Results 21,321-21,340 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Disability Activation Projects (30 Jun 2016)

Leo Varadkar: I do not know how many times I have to say this before the Deputy might believe me but this programme does not exist yet. First, it has not even been designed yet. Second, it is not the programme that is in place in England. It is not about people who are in receipt of disability allowance or disability benefit. It is about people who have back pain who are ill and it is to make sure they...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Labour Activation Measures (30 Jun 2016)

Leo Varadkar: That may well be good advice but there are more places than Britain and this exists in European countries too.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Labour Activation Measures (30 Jun 2016)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 11, 14, 37 and 46 together. As the members of the House will be aware, I have already announced that I plan to replace JobBridge with a more targeted scheme later this year. I believe economic and labour market conditions have changed considerably for the better since the scheme was introduced in 2011 and that the time is now right for a much more...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Labour Activation Measures (30 Jun 2016)

Leo Varadkar: If the Deputy were organising a consultation, he would only consult with people he knows will agree with him. There is a wide range of people on the Labour Market Council including, for example, Breda O'Brien from the INOU, and people from ICTU. If someone is serious about a consultation, he or she does not just consult the people whom he or she believes are ideologically aligned with him...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Labour Activation Measures (30 Jun 2016)

Leo Varadkar: It is important to remember where JobBridge came from. It arose at a time when people with good qualifications could not get employment and employers could not afford to take people on. We are now in a different space. Employers can afford to take people on, and they should. They certainly should not rely on the State to meet their labour costs. It also arose at a time when there was an...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Anti-Poverty Strategy (30 Jun 2016)

Leo Varadkar: The national action plan for social inclusion 2007 to 2016, NAPinclusion, identifies a wide range of targeted actions and interventions to achieve the overall objective of reducing poverty. It was published in February 2007. The plan adopts a life cycle stage approach with goals set for each life cycle group: children, people of working age, older people, people with disabilities and...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Anti-Poverty Strategy (30 Jun 2016)

Leo Varadkar: The 8% rate of consistent poverty relates to 2014. I expect the 2015 rate will be lower and I will have that figure in November. I do not know what is the rate for 2016. Even in 2005 during a boom period, the rate was 7% but it has worsened in the past ten years, largely as a consequence of the great recession. The targets, which are to bring down the consistent poverty rate to 2% by...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Anti-Poverty Strategy (30 Jun 2016)

Leo Varadkar: I accept a cross-government approach is needed to this and, as I pointed out earlier - the Deputy agreed with me - it is not all about welfare payments and transfers. We compare well with other countries when it comes to welfare payments and transfers but where we are doing poorly is in the area of services. Many people on low income have to pay for services they would get free in other...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Disability Activation Projects (30 Jun 2016)

Leo Varadkar: I would not be too concerned about the order everything appears in the programme for Government. A great deal of drafting and redrafting was done. The recently agreed programme for a partnership Government provides for a range of actions that are designed to improve the quality of life for people with illness or disabilities. One of these actions is a proposal for the Departments of...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Farm Assist Scheme (30 Jun 2016)

Leo Varadkar: I accept the Deputy's point about the disincentive effect. People will not try to earn another €50 per week off farm or doing something else if the €50 will be deducted from their payments. However, the Deputy, as somebody who held my office in the past, will understand any change has knock-on effects on everything else and, when one has limited budgets, to fund changing the...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Farm Assist Scheme (30 Jun 2016)

Leo Varadkar: Others say it would not be the most effective action, and that the most effective action would be to increase the disregards for children. The consultation process will be about this.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Farm Assist Scheme (30 Jun 2016)

Leo Varadkar: With the permission of the Acting Chairman, I propose to take Questions Nos. 6, 9 and 19 together. The farm assist scheme provides income 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...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Farm Assist Scheme (30 Jun 2016)

Leo Varadkar: It is a genuine review and a programme for Government commitment and it has just commenced. I do not expect it to take too long because I would like to have options costed and ready for the budget discussions. Any change will, however, require primary legislation; therefore, it will be next year at the earliest before they come into force. I take Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív's...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Farm Assist Scheme (30 Jun 2016)

Leo Varadkar: I would welcome input from Natura and its views on the reforms. I am not familiar with the organisation, but I welcome its input. I am not sure I will be able to personally meet everyone but my officials certainly will. I would be very happy to attend the committee and hear the Deputy's views. Regarding the rural social scheme, in fairness to my predecessor, it is not fair to say she was...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Farm Assist Scheme (30 Jun 2016)

Leo Varadkar: Anything done to the rural social scheme, in terms of additional money received, would have to have regard to additional money received for a CE placement, for example. Farmers should be not be treated less favourably than people living in the cities, but I do not see why people in cities should be treated less favourably either. Any changes made to the rural social scheme would therefore...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Post Office Network (30 Jun 2016)

Leo Varadkar: I will have to come back to the Deputy on the order on the form because I am not sure we can change all forms. In principle, I have no difficulty with the post office being the first option and the bank or electronic transfer being the second, as long as the customer chooses. Ultimately, it is his or her choice. I will be very firm on this point and I am sure the Deputy will keep in touch...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: JobPath Implementation (30 Jun 2016)

Leo Varadkar: Participants in JobPath receive intensive individual support and attention over a period of up to 12 months to help them to tackle barriers to employment and find jobs. If they are successful in securing a job, the JobPath provider will continue to assist the client while in employment for a further period of up to 12 months. As part of JobPath, each person is assigned a personal adviser...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: JobPath Implementation (30 Jun 2016)

Leo Varadkar: The figure of €300 million is over a prolonged period of years, certainly not in one year. Of course, payment is by results and providers are only paid when people are in sustained employment for more than 13 weeks. There is a saving to the taxpayer in the reduced benefit payments. The approach is one of jobs first, which is absolutely right. It is evidence based. The view is that...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: JobPath Implementation (30 Jun 2016)

Leo Varadkar: It is early days; JobPath has only been in place for one year. Of course, we will have a full analysis which is under way to assess what the success rates are in getting people into employment-----

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: JobPath Implementation (30 Jun 2016)

Leo Varadkar: I suspect it will turn out to be very cost effective and good value for money because if it proves to be more effective than other schemes in getting people into employment, the savings for the taxpayer will be enormous because welfare payments will reduce and tax and PRSI income will increase. This will all be studied and produced when we have enough data to make this determination. I do...