Results 21,901-21,920 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Other Questions: Jobseeker's Allowance (25 May 2016)

Leo Varadkar: I would prefer it if they got employment here.

Other Questions: One-Parent Family Payment (25 May 2016)

Leo Varadkar: I repeat that the report, the draft of which I have not seen, is not supposed to be an impact assessment. That is not what was commissioned and that is not its title. The report will be published in due course. One of the best aspects of the Department of Social Protection is that we have so many statistics in this area and there has been so much academic study in these areas, albeit, in...

Other Questions: One-Parent Family Payment (25 May 2016)

Leo Varadkar: -----a totally different answer. If the Deputy wants to talk about statistics, the most recent we have are from the Survey of Income Living Conditions, SILC.

Other Questions: One-Parent Family Payment (25 May 2016)

Leo Varadkar: I would like to answer these questions, but you know how it is.

Other Questions: One-Parent Family Payment (25 May 2016)

Leo Varadkar: I know.

Other Questions: Social Welfare Benefits (25 May 2016)

Leo Varadkar: My Department’s allocation for 2016, at over €19.6 billion, is almost €2 billion, or 10.7%, higher than expenditure in 2008. That is a 10.7% increase in eight years. Inflation over the seven years to April 2016 was 2.9%, with inflation falling over the past two years. In the year to April 2016 we had no inflation. In fact, we have had deflation of 0.1%, as measured by...

Other Questions: Social Welfare Benefits (25 May 2016)

Leo Varadkar: It is the case that there has been some inflation since 2009. The changes that happened in social welfare in the past five years can be placed in two categories: those that were part of a reform system designed to encourage more people to become included in society and the economy by taking up work, and others that were done to save money. In the next couple of years I want to start...

Other Questions: Social Welfare Benefits (25 May 2016)

Leo Varadkar: -----but so much of that is down to the way it is calculated. The Deputy will be surprised to learn that there are issues such as the fact that a pay increase for one person can make another person more deprived, even though he or she is not any worse off.

Other Questions: Social Welfare Benefits (25 May 2016)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy for his kind remarks. I intend to make as good a go of this as I can, and while some people may wish to characterise the Deputy in a particular way, I know he has a more open mind and I hope he will give me a chance to do some of the things I believe both of us would like to do, because nobody wants to see poverty or deprivation in our society, and he can be sure that...

Other Questions: Jobseeker's Allowance (25 May 2016)

Leo Varadkar: Reduced rates for younger jobseeker’s allowance recipients were first introduced in 2009. Budget 2014 further extended the reduced rates to recipients under 26 years of age. This is a targeted measure aimed at preventing young people from drifting into welfare dependency. To guard against the development of welfare dependency, it is necessary to provide young jobseekers with a...

Other Questions: Child Benefit Eligibility (25 May 2016)

Leo Varadkar: Given the costs to the taxpayer that are involved, I might look at the first part of the question first and the second part at a subsequent stage. I can certainly see how an anomaly might arise where a child in school turns 18 in sixth year and loses their child benefit, subsequently qualifies for a student grant when they get into college or a post-leaving certificate, PLC, course later...

Other Questions: One-Parent Family Payment (25 May 2016)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 33 and 35 together. Research on activation measures for lone parents 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. The IRC sought expressions of interest from relevant academics to carry...

Other Questions: One-Parent Family Payment (25 May 2016)

Leo Varadkar: On Dr. Millar's report, I have not seen any of the drafts yet but it is definitely not an impact assessment. That is not what was commissioned. It is supposed to be advice on best practice and best examples from other countries. That is the work that was asked for. I recall Deputy Burton's comments but not exactly the time they were made. It was perhaps before the jobseeker's...

Other Questions: Child Benefit Eligibility (25 May 2016)

Leo Varadkar: Child benefit is a monthly payment to assist with the costs associated with raising children. It is paid to families with children in respect of all qualified children up to the age of 16 years. The payment continues to be paid in respect of children up to their 18th birthday who are in full-time education or who have a physical or mental disability. It is currently paid to around 623,000...

Other Questions: Child Benefit Eligibility (25 May 2016)

Leo Varadkar: I understand the point the Deputy is making. I have to double check this but if I remember correctly, child benefit is paid to 16 and 17 year olds but not to 18 year olds. There would be many 18 year olds in leaving certificate year at this stage, not just 19 year olds, so I do not think we could extend it to 19 year olds but not 18 year olds. I see the case for it. When the scheme was...

Ceisteanna - Questions (resumed) - Priority Questions: Social Insurance (25 May 2016)

Leo Varadkar: The new partnership Government aims to create an additional 200,000 jobs by 2010, including 135,000 outside Dublin. This will be achieved by continuing and enhancing a supportive environment for enterprise and employment. In particular, the role of entrepreneurs and the self-employed will be central to this ambition. The new programme agreed with our partners in Government contains a...

Ceisteanna - Questions (resumed) - Priority Questions: Social Insurance (25 May 2016)

Leo Varadkar: There is an under-used voluntary scheme in existence in Ireland, the class P, under which people can make voluntary contributions but very few do. That is often the difficulty with voluntary contributions. Only small numbers will contribute and the contributions often have to be high to cover the inevitable risk that occurs. When something is voluntary, those who are most likely to avail...

Ceisteanna - Questions (resumed) - Priority Questions: Social Insurance (25 May 2016)

Leo Varadkar: I have asked my officials to draw up an options paper immediately. I want to publish a proposal before the recess and I want to consult the 300,000 people who are self-employed to ask them what they think. I am conscious that this is part of the agreement between the Deputy's party and mine and, therefore, I want to do this. I will seek the Deputy's support in doing this because that will...

Ceisteanna - Questions (resumed) - Priority Questions: National Internship Scheme Review (25 May 2016)

Leo Varadkar: As 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 that economic and labour market conditions have changed for the better since the scheme was introduced in 2011 and that the time may now be right for a more targeted scheme. JobBridge was developed in 2011 in response to the unemployment...

Ceisteanna - Questions (resumed) - Priority Questions: National Internship Scheme Review (25 May 2016)

Leo Varadkar: I am aware of the NUI and IMPACT surveys on JobBridge, but I am not aware of the one to which Deputy O'Dea has specifically referred. It was a scheme for a particular time and I have no doubt that there has been some degree of displacement. That is something that I want to ensure changes in any replacement scheme, but any scheme will cause some degree of deadweight or displacement. That is...