Results 21,041-21,060 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Supplementary Welfare Allowance Payments (20 Jul 2016)

Leo Varadkar: The person concerned was formerly in receipt of a rent allowance of €500 per calendar month in respect of a property in Artane, Dublin 5. This amount was in excess of the specified limit for a single man in his circumstances but the increased amount was approved under the terms of Article 38. Unfortunately this property went on fire and he re-housed in Clontarf, Dublin 3. The...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals Status (20 Jul 2016)

Leo Varadkar: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 11 January 2016. It is a statutory requirement of the appeals process that the relevant Departmental papers and comments by or on behalf of the Deciding Officer on the grounds of appeal be sought. These papers were received in the Social Welfare Appeals Office on 10 May...

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

Leo Varadkar: Carer's Allowance (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. An application for carer's allowance (CA) was received from the person concerned on 19 February 2016. The matter was referred to a local social welfare inspector (SWI) to assess the level...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Public Services Card (20 Jul 2016)

Leo Varadkar: The Public Services Card (PSC) is designed to replace other cards within the public service such as the social services card and free travel pass and to make it easy for providers of public services to verify the identity of customers. Since March of this year, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade requires all passport applicants who are resident in Ireland, have never held a passport...

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

Leo Varadkar: I confirm that the department received an application for carer’s allowance (CA) from the person concerned on 4 May 2016. Unfortunately, there are currently delays in the processing of new application. 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...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Illness Benefit Appeals (20 Jul 2016)

Leo Varadkar: Payment of illness benefit to the person concerned was disallowed by a Deciding Officer following an examination by a Medical Assessor of the Department who expressed the opinion that she was capable of work. An appeal was registered on 4 July 2016 and the Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that, in accordance with statutory requirements, the Department was asked for the...

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

Leo Varadkar: Carer's Allowance (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. The Department periodically reviews claims in payment to ensure that there is continued entitlement and a recipient on a reduced rate may request a review if s/he believes they are...

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

Leo Varadkar: An application for carer's allowance (CA) was received from the person concerned on 4 May 2016. The application was awarded to the person concerned on 4 July 2016 and the first payment issued to their nominated post office on 7 July 2016. Arrears of allowance due from 5 May 2016 to 6 July 2016 have also issued. The person concerned was notified on 4 July 2016 of this decision. I hope this...

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

Leo Varadkar: I confirm that the department received an application for carer’s allowance from the person in question on the 23 March 2016. Further information, necessary to decide the application but omitted from the original application, was sought from the person concerned on 30 June 2016. Once this information is received, the application will be further processed and the person concerned will...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Departmental Titles (20 Jul 2016)

Leo Varadkar: The name of my Department remained unchanged on the formation of the new Government on 6 May 2016. There are no plans, at this time, to change the name of the Department.

Seanad: Tax and Social Welfare Codes: Motion (19 Jul 2016)

Leo Varadkar: I thank Senator Butler, in particular, but I also thank all Senators for providing this opportunity to discuss the treatment of self-employed citizens under social insurance and income tax systems. I am encouraged by the fact that so many Senators turned up on a very sunny evening to speak on this very important issue. This is an issue with which I have been actively engaged since assuming...

Seanad: Tax and Social Welfare Codes: Motion (19 Jul 2016)

Leo Varadkar: How many only received small or nominal payments, as Senators Kieran O'Donnell and Colm Burke mentioned? A self-employed person with a working spouse on a modest income may not meet the means test and, therefore, receive no benefit for any period, whereas an employee on becoming unemployed would have access to non-means-tested jobseeker's benefit for nine months. That seems unfair. The...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Schemes (19 Jul 2016)

Leo Varadkar: As you may be aware, I recently announced that I plan to replace JobBridge later this year. I believe that economic and labour market conditions have changed for the better since the scheme was introduced in 2011 and that a new scheme should reflect that. JobBridge has been successful in meeting its objectives over the past five years. It has helped over 21,000, mainly small, employers...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Money Advice and Budgeting Service (19 Jul 2016)

Leo Varadkar: The Money Advice and Budgeting Service (MABS), under the aegis of the Citizens Information Board, assists people who are over-indebted and need help and advice in coping with debt problems, in particular those on low incomes or living on social welfare payments. A Dedicated Mortgage Arrears MABS (DMA MABS) service has been established within individual local MABS companies. This service is...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (19 Jul 2016)

Leo Varadkar: My Department is committed to ensuring that claims are processed as expeditiously as possible and to providing a quality service to all claimants. Processing times can vary across schemes depending on the differing qualification criteria. The disability and illness related schemes require a high level of medical evidence which must be assessed by the Medical Assessors and this, together with...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Applications (19 Jul 2016)

Leo Varadkar: I confirm that my department received an application for carer’s allowance (CA) from the person concerned on 22 April 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...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Departmental Reviews (19 Jul 2016)

Leo Varadkar: An interdepartmental working group, comprising officials from the Department of Social Protection, Department of Finance and the Revenue Commissioners, has been examining the issue of disguised self-employment. The classification of a worker for PRSI purposes is relevant to their liability to PRSI and the appropriate rate of payment. In turn, this also determines their entitlement to a...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes Funding (19 Jul 2016)

Leo Varadkar: Community Employment (CE) is an active labour market programme designed to provide eligible long-term unemployed people and other disadvantaged with an opportunity to engage in part-time work and training within their communities on a temporary, fixed-term basis. The CE budget allocation for 2016 is €376.5m and it allows for 23,752 participants and 1,375 supervisory staff. Details of...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Departmental Staff Retirements (19 Jul 2016)

Leo Varadkar: Details of CE Supervisors and Assistant Supervisors due to reach 66 years of age during the remainder of 2016 are set out as follows: Region Supervisor Assistant Supervisor Grand Total Cork Central 2 2 Dublin Central 1 1 Dublin South 1 1 Mid-Leinster 4 4 Midlands North 4 1 5 Midlands South 2 2 Mid-West 1 1 North East 1 1 3 North West 2 2 South East 1 1 South West 2 2...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Mortgage Interest Supplement Scheme Appeals (19 Jul 2016)

Leo Varadkar: The original purpose of the mortgage interest supplement (MIS) scheme was to provide short term support to eligible people who were unable to meet their mortgage interest repayments in respect of a house which is their sole place of residence. The scheme, which assists with the interest portion of the mortgage repayments only, was discontinued for new applicants from 1 January 2014, with...