Results 20,881-20,900 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

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

Leo Varadkar: The fuel allowance is a payment of €22.50 per week for 26 weeks from October to April, to 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. Only...

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

Leo Varadkar: The person concerned was in receipt of illness benefit from August 2007 to December 2015. My Department is carrying out a full review of the decision to disallow payment of illness benefit and the resulting overpayment as requested. Inquiries regarding the position to residency in this country of the person concerned should be addressed to the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service. ...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes Eligibility (16 Sep 2016)

Leo Varadkar: Cumulative lifetime participation on Community Employment (CE) by an individual is limited to: - 3 cumulative years (156 weeks) for persons under 55 years of age. - 6 cumulative years (312 weeks) for persons of 55 years of age up to state pension age (inclusive of any time spent on CE while aged under 55). - Eligible persons in receipt of a CE-qualifying disability-linked social welfare...

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

Leo Varadkar: Carer's Allowance (CA) is a social assistance payment, made to persons who are providing full-time care and attention to people who have a disability such that they require that level of care and who satisfy a means test. I confirm that my department received an application for carer’s allowance (CA) from the person concerned on 25 January 2016 in respect of two care recipients. A...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: National Postcode System Implementation (16 Sep 2016)

Leo Varadkar: My Department has implemented technical changes to its main ICT platform since July 2015 to enable the capture and implementation of Eircodes. All of the auto-coded unique addresses have already been incorporated onto the platform. Non-unique addresses are being updated manually during customer interactions with business areas. To date, 57% of the Department’s primary customer...

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

Leo Varadkar: Jobsireland.ie is a free online jobs site that enables employers to post job opportunities and jobseekers to search and apply for these opportunities online. At almost 20 years old, the original site was showing its age. For example, although it enabled jobseekers to search for job opportunities based on job type and location, it wasn’t possible for employers to search for suitable...

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

Leo Varadkar: Issues pertaining to Paternity Leave, including eligibility, are for my colleague the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy Frances Fitzgerald, to answer in the first instance. However, I can confirm that the Paternity Leave and Benefit Act 2016 makes provision for stillbirths and neonatal deaths. In these circumstances, as with Maternity Benefit, a humane and...

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

Leo Varadkar: I confirm that my department received an application for Carer’s Allowance (CA) from the person concerned on 9 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 (16 Sep 2016)

Leo Varadkar: An application for carer's allowance (CA) was received from the person concerned on 5 July 2016. The application was awarded to the person concerned on 12 September 2016 and the first payment will issue to their nominated bank account on 15 September 2016. Arrears of allowance due from 7 July 2016 to 14 September 2016 will also issue. The person concerned was notified on 12 September 2016...

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

Leo Varadkar: As part of the plan for the roll-out of Intreo Centres, the Lucan/Adamstown and Clondalkin areas were originally designated by the Department for the provision of Intreo services in Dublin Mid-West. The Office of Public Works explored options in both Lucan and Adamstown for an Intreo Centre for a period of time, but given the limited choice of suitably sized and located offices, this...

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

Leo Varadkar: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was referred to an Appeals Officer on 29 August 2016 who will make a summary decision on the appeal 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 Department and is...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Illness Benefit Applications (16 Sep 2016)

Leo Varadkar: In accordance with Social Welfare Regulations a claim to Illness Benefit should be made within six months of the commencement of the incapacity. If a claim is made outside this period it can only be considered for payment where the delay in claiming was due to either information received from my Department or the claimant being so incapacitated as to be unable to claim in time. The...

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

Leo Varadkar: An application for carer's allowance (CA) was received from the person concerned on 3 June 2016. 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 are engaged self-employment...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Personal Public Service Numbers (16 Sep 2016)

Leo Varadkar: The person concerned can obtain his Personal Public Service (PPS) Number by calling to the Department’s Local Office at Park Court, Beech Road, Killarney. Once his identity has been verified, he will be provided with his PPS Number. I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy. Please do contact my Parliamentary Adviser in my office if you require further assistance with this query.

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

Leo Varadkar: My department makes electronic payments through its banking services provider and the Single European Payment Area (SEPA) system. The department can make payments to any SEPA reachable account within the European Economic Area. SEPA accounts must have an International Bank Account Number (IBAN) and be directly or indirectly linked to the SEPA system. Currently 185 Credit Unions are able to...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Appointments to State Boards (16 Sep 2016)

Leo Varadkar: The statutory bodies operating under the aegis of my Department are the Citizens Information Board, the Pensions Authority, the Pensions Council, the Pensions Ombudsman (which does not have a Board) and the Social Welfare Tribunal. Appointments to the boards of these bodies are made in accordance with the Guidelines on Appointments to State Boards, published in November 2014. The information...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance Scheme Data (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 costs of school clothing and footwear when children start school each autumn. The Government has provided €38.8 million for the scheme in 2016. Similar to arrangements in previous years, the majority of BSCFA payments to just over 108,000 families...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments Waiting Times (16 Sep 2016)

Leo Varadkar: The information requested (where available) by the deputy is detailed in the following table: Social Welfare claims by average waiting times 31 August 2016 Scheme Average Waiting Time (weeks) Jobseeker's Benefit 1 Jobseeker's Allowance 2 One-Parent Family Payment 5 State Pension Contributory (Dom) 8 Widow’s, Widower's or Surviving Civil Partner’s Contributory...

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

Leo Varadkar: The State pension (contributory) SPC is a very valuable benefit and is the bedrock of the Irish pension system. Therefore, it is important to ensure that those qualifying have made a sustained contribution to the Social Insurance Fund over their working lives. To ensure that the individual can maximise their entitlement to a State pension, all contributions paid or credited over their...

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

Leo Varadkar: The report to which the Deputy refers was commissioned at the request of my Department through the Irish Research Council (IRC) in 2014. The theme, suggested by my Department, was; how best to engage and support lone parents from an activation perspective. Following the IRC tender process a proposal put forward by Dr Michelle Millar of NUI Galway was chosen by the IRC. The topic of Dr....