social Welfare Appeals Office functions independently of the Minister for Social Protection...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Jobseeker's Allowance Applications (29 Jun 2016)

Leo Varadkar: The Jobseeker’s Allowance application for the person concerned has now been processed and payment approved from 17thFebruary 2016. The first payment will issue on 30thJune 2016. Any arrears due will be included in the first payment. I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.