Results 18,801-18,820 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Legal Costs (4 Apr 2017)

Leo Varadkar: The European Court of Justice (ECJ) delivered a judgement on 25 April 2013 arising from an investigation of complaints under Directive 2008/94/EC on the protection of employees in the event of the insolvency of their employer and the resultant contractual obligations that derive under the transposition of that Directive by the Irish Government. The ECJ found in favour of the plaintiffs...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Code (4 Apr 2017)

Leo Varadkar: As is common with social security systems across the world, the Irish social welfare system generally applies the principle of one person, one payment. It can happen that a person may experience more than one contingency at the same time such as being on maternity leave, while providing full-time care and attention to a person, who consequent on an illness or disability, requires such care....

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Money Advice and Budgeting Service (4 Apr 2017)

Leo Varadkar: The Citizens Information Board (CIB), which has statutory responsibility for the Money Advice and Budgeting Service (MABS) and the Citizens Information Services (CIS) decided, on 15 February 2017, to restructure the governance arrangements of these services. The decision was communicated by the Board of CIB to all CIS and MABS Boards and to all staff on the same day. The decision comes...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: School Meals Programme (4 Apr 2017)

Leo Varadkar: The school meals programme provides funding towards the provision of food to schools and organisations benefitting over 200,000 children at a total cost of some €47.7 million in 2017. The funding for the scheme was increased this year, as part of Budget 2017, by an additional €5.7 million (almost 14% over the previous year’s allocation) which will benefit over 50,000...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Bereavement Grant (4 Apr 2017)

Leo Varadkar: In recent Budgets my Department has protected primary social welfare rates. Abolishing the bereavement grant provided a significant annual saving and allowed my Department to protect other core social welfare payments such as the State pension. The number of bereavement grant claims in 2013 was 23,716, and this represented an increase of approximately 4% on 2012. Based on a similar yearly...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Waiting Times (4 Apr 2017)

Leo Varadkar: My Department is committed to providing a quality service to all its customers. This includes ensuring that applications are processed and that decisions on entitlement are made as quickly as possible. The average waiting time for new carer's allowance (CA) applications at the end of January 2017 was 11 weeks, compared to 20 weeks in 2016. At the end of January, there were 2,842 CA...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Treatment Benefit Scheme (4 Apr 2017)

Leo Varadkar: The intention to re-introduce additional treatments and benefits as part of the treatment benefit (TB) scheme was announced in Budget 2017. The first part of this commitment involves the extension of the existing TB scheme to cover some 450,000 self-employed people and their spouses for the first time. I am pleased to inform the Deputy that this extension is now in place with...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Insurance (4 Apr 2017)

Leo Varadkar: I can confirm the person concerned is entitled to credited contributions for the period she was in receipt of Carer’s Allowance. Her social insurance record has been credited for the period 4 December 2003 to 31 December 2016 and the record up to 3 May 2017 will be updated shortly. I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Training Support Grant (4 Apr 2017)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 356 and 357 together. The Training Support Grant (TSG) funded by my Department is designed to facilitate quick access to short-term training that is identified to assist an individual jobseekers access immediate work opportunities. The scheme is activation focused and the jobseeker is required to provide reasonable evidence of need, in the form of a potential...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Jobseeker's Benefit Eligibility (4 Apr 2017)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 358 and 359 together. I gave a commitment at Dáil report stage of the Social Welfare Bill 2016 that I would ask my officials to examine the issue of jobseeker’s benefit and the treatment of part-time and seasonal workers, including those categorised as having subsidiary employment. My Department is currently undertaking two reports – one in...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Departmental Information (4 Apr 2017)

Leo Varadkar: My Department’s Customer Charter and Action Plan 2016-2018, published on www.welfare.ie, sets out its commitments to providing a professional, efficient and courteous service to all its customers. Specific commitments are included in relation to the provision of interpretive and translation services and the provision of information in alternative formats such as Braille or Audio. The...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals (4 Apr 2017)

Leo Varadkar: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was referred to an Appeals Officer on 28th March 2017, who will make a summary decision on the appeal based on the documentary evidence presented or, if required, hold an oral hearing. The Social Welfare Appeals Office functions independently of the Minister for Social Protection and of the Department and...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Humanitarian Assistance Scheme (4 Apr 2017)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 363 and 364 together. The Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government is the lead Department for severe weather emergencies and the Office of Public Works (OPW) has responsibility for capital flood relief activities. However, my Department has an important role to play in assisting households in the immediate aftermath of emergency events...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Public Services Cards (4 Apr 2017)

Leo Varadkar: The legislation governing the issuance of a Public Services Card is contained in the Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005, as amended. Section 263(1C) states – “The Minister shall not issue a public services card to a person unless the Minister is satisfied as to the identity of the person to whom such card is to be issued. ” Section 263B states – “(1) For...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: International Agreements (4 Apr 2017)

Leo Varadkar: Since 1923 various reciprocal bilateral arrangements governing social welfare benefits have been in place between Ireland and the UK. The current agreement is the Convention on Social Security between the Government of Ireland and the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland which was signed in Dublin on 14 December 2004 (Schedule 1 to S.I. No. 701/2007). This...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Brexit Issues (4 Apr 2017)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 368 and 369 together. Statistics on the amount of people resident in Ireland in receipt of a UK pension are compiled by the UK Department of Work and Pensions. The most recent figure they have provided is 135,070. There are 34,238 people resident in the UK in receipt of a pension paid by my Department. The current arrangements for social security...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: JobsPlus Scheme (4 Apr 2017)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 370 and 371 together. As the Deputy is aware, the JobsPlus incentive is designed to encourage employers and businesses to focus their recruitment efforts on those who have been out of work for long periods, or on young people seeking employment. It provides employers with two levels of payment - €7,500 or €10,000 over two years, paid in monthly...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Child Benefit Data (4 Apr 2017)

Leo Varadkar: Child Benefit is a monthly payment made 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 disability. Child Benefit is currently paid to around 627,000 families in respect of some 1.2 million children, with an estimated...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Back to Education Allowance Data (4 Apr 2017)

Leo Varadkar: The Back to Education Allowance provides income support for jobseekers and others in receipt of certain social welfare payments that pursue courses of education at second or third level. The objective of the scheme is to raise the educational and skill levels to enable jobseekers better access to the emerging needs of the labour market. A person wishing to pursue a course of study under...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Back to Education Allowance Eligibility (4 Apr 2017)

Leo Varadkar: A person wishing to pursue a course of study under the Back to Education Allowance (BTEA) scheme must satisfy a number of conditions. These include age, being in receipt of a qualifying social welfare payment for a specific period, be pursuing a full-time course of study leading to a recognised qualification in a recognised college and be progressing in the level of education with reference...