Results 18,881-18,900 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Jobseeker's Benefit Eligibility (28 Mar 2017)

Leo Varadkar: 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. That report is currently being undertaken with the intention of presenting it to the Joint Oireachtas Committee on...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals (28 Mar 2017)

Leo Varadkar: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was referred to an Appeals Officer 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 is responsible for...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: One-Parent Family Payment Payments (28 Mar 2017)

Leo Varadkar: The person concerned withdrew her one parent family claim on 1/3/17 and was advised by an officer of the Department that her partner could apply to have her and her dependent child added as dependents to his disability allowance payment. At present the person concerned has no applications pending for any payment. I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Exceptional Needs Payment Applications (28 Mar 2017)

Leo Varadkar: According to the records of this department, no recent application for an exceptional needs payment has been made by the person concerned. It is open to the person concerned to make an application to the local community welfare service and in this regard an application form has been sent today. I hope this clarifies the matter for the deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals Status (28 Mar 2017)

Leo Varadkar: I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that following an oral hearing of the appeal of the person concerned, 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 Officer’s decision within the next week. The Social Welfare Appeals...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Jobseeker's Allowance Eligibility (28 Mar 2017)

Leo Varadkar: The person concerned was requested to provide proof that she attended a medical consultation in her homeland as well as a letter from her GP confirming fitness to work. This is a requirement for receipt of jobseeker’s allowance payment. The associated medical costs were not questioned. The person concerned was requested to provide proof of how the trip to her homeland was paid for....

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Payments (28 Mar 2017)

Leo Varadkar: Carer's Allowance (CA) is a social assistance payment made to persons who are providing full-time care and attention to a relevant person/persons and whose income falls below certain limits. When a person is in receipt of a social welfare payment (other than jobseeker payments or supplementary welfare allowance) and also qualifies for CA, it is paid at half the normal rate. The person...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Job Initiatives (28 Mar 2017)

Leo Varadkar: Programmes such as Community Employment, (CE), Tús and Rural Social Scheme (RSS) are designed to provide eligible long-term unemployed and other disadvantaged people with an opportunity to engage in part-time work and training within their communities on a temporary, fixed-term basis. The pattern of participation on the CE programme is dependent on the individual circumstance of...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Jobseeker's Allowance Eligibility (28 Mar 2017)

Leo Varadkar: In assessing means for social assistance payments such as jobseeker’s allowance, account is taken of the income and the value of property, including capital, of the claimant and their spouse/partner. Social welfare legislation provides that the yearly value of property (including capital) owned but not personally used or enjoyed is assessable for means testing purposes. However, it...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Code (28 Mar 2017)

Leo Varadkar: The primary support my Department offers farmers is the farm assist scheme which is a means tested scheme for farmers on low incomes. To qualify for the scheme a person must satisfy the means test and be engaged in farming. The 2017 Revised Estimates for my Department provide for expenditure of approximately €83 million on the farm assist scheme. Social welfare legislation...

Questions on Promised Legislation (23 Mar 2017)

Leo Varadkar: There is a Government commitment to bring about a new deal for the self-employed in Ireland, which includes equalising their tax treatment, providing more supports for entrepreneurs and also extending new social insurance benefits to them, including the extension of the treatment benefit. The commitment is that by the end of the month 500,000 people who are self-employed, including farmers,...

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

Leo Varadkar: The average processing time for carer’s allowance appeals, to the end of February 2017, is 21.9 weeks for appeals requiring an oral hearing, and 19.1 weeks for appeals which were determined by means of a summary decision. Appeal processing times are kept under constant scrutiny by the Chief Appeals Officer and significant effort and resources have been devoted in recent years to...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Departmental Staff Recruitment (23 Mar 2017)

Leo Varadkar: My Department, like all Government departments and agencies, is required to operate within a staff ceiling figure and a commensurate administrative staffing budget, which for this Department has involved reductions in staff numbers. Within these constraints, the Department is focusing on prioritising the filling of critical posts. The staffing needs for all areas within the Department,...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Data Protection (23 Mar 2017)

Leo Varadkar: The Department of Social Protection is registered as a data controller with the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner The Department takes its responsibilities in relation to data protection very seriously. Every effort is made to ensure that personal customer data are used solely for business purposes and that they are not compromised in any way. The Department has data protection...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: JobPath Implementation (23 Mar 2017)

Leo Varadkar: The aim of the JobPath service, which is provided for long term unemployed jobseekers only, is to assist them in finding sustainable full time paid employment by providing intensive individual support and assistance. The Community Employment schemes (CE) which provides part-time employment and training opportunities in local communities as a stepping stone back to employment for people on a...

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

Leo Varadkar: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 15thFebruary 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...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Free Travel Scheme Data (23 Mar 2017)

Leo Varadkar: The free travel scheme provides free travel on the main public and private transport services for those eligible under the scheme. These include road, rail and ferry services provided by companies such as Bus Átha Cliath, Bus Éireann and Iarnród Éireann, as well as Luas and services provided by over 80 private transport operators. There are currently approx. 874,000...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Free Travel Scheme Data (23 Mar 2017)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 118 and 119 together. Transport companies are paid on the basis of fares foregone and payments are not made on a per passenger basis. Fares foregone refers to excess or spare capacity an operator might have. These are paid at a reduced rate to take account of travel generated by the Free Travel scheme. My Department currently makes a block payment to...

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

Leo Varadkar: Carer's Allowance (CA) is a social assistance payment made to persons who are providing full-time care and attention to a person with a disability requiring that level of care and whose income falls below certain limits. Where the carer and care recipient live apart from each other, it is a condition for receipt of CA that there must be a system of communication between their homes. All of...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Citizen Information Services (23 Mar 2017)

Leo Varadkar: The Citizens Information Board (CIB), which has statutory responsibility for the Money Advice & Budgeting Service (MABS) and the Citizens Information Services (CIS) decided, on 15th 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 CIB assures...