Results 19,021-19,040 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits Expenditure (8 Mar 2017)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 176 to 179, inclusive, together. The costings sought by the Deputy are detailed in the following series of tables. Table 1: Cost of increasing all working age payments (i.e. weekly payments for those under 66 years of age) by varying amounts Scheme Full year cost of a €5 increase €m Full year cost of a €10 increase €m Full...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Local Employment Service (7 Mar 2017)

Leo Varadkar: My Department has contracts with 22 local employment service providers for 2017, the same number as 2016. Local employment services, LES, form part of the State’s employment service and funding for the provision of the LES service has been maintained for 2017 at the 2016 levels of €20 million. The LES is one element of the overall activation service being delivered by my...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Free Travel Scheme (7 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: Carer's Allowance Applications (7 Mar 2017)

Leo Varadkar: The application for carer’s allowance in respect of the person concerned was awarded on 1 March 2017 and the first payment will issue to the person’s bank nominated post office on 9 March 2017. Arrears of allowance due from 28 July 2016 to 8 March 2017 2017 were issued by cheque on 1 March 2017. The person concerned was notified of these details on 1 March 2017. I hope this...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Applications (7 Mar 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: Carer's Allowance Applications (7 Mar 2017)

Leo Varadkar: The person concerned applied for carer’s allowance (CA) on 15 April 2016. 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. A person can be considered to be providing full-time care and attention where they are engaged in employment, self-employment...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Employment Support Services (7 Mar 2017)

Leo Varadkar: 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 instalments, provided the employment is maintained. The rate of payment...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Employment Support Services (7 Mar 2017)

Leo Varadkar: Jobsireland.ie is a free online jobs site that enables employers to post job opportunities and jobseekers to search and apply for these opportunities online. At 20 years old, the original site was showing its age. For example, although it enabled jobseekers to search for job opportunities based on job type and location, it wasn’t possible for employers to search for suitable...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Labour Activation Projects (7 Mar 2017)

Leo Varadkar: As the Deputy will be aware, JobPath is a service that supports people who are long-term unemployed (over 12 months) and those most at risk of becoming long-term unemployed to secure and sustain paid employment. Contractors are paid via a combination of an initial registration fee and thereafter only on the basis of job sustainment fees: which are only paid in respect of each period of 13...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Departmental Legal Costs (7 Mar 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 who...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Education Funding (7 Mar 2017)

Leo Varadkar: The Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI) Grant, payable by the Department of Education and Skills, represents the primary support for persons pursuing education. My Department provides income support in the form of the Back to Education Allowance (BTEA) scheme for people on certain social welfare payments who wish to participate in full- time education. The scheme provides an approved...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Exceptional Needs Payment Applications (7 Mar 2017)

Leo Varadkar: Under the supplementary welfare allowance (SWA) scheme, the 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. The Government has provided €31.5 million for exceptional needs payments (ENPs) and urgent needs payments (UNPs) in 2017....

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Rent Supplement Scheme Data (7 Mar 2017)

Leo Varadkar: The rent supplement scheme, for which the Government has provided €253 million for in 2017, plays a vital role in housing families and individuals, with the scheme currently supporting approximately 46,000 tenants. In recognition of the on-going rental market difficulties, my Department implements a targeted case-by-case policy approach that allows for flexibility where landlords seek...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: National Internship Scheme Review (7 Mar 2017)

Leo Varadkar: In 2015 my Department initiated a rolling, multi-annual evaluations programme, using econometric and qualitative methods, of Pathways to Work programme and process reforms. This includes large-scale annual customer satisfaction surveys. It draws upon an episodic administrative database, the Jobseekers’ Longitudinal Database (JLD), capturing jobseekers spells of unemployment and exits...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Free Travel Scheme (7 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: Public Relations Contracts Expenditure (7 Mar 2017)

Leo Varadkar: There has been no expenditure by my department on public relations consultants in 2016. Concerning matters relating to public relations costs, expenditure of €395 was incurred on an Effective Press Release Writing course delivered by the Public Relations Institute of Ireland in September 2016.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes Operation (7 Mar 2017)

Leo Varadkar: As the Deputy may be aware, I brought a Memo to Government last week and obtained approval to publish my Department’s review report on CE and the other work schemes, and to progress the various changes that were recommended. I will be publishing the review report shortly. The changes proposed to the Community Employment (CE) scheme include moving the reference year. Currently...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Jobseeker's Allowance Applications (7 Mar 2017)

Leo Varadkar: The person concerned was requested to supply additional information to the department so that a decision could be made on their application for Jobseekers Allowance. The department has now received that information and is in a position to make a decision on the application which will be done today. The Intreo Office concerned will be in contact with the applicant to advise of that decision....

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (7 Mar 2017)

Leo Varadkar: In assessing means for social assistance payments, account is taken of the income and the value of capital and property of the claimant. 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 for social assistance payments. Such property includes all monies held in financial...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes Data (7 Mar 2017)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 310 and 311 together. The number of community employment (CE) scheme projects for each of the years 2012 to 2016, by county, in tabular form is provided in the following table 1. In addition, the total number of participants for each of the years 2012 to 2016 is provided in table 2. Table 1 :CE Projects by County (Year End Figures) County 2012 2013 2014...