Results 18,221-18,240 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits Data (25 May 2017)

Leo Varadkar: The back to school clothing and footwear allowance (BSCFA) scheme provides a once-off payment to eligible families to assist with the extra costs when children start school each autumn. The Government has provided €37.4 million for the scheme in 2017. End of year records show that under the 2016 BSCFA scheme, payments were made to over 154,000 families in respect of some 283,000...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Rural Social Scheme Eligibility (25 May 2017)

Leo Varadkar: The Rural Social Scheme (RSS) is a supplementary income support initiative which provides part-time employment opportunities in community and voluntary organisations for low-income farmers and fishermen/women who are in receipt of certain social welfare payments and under-employed in their primary occupation. The Government is very committed to the RSS and this commitment was clearly...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Departmental Legal Costs (24 May 2017)

Leo Varadkar: The Chief State Solicitors Office has provided the following details of its expenditure on the case referred to by the Deputy. Brian Murray SC €90,558.30 Eoin Carolan BL €82,480.74 Maurice Collins SC €64,993.54 Nathan Reilly BL €15,277.46 Stenographers fees €2,021.42 Foreign Travel €1,174.82 Travel €1,195.58 General Law Expenses (...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Supplementary Welfare Allowance Applications (24 May 2017)

Leo Varadkar: Under the supplementary welfare allowance (SWA) scheme, my Department may make a single exceptional needs payment (ENP) to help meet essential, once-off and unforeseen expenditure which a person could not reasonably be expected to meet out of their weekly income. There is no automatic entitlement to a payment. ENPs are payable at the discretion of the officers administering the scheme...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals Status (24 May 2017)

Leo Varadkar: I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that an oral hearing of the appeal of the person concerned took place on 6thDecember 2016. However the Oral Hearing was adjourned as all parties wished to submit more documents in support of the appeal. I understand that a Freedom of Information request has been submitted by the person concerned and a response is currently being prepared. As...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: JobPath Data (24 May 2017)

Leo Varadkar: As the deputy will be aware, the State’s Public Employment Service is managed by my Department and delivered directly by its own Intreo service as well as by contracted private companies, such as JobPath, Local Employment Service and Job Club providers. The Department has contracts in place with in excess of 60 companies for the provision of these services. This includes two...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits Data (24 May 2017)

Leo Varadkar: The number of social welfare appeals determined with a favourable outcome for appellants from 2014 to date in 2017 is outlined in the table below. Overall, 56.5% of the 31,211 appeals which were finalised in 2014 had a favourable outcome for the appellant, i.e. were either allowed in full or in part, or resolved by way of a revised decision by a Deciding Officer/Designated Person.58.8% of...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: State Pensions (24 May 2017)

Leo Varadkar: The Social Welfare and Pensions Act 2011 provided that State pension age will be increased gradually to 68 years. This began in January 2014 with the abolition of the State pension (transition), which had been available from 65 for those who satisfied the qualifying conditions, thereby standardising State pension age for all at 66 years. This is the current State pension age. It will...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Exceptional Needs Payment Applications (24 May 2017)

Leo Varadkar: The person concerned made an application for an Exceptional Needs Payment towards funeral expenses. Following an examination of the application and all supporting documentation a decision was made to refuse the application; a written notification of this refusal issued to the person concerned on the 7th of April. The basis for the refusal was that the person concerned was deemed to have...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Appeals (24 May 2017)

Leo Varadkar: Carer's Allowance (CA) is a means-tested social assistance payment, made to a person who is providing full-time care and attention to a person who has a disability such that they require that level of care. The Department periodically reviews claims in payment to ensure that there is continued entitlement. Following a review, it was determined that the evidence did not indicate that the...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: State Pension (Contributory) Eligibility (24 May 2017)

Leo Varadkar: To be eligible for state pension (contributory) under current social welfare legislation an applicant must: - have entered insurable employment before attaining the age of 56 years; - have at least 520 full rate paid contributions since entry into insurance; - for a maximum rate pension, have a yearly average of 48 paid and/or credited contributions from 1979, or from the...

Topical Issue Debate: Pensions Reform (23 May 2017)

Leo Varadkar: I understand and am sympathetic to the case the Deputy is making. The homemaker's scheme was introduced by Fianna Fáil in 1994 and Fianna Fáil decided not to backdate it. The reason the Minister of the day, Michael Woods, decided not to backdate it was because of the very high cost of doing so. We estimate that the cost of doing so now would be approximately €290 million a...

Topical Issue Debate: Pensions Reform (23 May 2017)

Leo Varadkar: Expenditure on pensions, at approximately €7.3 billion, is the largest block of expenditure in my Department, representing 37% of its expenditure. Demographic change, such as longer life expectancy which is welcome of course, alone increases this by €220 million every year. Maintaining the rate of the State pension and its value is critical to protecting older people from...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Disability Allowance Appeals (23 May 2017)

Leo Varadkar: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 16 February 2017. 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. These papers were received in the Social Welfare Appeals Office on 26 April 2017 and the...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Disability Allowance Appeals (23 May 2017)

Leo Varadkar: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 21 March 2017. It is a statutory requirement of the appeals process that the relevant papers and comments by or on behalf of the Deciding Officer on the grounds of appeal be sought from the Department of Social Protection. These papers have been received in the Social...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Benefit Applications (23 May 2017)

Leo Varadkar: An application for carer's benefit (CARB) was received from the person concerned on 3 April 2017. The application is currently being examined and once processed, the person concerned will be notified directly of the outcome. I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals Data (23 May 2017)

Leo Varadkar: The tables provide the details which have been requested by the Deputy in respect of 2015, 2016 and to date in 2017. Overall, 58.8% of the 25,406 appeals which were finalised in 2015 had a favourable outcome for the appellant, i.e. were either allowed in full or in part, or resolved by way of a revised decision by a Deciding Officer/Designated Person. 59.2% of the 23,220 appeals finalised in...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Deserted Wife's Benefit Eligibility (23 May 2017)

Leo Varadkar: The claim for Deserted Wife’s Benefit was disallowed by a Deciding Officer of the Department on the grounds that the person concerned was cohabiting. I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Applications (23 May 2017)

Leo Varadkar: I confirm that my department received an application for carer’s allowance from the person concerned on the 24 April 2017. The application is currently being processed and once completed, the person concerned will be notified directly of the outcome. I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Applications (23 May 2017)

Leo Varadkar: I confirm that my department received an application for carer’s allowance from the person concerned on 22 February 2017. Additional information in relation to the person’s application was requested by a deciding officer on 10 May 2017. Once the information is received the application will be processed without delay and the person concerned will be notified directly of the...