Results 18,901-18,920 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

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

Leo Varadkar: I understand that the Deputy's question relates to payments to broadcasting organisations. The statutory bodies operating under the aegis of my Department are the Citizens Information Board, the Pensions Authority, the Pensions Council, the Pensions Ombudsman and the Social Welfare Tribunal. No payments were made by any of these bodies to broadcasting organisations in 2014, 2015 or 2016. The...

Seanad: Pensions (Equal Pension Treatment in Occupational Benefit Scheme) (Amendment) Bill 2016: Second Stage (22 Mar 2017)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Acting Chairman for the opportunity to speak on the Bill. The introduction first of civil partnership and then of marriage equality has made a huge difference for many of our fellow citizens. The Bill introduced by Senators Bacik, Humphreys, Nash and Ó Ríordáin seeks to deal with an important legacy issue for a number of couples. I join with Senator Norris in...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Money Advice and Budgeting Service Remit (22 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 15 February 2017, to restructure the governance arrangements of these services. The Citizens Information Board (CIB) assures me that there will be no job losses, no closure of services, no change to service...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Delays (22 Mar 2017)

Leo Varadkar: I confirm that my Department received an application for carer's allowance from the person concerned on 8 June 2016. It is a condition for receipt of a CA that the carer must be providing full-time care and attention. The person concerned was refused carer's allowance on the grounds that she was not providing full-time care and attention. This is because the care recipient was in care...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Household Benefits Scheme (22 Mar 2017)

Leo Varadkar: The savings arising from the initial reduction and subsequent discontinuance of the telephone allowance meant that my Department was able to retain the other valuable elements of the household benefits package such as the electricity and gas allowance and the television licence. My Department will spend approximately €232 million this year on these elements of the household benefits...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Appeals (22 Mar 2017)

Leo Varadkar: Carer's Allowance (CA) is a means-tested social assistance payment, made to persons who are providing full-time care and attention to a person who has a disability such that they require that level of care. The person concerned was awarded CA from 31 January 2008. CA claims are periodically reviewed to ensure continued entitlement. When her claim was reviewed in 2013 it was discovered that...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Eligibility (22 Mar 2017)

Leo Varadkar: Carer's Allowance (CA) at half-rate is payable to people who are in receipt of certain social welfare payments and who are providing full-time care and attention to a person who has a disability such that they require that level of care. As it is a requirement for receipt of jobseeker’s allowance (JA) and jobseeker’s benefit (JB) that the person concerned must be available for...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Benefit Eligibility (22 Mar 2017)

Leo Varadkar: The carer’s benefit scheme provides income support to full-time carers who leave the workforce temporarily to provide care and thereby assist in maintaining care recipients in the community. This, and other care-related supports, such as the carer’s allowance payment and the carer’s support grant provide recognition and support for the valuable role of carers. The...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Pension Provisions (22 Mar 2017)

Leo Varadkar: There are two State pensions. Firstly, the State pension non-contributory is a means tested pension. Secondly, the State pension (contributory) is paid from the Social Insurance Fund. Therefore, it is important to ensure that those qualifying have made a sustained contribution to the Social Insurance Fund over their working lives. To ensure that the individual can maximise their...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Waiting Times (22 Mar 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...

Seanad: JobPath: Statements (21 Mar 2017)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the House for the invitation to outline my Department’s activation polices and in particular the important role of the JobPath initiative. Getting and keeping a job is the most effective way that people can be lifted out of poverty, achieve financial independence and have improved living standards. As a result of the improvement in the economy and the range of activation...

Seanad: JobPath: Statements (21 Mar 2017)

Leo Varadkar: I thank Senators for a very interesting and broadly constructive debate. I will do my best to answer as many questions as I can to which I have the answers. I might not have jotted all of them down, but I will do my best to cover as many issues as I can. JobPath does not take precedence over the community employment programme. It is just that we do not allow people to switch from one...

Seanad: JobPath: Statements (21 Mar 2017)

Leo Varadkar: At the same time she is very upset about Brexit.

Seanad: JobPath: Statements (21 Mar 2017)

Leo Varadkar: She wants to insist that Northern Ireland remains in the European Union. What is the European Union about? A fundamental principle of the European Union is the four freedoms - movement of capital, labour, services and goods. Any EU company can bid for a contract in other parts of the EU. Once again, Sinn Féin has a two-faced approach in which it is determined to keep Northern Ireland...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Jobs Initiative (21 Mar 2017)

Leo Varadkar: JobsPlus provides a direct monthly financial incentive to employers who recruit employees who are long-term on the live register and those transitioning into employment. It provides employers with two levels of payment - €7,500 and €10,000. The €7,500 is paid primarily to those who are 12 months or more on the live register with the higher grant paid in respect of those...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Registration of Marriages (21 Mar 2017)

Leo Varadkar: I have made inquiries of the Registrar General and he has informed me that the position is as follows: Where a person wishes to marry in Ireland, and has been granted a divorce in another jurisdiction, legal recognition of this divorce under Irish law is examined in the General Register Office. Legal recognition of foreign divorces in Ireland is a complex area of law involving proof of...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Benefit Payments (21 Mar 2017)

Leo Varadkar: In general employees are liable to pay Class A PRSI at the rate of 4% on their weekly earnings. In addition their employer is liable to pay PRSI at the rate of 8.5% or 10.75%, depending on whether or not weekly earnings exceed €376. The payment of PRSI ensures that these employees have access to the full range of short and long term social insurance benefits, including State pension...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Offices (21 Mar 2017)

Leo Varadkar: Temporary clerical staff are recruited to cover absences of permanent staff on maternity leave, long term sick leave, other statutory leave and also to provide cover for some staff availing of the shorter working year scheme. They are also recruited to alleviate work pressure in certain areas, and to assist in the roll-out of the Public Services Card project. The table shows the number of...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Citizen Information Services Funding (21 Mar 2017)

Leo Varadkar: The Citizens Information Board (CIB) under the aegis of my Department is responsible for supporting the provision of information, advice (including money advice and budgeting) and advocacy on a wide range of public and social services. The Citizens Information Board delivers on this remit through direct provision, by supporting a network of delivery partners, and by funding targeted...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (21 Mar 2017)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Question Nos. 479 and 483 together. The Vincentian Partnership for Social Justice (VPSJ) developed a model of a minimum income standard (MIS). The MIS is defined by the VPSJ as “the gross income a household needs in order to reach their minimum essential standard of living”. The VPSJ’s Minimum Essential Standard of Living 2016(MESL) is derived from a...