Results 19,481-19,500 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Other Questions: Family Income Supplement Eligibility (24 Jan 2017)

Leo Varadkar: I was not aware the Deputy was going to raise a particular issue around the Part 8 form and it was not in his original question. Accordingly, I am not in a position to answer directly today. However, we are obviously going to need some sort of mechanism to find out how many hours somebody worked. That is the basis to the payment. The Deputy suggested we replace the Part 8 form. With what...

Other Questions: Family Income Supplement Eligibility (24 Jan 2017)

Leo Varadkar: I will certainly take that into consideration as part of any changes we are going to make. Like I said, however, I am not entirely clear as to why an employer would refuse to fill out this form. Expenditure on FIS in 2000 was €39 million. It went up to €186 million in 2010 and will probably hit €413 million in 2016. This has been a significant expansion in the number...

Other Questions: State Pension (Contributory) (24 Jan 2017)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 52 and 53 together. The State pension is a valuable benefit and is the bedrock of the pension system. There are two State pensions. First, the State pension non-contributory is a means-tested pension funded from taxation. Second, the State pension contributory, which is not means-tested and is paid from the Social Insurance Fund. Accordingly, it is...

Other Questions: Unemployment Levels (24 Jan 2017)

Leo Varadkar: In our employment activation services, we try as much as possible to treat people as individuals rather than as part of a demographic group, whether old or young. Everybody is assessed and a probability of exit from unemployment, PEX, score is calculated, which indicates the probability of their finding employment without assistance. The focus is put on those who would find it most...

Other Questions: Unemployment Levels (24 Jan 2017)

Leo Varadkar: We have a particular concern with people who are unemployed in their 60s. Again, everybody's individual story is different. Somebody may have been working for decades and may have been made redundant in his or her 60s. Another person may be in his or her 60s and may not have worked for decades. This is a very different person, and that is why it is important to assess people individually....

Other Questions: Family Income Supplement Eligibility (24 Jan 2017)

Leo Varadkar: FIS is an in-work support which provides an income top-up for employees on low earnings who have children. FIS is designed to prevent in-work poverty for low-paid workers with child dependants and to offer a financial incentive to take up employment. In excess of 57,000 families with more than 127,000 children are in receipt of FIS. The estimated spend on FIS this year is approximately...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Local Employment Service (24 Jan 2017)

Leo Varadkar: The Department has contracted with 22 local employment service providers for 2017, the same number as in 2016, and funding for the provision of the service has also been maintained for 2017 at the 2016 level of €20 million. We have not cut the budget for local employment services. Local employment services form part of the State’s public employment service. This service is...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Local Employment Service (24 Jan 2017)

Leo Varadkar: This is not rocket science. The number of people who are unemployed has gone down by half. Unemployment was 15% and it is now approximately 7%, so of course the number of referrals has reduced. That is simple mathematics. There is half the number of unemployed people so obviously the number of referrals has gone down. As unemployment continues to fall, the number of referrals will...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Local Employment Service (24 Jan 2017)

Leo Varadkar: I apologise if the Deputy feels that I was condescending in some way. However, when one is talking about cuts in this area one is talking about a particular type of cut - the number of unemployed people being referred for support.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Local Employment Service (24 Jan 2017)

Leo Varadkar: If the number of people who are unemployed in a country halves, obviously there will be fewer referrals.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Local Employment Service (24 Jan 2017)

Leo Varadkar: Every time we have questions the Deputy cannot handle the answers. Of course, when unemployment is down by half there will be fewer referrals. Would the Deputy like us to refer the same people twice or to start referring people who are not unemployed? What is the Deputy seriously suggesting? With regard to the review, it is not ready for publication. It will be published when it is...

Other Questions: Unemployment Levels (24 Jan 2017)

Leo Varadkar: The Government’s primary strategy to tackle unemployment, including long-term unemployment and youth unemployment, is twofold. The Action Plan for Jobs supports continuing strong economic recovery and employment growth. Policies and actions to ensure unemployed people benefit from the increase in employment are set out in the strategy paper Pathways to Work 2016-2020. These policies...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Carer's Allowance Eligibility (24 Jan 2017)

Leo Varadkar: Of course I am concerned about any genuine cases being refused. That is why applicants can request a review and it is why they can also go to the appeals office. Applicants do go to the appeals office and have the decision changed. What is particularly different about the appeals system in Ireland relative to that in other countries is we allow applicants to introduce new information on...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Carer's Allowance Eligibility (24 Jan 2017)

Leo Varadkar: I cannot comment on an individual case of which I have no information or prior details, but I would encourage anyone who feels that he or she was assessed unfairly to seek a review or to appeal. That is why we have that system in place. The Deputy mentioned the delays in processing applications for carer's allowance. That is something on which I placed a strong focus in recent months...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Pensions Reform (24 Jan 2017)

Leo Varadkar: I have made pension reform a priority for my term as Minister for Social Protection. This includes an intention to develop a new supplementary retirement savings system for those workers without adequate savings for retirement. The rate of supplementary pension coverage in Ireland is estimated at only 35% of the working population when the private sector is considered in isolation. If...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Pensions Reform (24 Jan 2017)

Leo Varadkar: The reason I have held back on too much detail in this area is because the detail has yet to be worked out and anything that is done, as we will be aware from experience in other countries, needs to be done with a degree of political consensus. It is one of the issues that I hope the new labour-employer forum will consider this year. Indeed, the Government will ask it to do that. It is...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Pensions Reform (24 Jan 2017)

Leo Varadkar: On the timescale, based on other countries that have done this, such as the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Australia, people must be given a number of years' notice that this will happen because employers have to factor it into their business plans. As wage demands are being made, for example, these matters must be factored in. What they did in Australia, for example, instead of getting a...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Defined Benefit Pension Schemes (24 Jan 2017)

Leo Varadkar: I explained in my initial reply the difference between our regime and that of the UK. The Deputy has spoken passionately about his concerns for workers and his desire to do something for them. Will he consider the possibility that there may be unintended consequences of legislation such as he is proposing? Will he consider the situation of a company that is doing okay, is solvent and...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Defined Benefit Pension Schemes (24 Jan 2017)

Leo Varadkar: I will check to confirm this but, as far as I understand, the UK legislation has been in place for decades. It was introduced at a very different time when there were not such extensive liabilities arising from defined benefit pension schemes. Certainly, the pension protection fund has been in place for decades. I am not sure about the employer guarantee but I will check to confirm. I...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Carer's Allowance Eligibility (24 Jan 2017)

Leo Varadkar: The Government acknowledges the crucial role family carers play and is fully committed to supporting carers in that role. This commitment is recognised in both the programme for Government and the national carers strategy. Carer's allowance is a means-tested payment, made to people who are providing full-time care and attention to elderly people or people with disabilities and whose income...