Results 19,521-19,540 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Farm Assist Scheme Administration (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: State Pension (Contributory) Eligibility (16 Sep 2016)

Leo Varadkar: State pension (contributory) is based on the PRSI contributions paid or credited by the person over their working life, and the level of entitlement depends on their yearly average number of contributions. The homemaker’s scheme was introduced in 1994 to make qualification for State pension contributory (SPC) easier for those who take time out of the workforce for caring duties....

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

Leo Varadkar: The jobseeker’s transitional payment (JST) is available to lone parents (both former one-parent family payment recipients and new lone parents), who have a youngest child aged 7 to 13 years inclusive. JST provides a more generous means test than Jobseeker’s Allowance, allows recipients to work any pattern thereby reducing their requirement for childcare, provides one to one...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Personal Micro Credit Scheme (16 Sep 2016)

Leo Varadkar: A Personal Micro Credit Scheme providing for small scale loans by Credit Unions to borrowers who have difficulty accessing low cost credit has been piloted in 30 credit unions. The loans under the scheme range from €100 to a maximum of €2,000, and have a maximum interest rate of 12% per annum. Over 1,200 loans have been drawn down under the Scheme to date with an overall value...

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

Leo Varadkar: The Social Welfare Appeals Office received an appeal against the decision on 15/09/2016. The person concerned will be notified of the decision in due course. I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Farm Assist Scheme Administration (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: State Pension (Contributory) Eligibility (16 Sep 2016)

Leo Varadkar: State pension (contributory) is based on the PRSI contributions paid or credited by the person over their working life, and the level of entitlement depends on their yearly average number of contributions. The homemaker’s scheme was introduced in 1994 to make qualification for State pension contributory (SPC) easier for those who take time out of the workforce for caring duties....

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

Leo Varadkar: The jobseeker’s transitional payment (JST) is available to lone parents (both former one-parent family payment recipients and new lone parents), who have a youngest child aged 7 to 13 years inclusive. JST provides a more generous means test than Jobseeker’s Allowance, allows recipients to work any pattern thereby reducing their requirement for childcare, provides one to one...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Personal Micro Credit Scheme (16 Sep 2016)

Leo Varadkar: A Personal Micro Credit Scheme providing for small scale loans by Credit Unions to borrowers who have difficulty accessing low cost credit has been piloted in 30 credit unions. The loans under the scheme range from €100 to a maximum of €2,000, and have a maximum interest rate of 12% per annum. Over 1,200 loans have been drawn down under the Scheme to date with an overall value...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Irish Sign Language (27 Sep 2016)

Leo Varadkar: The Sign Language Interpreting Service (SLIS), which is funded by Citizens Information Board (CIB), is the national agency for the provision of sign language interpreting services across Ireland. SLIS seeks to ensure that quality interpretation services are available to deaf people throughout Ireland so that they can access public and social services. It provides a referral service, on...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Civil Registration Documentation (27 Sep 2016)

Leo Varadkar: Digital registration of births, deaths and marriage records has been in use since late 2003. This, along with the enactment of the Civil Registration Act 2004, modernised the Civil Registration Service. The details to be recorded in the Registers of Births and Deaths are laid out in the First Schedule of the 2004 Act. Details to be recorded in the Register of Marriages are laid out in...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Insurance Yield (27 Sep 2016)

Leo Varadkar: In general, employers of class A employees pay PRSI at the rate of 10.75%, or at the rate of 8.5% where the employee’s weekly earnings are €376 or less. It is presumed that Deputy is referring to a 2% increase in both rates of class A employer PRSI, as well as increases of 4 % and 6% in these class A employer PRSI rates. On this basis, the information requested by the Deputy is...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Insurance Yield (27 Sep 2016)

Leo Varadkar: In general, employers of class A employees pay PRSI at the rate of 10.75%, or at the rate of 8.5% where the employee’s weekly earnings are €376 or less. A 3% increase in the 10.75% rate of class A employer PRSI to 13.75%, for earnings in excess of €100,000, would yield the following:- New Employer Rate of 13.75% for Earnings over €100,000 Full Year Yield...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Insurance Yield (27 Sep 2016)

Leo Varadkar: In general, employers of class A employees pay PRSI at the rate of 10.75%, or at the rate of 8.5% where the employee’s weekly earnings are €376 or less. An increase in the 10.75% rate of class A employer PRSI to 19.75%, for earnings in excess of €100,000, would yield the following:- New Employer Rate for Earnings over €100,000 Full Year Yield Employments Affected...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Back to Education Allowance (27 Sep 2016)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 368 and 375 together. The Back to Education Allowance (BTEA) is an educational opportunities scheme for persons in receipt of certain qualifying social welfare payments wishing to pursue second or third level courses of education in order to improve their employment prospects. It is primarily designed to support second chance education. Entitlement to...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Payments (27 Sep 2016)

Leo Varadkar: Carer’s allowance was awarded to the person concerned on 18 July 2016 and the first payment issued to her nominated bank account on 21 July 2016. Arrears of allowance due from 19 May 2016 to 20 July 2016 have also issued. The person concerned was notified of these details on 18 July 2016. Carer’s allowance is not a qualifying payment for the Fuel Allowance. However, the Fuel...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Applications (27 Sep 2016)

Leo Varadkar: An application for carer's allowance (CA) was received from the person concerned on 19 November 2015. 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 the day in connection with...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Bereavement Grant (27 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: Family Income Supplement Payments (27 Sep 2016)

Leo Varadkar: The person concerned was first awarded Family Income Supplement (FIS) on the 2ndOctober 2014 and they have been in receipt of a weekly FIS payment since that date. Each year customers must forward a completed renewal application form and in this case, the person concerned was issued a renewal form on the 20thJuly 2016 but to date, this form has not been returned. When the completed...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Applications (27 Sep 2016)

Leo Varadkar: I confirm that my department received an application for carer’s allowance (CA) from the person concerned on 19 July 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...