Results 21,141-21,160 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Departmental Agencies Staff Data (13 Jul 2016)

Leo Varadkar: At present there are over 300 full-time equivalent personal advisers (excluding administrative and support staff) working with JobPath providers. This number will continue to increase as the caseload being managed by JobPath increases. Existing employers of case officers/personal advisors, including the Department itself and the Local Employment Service providers do not specify particular...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Jobseeker's Allowance (13 Jul 2016)

Leo Varadkar: Jobseeker clients in Swords were paid on Fridays for technical reasons. However the majority of Intreo Offices pay Jobseeker’s Allowance (JA) on Tuesday, and Jobseeker’s Benefit (JB) on Wednesday. The payment days for Jobseekers in Swords have been brought forward to Tuesday (JA) and Wednesday (JB) to bring them in line with other Intreo Offices. JA customers of Swords Intreo...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Applications (13 Jul 2016)

Leo Varadkar: I confirm that my department received an application for carer’s allowance (CA) from the person concerned on 31 March 2016. CA was awarded on 12 July 2016 with effect from 18 February 2016. The first payment will issue to her nominated post office on the 21 July 2016. Arrears of allowance due from the 18 February 2016 have also issued to the post office. The person concerned was...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Family Income Supplement Data (13 Jul 2016)

Leo Varadkar: The information that the Deputy has requested is currently not available in my Department. Given the complex nature of the request, my Department will provide the information directly to the Deputy in due course.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Jobseeker's Allowance (13 Jul 2016)

Leo Varadkar: The jobseeker's benefit and jobseeker’s allowance schemes provide income support for people who have lost work and are unable to find alternative full-time employment. The 2016 Estimates for the Department provide for expenditure this year on the jobseekers’ schemes of €2.8 billion. It is a fundamental qualifying condition of both schemes that a person must be fully...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Family Income Supplement (13 Jul 2016)

Leo Varadkar: The family income supplement (FIS) is an in-work support which provides an income top-up for employees on low earnings with children. FIS is designed to prevent in-work poverty for low paid workers with child dependants and to offer a financial incentive to take-up employment. There are over 56,000 families with more than 123,000 children in receipt of FIS, an increase of over 70 per cent...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Home-makers Scheme (13 Jul 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: Carer's Allowance Applications (13 Jul 2016)

Leo Varadkar: I confirm that my department received an application for carer’s allowance from the person concerned on 22 March 2016. Additional information in relation to the person’s application has been requested. Once the information is received the application will be processed without delay and the person concerned will be notified directly of the outcome. I hope this clarifies the...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Jobseeker's Allowance Applications (13 Jul 2016)

Leo Varadkar: The jobseeker’s allowance (JA) scheme provides income support for people who have lost work and are unable to find alternative full-time employment. A person must be capable of, available for, and genuinely seeking work. A person must also satisfy a mean test, which looks at all household sources of income including spouse’s, civil partner’s or cohabitant's income. The...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Offices (13 Jul 2016)

Leo Varadkar: Following clarification from your office, the “services” to which this Parliamentary Question relates to are “services provided by local Social Welfare branch offices”. Branch Managers are contracted to act as the agent of the Department of Social Protection in the geographic area served by the Branch Office and as determined by my Department. The main remit and...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Offices (13 Jul 2016)

Leo Varadkar: Following clarification from your office, the “services” to which this Parliamentary Question relates to are “services provided by local Social Welfare branch offices”. The Department’s network of Intreo centres is complemented by 60 Branch Offices at various locations across the country. Each Branch Office is operated and managed by a Branch Manager...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Departmental Contracts Data (13 Jul 2016)

Leo Varadkar: Following clarification from your office, the ‘services’ to which this Parliamentary Question relates to are ‘services provided by local Social Welfare branch offices’. Payments are made by the Department to individual Branch Managers. Details of gross payments are detailed by county in the tabular form. Locations detailed more than once indicate instances where...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Employers' Pay Related Social Insurance (13 Jul 2016)

Leo Varadkar: The Programme for Government commitment to which the Deputy refers, relates to cutting Employers’ PRSI for low-income workers to mitigate the cost of minimum wage increases, in order to protect jobs. Currently employers pay PRSI at the rate of 8.5% where weekly earnings are between €38 and €376. Once weekly earnings exceed €376, the rate of employer PRSI is...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: School Meals Programme (13 Jul 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. The objective of the scheme is to provide regular, nutritious food to children who are unable, due to lack of good quality food, to take full advantage of the education provided to them. In recent...

Seanad: Social Protection: Statements (12 Jul 2016)

Leo Varadkar: I am very pleased to have the opportunity to discuss my Department and priorities for the forthcoming budget and also, in particular, to hear Senators' views on what the budget package should contain. It is useful in the first instance to outline the scale of the Department's expenditure and its importance for very large sections of the Irish population. An allocation of €19.625...

Seanad: Social Protection: Statements (12 Jul 2016)

Leo Varadkar: I will try to cover as much as I can in the time that I have. Senator Horkan started by mentioning poverty and social exclusion. The way the Government and I see it is that poverty and social exclusion need to be tackled on three fronts. The first front is jobs. No welfare payment can compete with a well-paid job. That is why we need more well-paid jobs to get people from welfare into...

Seanad: Social Protection: Statements (12 Jul 2016)

Leo Varadkar: We might have a chat about it again. Finally, Senator Gallagher asked about the Intreo offices and the fact that there is none in Roscommon or Monaghan. I will look into that. I am not sure if there is any deliberate reason for that. Maybe there should be offices there. I will see if we can do something about that. The Senator's points on the one-parent family payment, OFP, and...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Jobseeker's Allowance (12 Jul 2016)

Leo Varadkar: Reduced rates for younger jobseeker’s allowance recipients were first introduced in 2009 and were further extended in subsequent budgets. Reduced rates of jobseeker’s allowance apply to jobseekers under 26 years of age. This is a targeted measure aimed at protecting young people from welfare dependency. To guard against the development of welfare dependency I believe that...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Back to Education Allowance (12 Jul 2016)

Leo Varadkar: The objective of the back to education allowance scheme (BTEA) is to assist those who are distant from the labour market to acquire the necessary education to improve their chances of becoming independent of the social welfare system. The BTEA, which is designed to support second chance education, enables eligible persons to pursue approved education courses and to continue to receive income...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Back to Education Allowance (12 Jul 2016)

Leo Varadkar: The objective of the back to education allowance scheme (BTEA) is to assist those who are distant from the labour market to acquire the necessary education to improve their chances of becoming independent of the social welfare system. The BTEA, which is designed to support second chance education, enables eligible persons to pursue approved education courses and to continue to receive income...