Results 18,501-18,520 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes Funding (2 May 2017)

Leo Varadkar: Community Employment (CE) schemes provide part-time temporary work in local communities, including opportunities for training and development as a stepping-stone back to employment, for people in receipt of a qualifying of social welfare payments. These schemes help to break the cycle of unemployment and improve a person’s chances of returning to the labour market. My Department is...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits Expenditure (2 May 2017)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 538 and 539 together. The Social Welfare and Pensions Act 2011 provided that State pension age would be increased gradually (over a 14 year period) to 68 years. This process began in January 2014 with the abolition of the State pension transition (SPT) which was available at age 65 for those who satisfied the qualifying conditions. This change standardised...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Foster Care (2 May 2017)

Leo Varadkar: Foster care allowances are payable by the Child and Family Agency, Túsla, which falls under the remit of the Department of Children and Youth Affairs. However, it is the case that my Department provides a number of supports for foster carers subject to satisfying the usual conditions for receipt of these payments. These include: - Monthly child benefit in respect of the foster child, - A...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Domiciliary Care Allowance Applications (2 May 2017)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 543 and 544 together. I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that an oral hearing of the appeal of the person concerned took place on 13April 2017 and that the Appeals Officer is now considering the appeal in the light of all of the evidence submitted, including that adduced at the oral hearing. The person concerned will be notified of the Appeals...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes Supervisors (2 May 2017)

Leo Varadkar: Community Employment (CE) supervisors are employees of private companies in the community and voluntary sector. In the circumstances, the State is not responsible for funding pension arrangements for such employees even where the companies in question are reliant on State funding. It is open to individuals to make provision for a pension by way of PRSA which all employers are obliged to...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Fraud Investigations (2 May 2017)

Leo Varadkar: The Special Investigations Unit (SIU) has been an integral part of my Department’s overall strategy to investigate and combat social welfare fraud for a number of years and, in its current form, since 2010. The exclusive function of the SIU is to investigate and report on social welfare fraud. The total number of staff, including management, is currently 106 of which 15 are seconded...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Overpayments (2 May 2017)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 547 to 551, inclusive, 557 and 565 together. Nearly 950,000 entitlement reviews and investigations were conducted across the Department’s schemes in 2016. These reviews yielded €506 million in control savings for the year. Reviews and investigations of entitlements are conducted by social welfare staff, social welfare inspectors and inspectors...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Overpayments (2 May 2017)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 552 and 553 together. I am advised by the Chief Appeals Officer that statistics on the number of appeals receivedin the Social Welfare Appeals Office during 2016 which concerned an overpayment are not maintained on the appeals system. However, the following table provides details of the number of appeals concerning overpayments which were determinedby Appeals...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Departmental Expenditure (2 May 2017)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 555, 556, 570 and 600 together. The Department administers over 70 separate schemes and services, which affect the lives of almost every person in the State. In 2016, some 1.7 million applications for benefit, assistance and access to schemes were received and processed and over 82 million individual payments were made to people across all age groups and to...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Fraud Investigations (2 May 2017)

Leo Varadkar: Reports from members of the public on their suspicions of social welfare fraud or wrongdoing are an important element in my Department’s overall efforts to prevent and detect fraudulent activity. Welfare fraud can be reported in a variety of ways. The Department provides a dedicated service on its website to enable reports to be made. A concerned member of the public can also write...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Fraud (2 May 2017)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 560 to 562, inclusive, 571 and 599 together. As part of the rollout of the Public Services Card (PSC), my Department introduced facial recognition software in March 2013 to support its efforts to combat identity fraud and impersonation. This software is used to ensure that multiple or fraudulent identities can be detected at the point where a person...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Treatment Benefit Scheme (2 May 2017)

Leo Varadkar: The person concerned is qualified for treatment benefits and will be entitled to a contribution towards the cost of a hearing aid. An application form for this benefit has not yet been received from him, but can be obtained from any audiologist. I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy. If you require any further assistance on this query please do not hesitate to contact my office.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments Administration (2 May 2017)

Leo Varadkar: I understand the Deputy’s question relates to the position of married women signing for credits in 1984. The purpose of PRSI credits is to secure the social welfare benefits and pensions of PRSI contributors by covering gaps in insurance on the occasions where they are not in a position to make contributions, e.g. periods of unemployment, illness etc. The Social Welfare...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals (2 May 2017)

Leo Varadkar: The appeal of the person in question was delayed due to an administrative oversight. However this has now been rectified and the file has been sent Social Welfare Independent Appeals office. The delay in processing this appeal is regretted. I trust that this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Fraud (2 May 2017)

Leo Varadkar: Reports from members of the public on their suspicions of social welfare fraud or wrongdoing are an important element in the efforts to prevent and detect fraudulent activity. Welfare fraud can be reported in a variety of ways. The Department provides a dedicated service on its website to enable reports to be made. In 2016, 18,744 reports were received and of these, 15,162 were...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals Status (2 May 2017)

Leo Varadkar: I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that an Appeals Officer, having fully considered all of the available evidence including that adduced at the oral hearing, has decided to allow the appeal of the person concerned. The person concerned has been notified of the Appeals Officer’s decision. The Social Welfare Appeals Office functions independently of the Minister for...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes Eligibility (2 May 2017)

Leo Varadkar: As the Deputy is aware, Community Employment (CE) is a labour market activation programme which helps long-term unemployed people (those 12 months or more in receipt of a jobseeker’s payment) and other disadvantaged groups to re-enter the active workforce by breaking their experience of unemployment through a return to work routine. The programme assists participants to enhance and...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: One-Parent Family Payment Applications (2 May 2017)

Leo Varadkar: The case of the person concerned is being actively reviewed at present. It is expected that a decision will issue to her imminently. I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Maternity Benefit (2 May 2017)

Leo Varadkar: The maternity benefit payment awarded to the customer concerned does not include a dependent allowance, as she indicated on her application that she did not wish to apply for any additional allowance in respect of a dependent. If the customer believes that she is entitled to such an allowance she should contact Maternity Benefit section directly using the contact information on the award...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals Status (2 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 22 March 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. When these papers have been received from the Department, the case in question will be...