Results 21,181-21,200 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: National Advocacy Service (12 Jul 2016)

Leo Varadkar: The National Advocacy Service for People with Disabilities (NAS) provides a free, independent, confidential, issues-based representative advocacy service that works exclusively for the person using the service and adheres to the highest professional standards. The service has a particular remit for people who are isolated from their community and services, have communication differences, are...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Offices (12 Jul 2016)

Leo Varadkar: All Intreo Centres are accessible to persons with disabilities and are in compliance with the requirements of the Disability Act 2005. The Office of Public Works is charged with ensuring that all Intreo Centres comply with building regulations and disability legislation. Over the past 4 years the OPW refurbished and remodelled 60 Social Welfare Local Offices into Intreo Centres and/or...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Disability Allowance Eligibility (12 Jul 2016)

Leo Varadkar: The Department operates a range of means tested social assistance payments. Social welfare legislation provides that the means test takes account of the income and assets of the person (and spouse/partner, if applicable) applying for the relevant scheme. Income and assets include income from employment, self-employment, occupational pensions, maintenance payments as well as property owned...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Insurance (12 Jul 2016)

Leo Varadkar: Self-employed farmers, as with other self-employed individuals, became liable for PRSI with effect from 6 April 1988. Prior to this, self-employed individuals, including self-employed farmers, were not liable to pay PRSI and, therefore, were not covered for social insurance based benefits and pensions. Self-employed farmers currently pay PRSI at the class S rate of 4% and are covered...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Partial Capacity Benefit Scheme Appeals (12 Jul 2016)

Leo Varadkar: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned has been registered in that office. 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 referred to an...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Farm Assist Scheme (12 Jul 2016)

Leo Varadkar: The farm assist scheme provides support for farmers on low incomes and is similar to jobseeker’s allowance. Farm assist recipients retain the advantages of the jobseeker’s allowance scheme such as the retention of secondary benefits and access to activation programmes. The 2016 Revised Estimates for my Department provide for expenditure of €85 million on the farm assist...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Farm Assist Scheme Data (12 Jul 2016)

Leo Varadkar: The information requested by the Deputy in respect of recipients of Farm Assist in each county is detailed in the following table. The breakdown of the monies paid to recipients is not collated on a county basis by my Department. I am however informed that the total expenditure on Farm Assist in each of the years 2012 to 2015 was approximately €108.2m, €99.2m, €93.6m and...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: School Meals Programme (12 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...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes Data (12 Jul 2016)

Leo Varadkar: The Borris St. Mullins Community Employment scheme is approved for 25 participants. There is a turnover in participants each year. The availability of course and training options for Community Employment (CE) participants is contingent on the local availability of suitably qualified trainers and suitable facilities to ensure the provision of quality assured training. Participants on the...

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

Leo Varadkar: It is important to acknowledge that carers play a key role in our society. The importance of their contribution is reflected in the range of significant supports provided by my Department to support carers in their caring role and ameliorate the financial burden of caring – indeed it is worth pointing out that the income supports that carers receive from my Department are among the...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: State Pension (Contributory) (12 Jul 2016)

Leo Varadkar: There are a number of criteria which must be satisfied in order to qualify for a State pension contributory, whether at full or reduced level. These include that the person must be aged 66 or over and have at least 520 paid contributions, i.e., a minimum of 10 years. Such PRSI contributions are paid by workers and their employers into the Social Insurance Fund, which funds the State pension...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Household Benefits Scheme (12 Jul 2016)

Leo Varadkar: The household benefits package (HHB) comprises the electricity or gas allowance, and the free television licence. The package is generally available to people living in the State, aged 66 years or over who are in receipt of a social welfare type payment or who satisfy a means test. The package is also available to carers and people with disabilities under the age of 66 who are in receipt of...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Household Benefits Scheme (12 Jul 2016)

Leo Varadkar: The overall concern in recent years has been to protect the primary 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: Carer's Allowance Applications (12 Jul 2016)

Leo Varadkar: I confirm that my department received an application for carer’s allowance (CA) from the person concerned on 14 April 2016. It is a condition for receipt of CA that where the care recipient is aged less than 16 years, domiciliary care allowance (DCA) must be in payment in respect of them. An application for DCA in respect of the care recipient is still under consideration by my...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals Status (12 Jul 2016)

Leo Varadkar: I confirm that my department was notified by the Social Welfare Appeals Office on the 4 July 2016 that the appeal for the person in question was upheld and that he is deemed to be medically suitable for the scheme. His file has been passed to a deciding officer to implement the appeals officer’s decision and the person concerned will be notified in writing once full details of his...

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

Leo Varadkar: All jobseekers are required to engage with the department’s activation service and this obligation applies irrespective of whether the service is provided by the department’s own case officers or those employed by the Local Employment Service or by JobPath. Participants on JobPath receive intensive individual support to help them address barriers to employment and to assist...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Labour Activation Projects (12 Jul 2016)

Leo Varadkar: Information relating to a claimant’s address is not currently coded to the geographical location of the address. As such it is not possible to accurately report persons on labour activation or employment support schemes living in a particular area, below county level, at present.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Labour Activation Projects (12 Jul 2016)

Leo Varadkar: The following table details the number of recipients of labour activation and employment support payments in County Cork by scheme and year for the Deputy’s information. Recipients of an Activation or Employment Support Scheme Payment in Co Cork at the end of December 2013, 2014 and 2015 and at 31 May 2016 Year 2013 2014 2015 31 May 2016 Community Employment 2,198 2,190 2,090...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Legal Costs (12 Jul 2016)

Leo Varadkar: The information sought is being compiled by my Department and will be forwarded directly to the Deputy at the earliest opportunity.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes Eligibility (12 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 pattern of participation on CE is dependent on the individual circumstance of each person and the length of time s-he has...