Results 19,901-19,920 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Fuel Allowance Eligibility (20 Oct 2016)

Leo Varadkar: The person concerned has been on a Community Employment (CE) scheme since 2012. She was not in receipt of Fuel Allowance while on her Jobseeker’s payment prior to going on CE. The client concerned recently applied for a Fuel Allowance for the 2016/2017 fuel season. In accordance with the operational guidelines for the CE scheme, a client not in receipt of a Fuel Allowance prior...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Applications (20 Oct 2016)

Leo Varadkar: My department informs me that it has been unable to determine whether there is an application from the person concerned as the PPS Number provided does not correspond with the name provided and there are no other details supplied to allow the correct number to be traced. If your office contacts my department with the correct PPS Number and/or address details, I will be happy to give you an...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Applications (20 Oct 2016)

Leo Varadkar: An application for carer's allowance (CA) was received from the person concerned on 5 October 2016. The application was awarded to the person concerned on 17 October 2016 and the first payment will issue to her nominated post office on 20 October 2016. Arrears for the period 6 October 2016 to 19 October 2016 have also issued. The person concerned was notified on 17 October 2016 of this...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Appeals (20 Oct 2016)

Leo Varadkar: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that the appeals by the person concerned were referred to an Appeals Officer on 3rd August 2016, who will make a summary decision on the appeals 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...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: School Meals Programme (20 Oct 2016)

Leo Varadkar: The school meals programme provides funding towards the provision of food services to schools and organisations benefitting over 200,000 children at a total cost of €42 million in 2016. Budget 2017 announced an additional €5.7 million for school meals, increasing funding to €47.7 million which will benefit over 50,000 children. The objective of the scheme is to...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Rent Supplement Scheme Administration (20 Oct 2016)

Leo Varadkar: The rent supplement scheme is supporting some 50,700 tenants at a cost of €267 million this year. Rent supplement is normally calculated to ensure that a person, after the payment of rent, has an income equal to the rate of supplementary welfare allowance (SWA) appropriate to their family circumstances less a minimum contribution. This minimum contribution is established as...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: State Pension (Contributory) (20 Oct 2016)

Leo Varadkar: The State pension (contributory) is one of the State pension schemes, and its rate of payment is related to contributions made over years into the Social Insurance Fund. As such, those with a stronger attachment to the workforce, who have paid more into that fund, are more likely to be paid under that scheme. There are a number of criteria which must be satisfied in order to qualify for a...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Applications (20 Oct 2016)

Leo Varadkar: The application for carer’s allowance was awarded to the person concerned on 18 October 2016 and the first payment will issue to her nominated bank account on 10 November 2016. Arrears of allowance due from 3 November 2015 to 9 November 2016 will issue shortly. The person concerned was notified on 18 October 2016 of this decision, the reason for it and of her right of review and...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Jobseeker's Allowance Payments (20 Oct 2016)

Leo Varadkar: According to the records of the Department, the person concerned has not as yet submitted an application for a separate payment in respect of her spouse’s jobseeker’s allowance claim. She has been contacted today and requested to call to her local office in order to deal with this request as a matter of urgency. A separate payment will be processed on receipt of a written...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Jobseeker's Allowance (20 Oct 2016)

Leo Varadkar: According to the records of this Department no recent application for a jobseekers benefit or jobseekers allowance payment has been made by the person concerned. It is open to the person concerned to call to their local Department of Social Protection Branch Office to make an application for a jobseekers payment. I hope this clarifies the matter for the deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Applications (20 Oct 2016)

Leo Varadkar: My department informs me that there is no record of an application for carer’s allowance from the person concerned. Accordingly, I have arranged for an application form (CR1) to issue, which the person concerned should complete and return as soon as possible, in order that her entitlement to CA can be determined. If she has already submitted an application in the past few days, there...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits Data (20 Oct 2016)

Leo Varadkar: Community Employment (CE) and Tús are labour market activation programmes which help long-term unemployed people (those 12-months or more in receipt of a jobseeker’s payment) and other disadvantaged groups to re-enter the active workforce by breaking their experience of unemployment through a return to work routine. They are designed to be a temporary fixed-term activation...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Public Relations Contracts Data (20 Oct 2016)

Leo Varadkar: My Department has not applied for permission to engage outside public relations companies for the purposes of disseminating government policy. I trust that this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Jobseeker's Allowance Payments (25 Oct 2016)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 291 and 305 together. On Budget Day, I announced the first general increase in the weekly rates of payment since 2009. A €5 increase in the weekly rates of payment for all social welfare payments will commence from March, with proportionate increases for qualified adults and those on reduced rates of payment (including jobseekers on age-related...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Personal Micro Credit Scheme (25 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 were drawn down under the Scheme during the pilot with an overall...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Pensions Data (25 Oct 2016)

Leo Varadkar: Expenditure on the State Pension Contributory and Non-Contributory over the past ten years, including the 2016 provision in the Revised Estimates, is provided in tabular form below. Year State Pension (Contributory) Expenditure - €m State Pension (Non Contributory) Expenditure - €m 2007 2,754.7 920.2 2008 3,117.9 972.8 2009 3,367.7 1,000.5 2010 3,451.5 977.3 2011 3,622.7...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits Applications (25 Oct 2016)

Leo Varadkar: The Deputy has confirmed that this question relates to jobseeker's applications. Where a person makes a claim for a jobseeker's payment, they must satisfy the deciding officer as to their identity. Holders of a Public Services Card (PSC) do not need to produce any further documentation in relation to identity. Where an applicant does not yet hold a PSC, they can be asked to produce other...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: State Pension (Contributory) Applications (25 Oct 2016)

Leo Varadkar: An application for state pension contributory (SPC) was received from the person concerned on 10 May 2016. The application was registered and an acknowledgement automatically issued by SMS text message on 12 May 2016. SMS text messages are now used as standard for application acknowledgements where the applicant provides a mobile telephone number. The applicant concerned highlighted a...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Exceptional Needs Payment Data (25 Oct 2016)

Leo Varadkar: Under the supplementary welfare allowance (SWA) scheme, my Department may make a single exceptional needs payment (ENP) to help meet essential, once-off and unforeseen expenditure which a person could not reasonably be expected to meet out of their weekly income. The Government has provided €30.3 million for the ENP scheme in 2016. ENP payments are made at the discretion of the...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Rent Supplement Scheme Applications (25 Oct 2016)

Leo Varadkar: The outstanding documentation requested from the client concerned on 3rdDecember 2015 has not yet been received by the Department. As a result the application was subsequently closed on 21 December 2015. If the client wishes to make a new Rent Supplement Application, they can do so but should provide the bank statements and the information requested with their application. I trust that...