Results 19,841-19,860 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Household Benefits Scheme (18 Oct 2016)

Leo Varadkar: The overall concern in recent years has been to protect the weekly social welfare rates. Expenditure on pensions at approx. €6.976 billion is the largest block of expenditure in the Department in the Estimate for 2016, representing approximately 35% of overall expenditure. Due to demographic changes, my Department’s spending on older people is increasing year on year....

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Departmental Legal Services (18 Oct 2016)

Leo Varadkar: With appeals involving Scope decisions, the parties to the appeal are the employer, employee or self-employee. My Department outlines the decision made by its deciding officers and the basis for the decision, after which the parties to the appeal present evidence to the Appeals Officer who makes the final decision. Legal advice is available to Scope decision makers from the...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals (18 Oct 2016)

Leo Varadkar: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 28 July 2016. It is a statutory requirement of the appeals process that the relevant Departmental papers and comments by the Deciding Officer on the grounds of appeal be sought. When these papers have been received from the Department, the case in question will be...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Appeals (18 Oct 2016)

Leo Varadkar: Carer’s allowance (CA) was in payment to the person concerned up to 3 August 2016 in respect of two care recipients. CA is a means tested social assistance payment, made to persons who are providing full-time care and attention to a person who has a disability such that they require that level of care. A person can be considered to be providing full-time care and attention where they...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Respite Care Grant (18 Oct 2016)

Leo Varadkar: While the primary responsibility for providing respite care lies with the Department of Health and the Health Service Executive, my Department continues to empower and support carers in their caring role through its payment of the Carer’s Support Grant (CSG) formerly known as the Respite Care Grant (RCG). This grant has not ceased or been curtailed in any way. The grant is paid...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Jobseeker's Allowance Payments (18 Oct 2016)

Leo Varadkar: As advised in the reply to the Deputy’s most recent questions in this matter (Ref: 17871-16 & 25020-16), the person concerned received their jobseeker's allowance payment on the 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...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Pension Provisions (18 Oct 2016)

Leo Varadkar: The Social Welfare and Pensions Act 2011 provided that State pension age will be increased gradually to 68 years. This began in January 2014 with the abolition of the State pension (transition) available from 65 for those who satisfied the qualifying conditions, thereby standardising State pension age for all at 66 years, which is the current State pension age. This will increase to 67 in...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Appeals (18 Oct 2016)

Leo Varadkar: I confirm that my department received an application for carer’s allowance (CA) from the person concerned on 4 September 2015. CA is a means-tested social assistance payment, made to persons who are providing full-time care and attention to a person who has a disability such that they require that level of care. A person can be considered to be providing full-time care and attention...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Applications (18 Oct 2016)

Leo Varadkar: An application for carer's allowance (CA) was received from the person concerned on 5 August 2016. The application was awarded to the person concerned on 14 October 2016 and the first payment will issue to their nominated post office on 20 October 2016. Arrears of allowance due from 30 June 2016 to 19 October 2016 have also issued. The person concerned was notified on 14 October 2016 of...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Child Benefit Eligibility (18 Oct 2016)

Leo Varadkar: Child Benefit is currently paid to around 619,000 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: Personal Micro Credit Scheme (18 Oct 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 during the pilot with an...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Appeals (18 Oct 2016)

Leo Varadkar: I confirm that my department received an application for Carer’s Allowance (CA) from the person concerned on 2 February 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...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Applications (18 Oct 2016)

Leo Varadkar: I confirm that my department received an application for carer’s allowance (CA) from the person concerned on 1 September 2016. As carers allowance is subject to a medical, means and other criteria it takes some time to process these applications. This application will be processed as quickly as possible and the person concerned will be notified directly of the outcome. In the...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Supplementary Welfare Allowance Applications (18 Oct 2016)

Leo Varadkar: According to the records of this department, no recent application for a supplementary welfare payment with regard to the above issue has been received from the person concerned. To facilitate this process an application form has been posted to the person concerned and includes the contact details for their local Community Welfare Service. I hope this clarifies the matter for the deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: JobPath Implementation (18 Oct 2016)

Leo Varadkar: JobPath is an employment activation service that supports people who are long-term unemployed and those most at risk of becoming long-term unemployed to secure and sustain paid employment. Participants on JobPath receive intensive individual support to help them tackle barriers to employment and to assist them in finding jobs. Each person is assigned to a personal adviser who assesses a...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Family Income Supplement Payments (18 Oct 2016)

Leo Varadkar: In order to be entitled to family income supplement (FIS) a person (inter-alia) must be working as an employee for at least 19 hours per week/38 hours per fortnight. The person concerned applied to renew their FIS claim in March 2016. At that time a deciding officer became aware that the person concerned was absent from the State and his employment between 15th October 2015 to 15th November...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Exceptional Needs Payment Applications (18 Oct 2016)

Leo Varadkar: An application for financial assistance in respect of funeral expenses was received and a payment of €2000 was issued on 3rd October 2016. A review of this application was subsequently undertaken and following this review a further cheque payment of €500 issued on the 13thOctober 2016. I trust this clarifies the matter for the deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals Status (18 Oct 2016)

Leo Varadkar: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 14 October 2016. It is a statutory requirement of the appeals process that the relevant Departmental papers and comments by the Deciding Officer on the grounds of appeal be sought. When these papers have been received from the Department, the case in question will be...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: National Internship Scheme Administration (18 Oct 2016)

Leo Varadkar: As part of Budget 2017, I announced an increase of €5 in all maximum weekly payments for jobseekers, lone parents and people with disabilities, with proportionate increases for people in receipt of reduced rate payments. These increases will also be paid to JobBridge participants. The increases will be payable from March 2017. I have already stated that I plan to replace...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: State Pension (Contributory) Data (19 Oct 2016)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 83 and 84 together. The overall concern in recent years has been to protect the value of weekly social welfare rates. Expenditure on pensions, at approximately €7 billion, is the largest block of expenditure in my Department in the Estimate for 2016, representing approximately 35% of overall expenditure. Due to demographic changes, my...