Results 18,081-18,100 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Priority Questions: JobPath Implementation (31 May 2017)

Leo Varadkar: I am sure there are people whose advice is valued and listened to by the Deputy, although he may not necessarily always accept it.

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Priority Questions: JobPath Implementation (31 May 2017)

Leo Varadkar: I apologise. Turas Nua Limited is one of two companies which my Department contracted for the delivery of JobPath services. Turas Nua is headquartered in Roscrea, County Tipperary, where it employs 39 people. The aim of the service is to assist jobseekers in finding sustainable full-time employment. This is in contrast to the community employment schemes which provide part-time...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Priority Questions: School Meals Programme (31 May 2017)

Leo Varadkar: Notwithstanding the ongoing campaign for the leadership of Fine Gael, I have fulfilled my parliamentary duties in full. I am here today and will be here later to take a Topical Issue. I will be at a committee tomorrow.

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Priority Questions: School Meals Programme (31 May 2017)

Leo Varadkar: I will indeed. I have not missed a single parliamentary or Cabinet duty since the Taoiseach announced he was stepping down as leader.

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Priority Questions: School Meals Programme (31 May 2017)

Leo Varadkar: I can confirm to Members of the House that no cuts have been made to the school meals programme. The programme provides funding towards the provision of food to schools and organisations, benefitting over 200,000 children. The allocation for 2017 is €47.5 million, an increase of €5.5 million or 13% on the 2014 allocation of €42 million. This increase will benefit over...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Priority Questions: School Meals Programme (31 May 2017)

Leo Varadkar: I really do not understand why that should be the case. The budget for 2016 was €42 million and was €39 million the year before. There was an increase on last year, and there will be a further increase this year. Schools get 100% funding for school breakfasts for all of the children in a school and not just those from disadvantaged families. When it comes to lunches, 90%...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Priority Questions: School Meals Programme (31 May 2017)

Leo Varadkar: I appreciate the Deputy is referring to individual cases and schools and I do not know which schools they are. It is impossible for me to comment on them without knowing that. In my constituency, which has a high level of disadvantage, this issue has not arisen in any of the schools.

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Priority Questions: School Meals Programme (31 May 2017)

Leo Varadkar: I speak to them regularly, and they know to contact me if there is a problem. They are not behind the door in doing so if there is a problem, I can guarantee the Deputy. There have been some problems in some schools.

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Priority Questions: School Meals Programme (31 May 2017)

Leo Varadkar: Among the problems we have had in some schools is, I regret to say, misappropriation. Money provided for schools for school meals was spent by principals on other things, and we have prosecuted a school principal for doing that.

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Priority Questions: School Meals Programme (31 May 2017)

Leo Varadkar: I am not suggesting it is, but it may be a local school issue rather than a cutback.

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Priority Questions: State Bodies Mergers (31 May 2017)

Leo Varadkar: While I understand that the committee has not yet published its report, I saw a draft copy of it and thank the committee for its engagement with this matter. At the outset I would like to highlight again how the Citizens Information Board, CIB, has repeatedly stated that the restructured governance arrangements will result in no job losses for those working in local services, no diminution...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Priority Questions: Social Welfare Fraud Cost (31 May 2017)

Leo Varadkar: My Department has compiled and published data and reports on its control, compliance and anti-fraud work annually for a number of years. The calculations used are well grounded and underpinned by a recognised methodology. They are a performance management metric used to monitor the progress of control, compliance and anti-fraud work in my Department. The overall metric consists of...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Priority Questions: Social Welfare Fraud Cost (31 May 2017)

Leo Varadkar: As the Deputy knows, we will have a chance to discuss this issue tomorrow at the committee. I do not disagree with him. If publicised lists make sense in dealing with this type of fraud and crime, why would it not also make sense in dealing with others? This campaign and the additional measures we propose to take are all designed to deter people from engaging in welfare fraud in the first...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Priority Questions: Social Welfare Fraud Cost (31 May 2017)

Leo Varadkar: Yes, I accept that. My Department gave inaccurate figures. The level of suspected identity fraud is, in fact, 11 times higher than the figures we incorrectly gave to the House the other day. I will give them again. There have been 11 cases so far this year. There were 46 last year, 54 the year before and 29 the year before that, which gives a total of 140 in the past three and a half...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Priority Questions: Social Welfare Fraud Cost (31 May 2017)

Leo Varadkar: What we will discuss tomorrow are the heads of a Bill. We will have a chance to go through the issue in more detail then. The intention is that the list would be published on a quarterly basis after the convictions have been secured but would not appear on the website in perpetuity, that it would be taken down after a period. As is the case with any information in the public domain, of...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance Scheme Payments (31 May 2017)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 38 and 68 together. The back to school clothing and footwear allowance scheme provides a once-off payment to eligible families to assist with the costs of clothing and footwear when children start or return to school each autumn. The allowance is not intended to meet the full cost of school clothing and footwear but to provide assistance to parents...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Fraud (31 May 2017)

Leo Varadkar: I would like thank the Deputy for raising this important issue. Total overpayments raised by my Department in 2016 amounted to €110 million. Of this, customer fraud amounted to €41 million. Cases of this nature arise where a customer intentionally provides incomplete or inaccurate information in order to receive benefits or deliberately fails to inform the Department of...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Labour Activation Programmes (31 May 2017)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 41, 46 and 94 together. Community Employment (CE) and Tús are active labour market programmes with the emphasis on progression into employment and/or further education and training. Participation limits on these schemes are necessary to allow for the utilisation of places amongst qualifying persons to ensure the benefits of these schemes are...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes Administration (31 May 2017)

Leo Varadkar: In the context of the falling Live Register and the continuing economic recovery, my Department undertook a review of the work programmes. The outcome of the review made various recommendations in relation to how work programmes, including Community Employment (CE) operate, as well as the overall number of places available. In this context, I have decided to progress some changes to the CE...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Departmental Information (31 May 2017)

Leo Varadkar: The Department of Social Protection serves a wide and diverse group of customers including families, people in employment, unemployed people, people with illnesses and disabilities, carers and older people. In more recent times, my Department has expanded its remit to provide a range of services to employers. My Department is continuously engaging with this broad customer base to...