Results 19,421-19,440 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Farm Assist Scheme Payments (16 Sep 2016)

Leo Varadkar: The farm assist scheme provides support for farmers on low incomes and is similar to jobseeker’s allowance. Farm assist recipients retain the advantages of the jobseeker’s allowance scheme such as the retention of secondary benefits and access to activation programmes. The 2016 Revised Estimates for my Department provide for expenditure of €85 million on the farm assist...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Bereavement Grant (16 Sep 2016)

Leo Varadkar: In recent Budgets the Department has protected primary social welfare rates. Abolishing the bereavement grant provided a significant annual saving. This allowed the Department to protect other social welfare payments such as the State pension. There are a range of supports available for people following bereavement which provide more significant support than the grant. These include a...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Back to Education Allowance Eligibility (16 Sep 2016)

Leo Varadkar: The Back to Education Allowance Scheme (BTEA) is designed to support second chance education. It enables eligible persons to pursue approved education courses and to continue to receive income support for the duration of a course of study, subject to meeting certain conditions. Access to BTEA at postgraduate level is limited. BTEA is only payable to persons who wish to pursue a...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (16 Sep 2016)

Leo Varadkar: Analysis in the Social Inclusion Monitor 2014 shows the crucial role that Ireland’s social protection system plays in alleviating poverty, cushioning people from the worst effects of unemployment and ensuring an adequate standard of living. Using Eurostat data for 2014, social transfers (excluding pensions) reduced the at-risk-of-poverty rate in Ireland from 37.2% to 15.6%, thereby...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Offices (16 Sep 2016)

Leo Varadkar: The person concerned had a recent meeting with a Departmental Case Officer in Letterkenny, where he was advised to contact the Educational Training Board (ETB) regarding appropriate daytime and evening classes. He was also advised in relation to opportunities available on the Jobsireland website and various other options including e-college. In August 2016, the person was then...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Youth Guarantee (16 Sep 2016)

Leo Varadkar: The Government’s primary strategy to tackle youth unemployment is to create the right environment for a strong economic recovery through effective policies. In doing so it is hoped to promote competitiveness and productivity. Under the European Commission’s call for proposals for preparatory actions under the 'Youth Guarantee', the Department of Social Protection obtained...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Homeless Persons Supports (16 Sep 2016)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 688 and 690 together. As the Deputy is aware from the response to an earlier parliamentary question, the New Communities Unit (NCU) of my Department offers assistance to families who are primarily non-Irish, homeless and generally without recourse to any weekly income. The main focus of this unit is to ensure that families with an entitlement receive an...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Emergency Accommodation Provision (16 Sep 2016)

Leo Varadkar: As the Deputy is aware from the response to an earlier parliamentary question, the New Communities Unit (NCU) of my Department offers assistance to families who are primarily non-Irish, homeless and generally without recourse to any weekly income. The main focus of this unit is to ensure that families who have an entitlement receive an income maintenance payment, under the terms of the...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Disability Allowance (16 Sep 2016)

Leo Varadkar: As outlined in response to Question No. 349 of 12 July 2016, social welfare legislation provides for the disregard of certain compensation awards when assessing the means of a person for social assistance schemes. This includes all income derived from compensation awarded by the Hepatitis C and HIV Compensation Tribunal, by the Residential Institutions Redress Board and in relation to...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Eligibility (16 Sep 2016)

Leo Varadkar: The new partnership Government is committed to supporting carers through an increase in carer’s benefit and allowance. Credited contributions, normally known as credits, are awarded to recipients of carer’s benefit and of carer’s allowance where they have an underlying entitlement to credits. Recipients of these payments qualify for credits where they have at least...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Live Register Data (16 Sep 2016)

Leo Varadkar: The key objective of current activation policy and labour market initiatives is to offer assistance to those in need of support in securing work and achieving financial self-sufficiency. This policy objective prioritises resources to those in receipt of qualifying welfare payments. Accordingly, the employment services and schemes provided by the Department are focused, in the first...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Departmental Expenditure (16 Sep 2016)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 696 to 698, inclusive, together. There are six credit cards administered by my Department. Five are held by officials and one is held by the Pensions Ombudsman. No credit cards have been issued to Ministers of my Department. Credit cards are only issued following approval by the Department’s Accounts Branch. The amount spent on credit cards and...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Paternity Leave Scheme (16 Sep 2016)

Leo Varadkar: The Paternity Leave and Benefit Act 2016 provides for 2 weeks paid paternity leave for children born or in the case of adoption from the date of placement on or after 1 September 2016. Eligible parents can avail of paid Paternity Leave at any time within the first 26 weeks following the birth or date of placement of the child. Paternity Benefit is available for employed and self-employed...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: One-Parent Family Payment Eligibility (16 Sep 2016)

Leo Varadkar: The entitlement to a one-parent family payment (OFP) in the case of the person concerned ceased with effect from 25 August 2016 due to age related budgetary changes. Upon cessation of this payment a review of her family income supplement (FIS) entitlement was undertaken, and her FIS payment increased to €125 a week with effect from 25 August 2016. The person concerned may also have an...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance Scheme (16 Sep 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 BSCFA is not intended to meet the full cost of school clothing and footwear but to provide assistance towards these costs. The Government has provided €38.8 million for the scheme in 2016. The...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Back to Education Allowance (16 Sep 2016)

Leo Varadkar: The Back to Education Allowance (BTEA) is designed to support second chance education. It enables social welfare customers in receipt of certain payments to pursue full-time education courses and to continue to receive income support in the form of an allowance. The BTEA is paid for the duration of the course of study, subject to the customer continuing to meet the conditions of the...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Child Benefit Eligibility (16 Sep 2016)

Leo Varadkar: Child Benefit is currently paid to around 624,000 families in respect of some 1.2 million children, with an estimated expenditure in the order of over €2 billion in 2016. Child Benefit is an important source of income for all families and in Budget 2016 the Government increased Child Benefit by €5 per month, at a cost of €72 million. Budget 2009 reduced the age for...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Insolvency Payments Scheme Payments (16 Sep 2016)

Leo Varadkar: Under the provisions of the Protection of Employees (Employers’ Insolvency) Act 1984, a company shall be regarded as being insolvent if the company is placed into receivership or a winding-up order has been made or a resolution for the voluntary liquidation of the company has been passed. The Act does not cover informal insolvency where employers cease trading without engaging in any...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Insolvency Payments Scheme Eligibility (16 Sep 2016)

Leo Varadkar: Under the provisions of the Protection of Employees (Employers’ Insolvency) Act 1984, an employer company shall be regarded as being insolvent if the company is placed into receivership or a winding-up order has been made or a resolution for the voluntary liquidation of the company has been passed. The Act does not cover informal insolvency where employers cease trading without...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Jobseeker's Allowance Payments (16 Sep 2016)

Leo Varadkar: As advised in the reply to the Deputy’s most recent questions in this matter (ref: 17871-16), the person concerned received their jobseeker's allowance payment on 21 June 2016, including any arrears that were due from the date of their claim. Child dependant allowances were not payable to the claimant for the period they were out of the family home as these payments had been...