Results 19,761-19,780 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Applications (13 Dec 2016)

Leo Varadkar: I confirm that my department received an application for carer’s allowance (CA) from the person concerned on 8 September 2016. The application was referred to a local social welfare inspector (SWI) to assess the level of care being provided, assess means and confirm that all the conditions for receipt of carer’s allowance are satisfied. Once the SWI has reported, a decision...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes Data (13 Dec 2016)

Leo Varadkar: JobPath is a relatively new approach whereby the Department has procured additional resources, under contract, to enable it to provide a high quality case-managed employment support service to people who are long-term unemployed. JobPath supplements the internal case management capacity of the Department’s Intreo service and the Local Employment Service. Over the past year, this...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: State Pension (Contributory) (13 Dec 2016)

Leo Varadkar: In social welfare legislation, the eligibility conditions for state pension (contributory) stipulate that an applicant must have entered insurable employment before attaining the age of 56 years, have at least 520 paid contribution weeks since entry into insurance, and: - (for a maximum rate pension) have a yearly average of 48 paid and/or credited contributions from 1979, or from their date...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Applications (13 Dec 2016)

Leo Varadkar: I confirm that my department received an application for carer’s allowance (CA) from the person concerned on 20 April 2016. The application was referred to a local social welfare inspector (SWI) to assess the level of care being provided, assess means and confirm that all the conditions for receipt of carer’s allowance are satisfied. I can confirm that the SWI has completed...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (13 Dec 2016)

Leo Varadkar: On Budget Day, I announced an 85% Christmas bonus, which was paid earlier this month to over 1.2 million beneficiaries of all the weekly schemes to which the bonus previously applied, such as pensioners, people with disabilities, carers, lone parents and long-term jobseekers. Family Income Supplement (FIS) recipients were never eligible for the bonus in the past and similar arrangements...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Disability Allowance Appeals (13 Dec 2016)

Leo Varadkar: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 14 September 2016. 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: Pensions Data (13 Dec 2016)

Leo Varadkar: The information requested is not available as my Department is not notified of the number of recipients of a secondary pension from the United Kingdom by the Department of Work and Pensions; nor is it notified of the number of recipients of a pension from other EU/EEA states. As a result of the bilateral social security agreement with the United States, the US authorities provide an annual...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Pensions Data (13 Dec 2016)

Leo Varadkar: My Department and the Revenue Commissioners have an ongoing relationship around the provision of services to the public and to secure the respective welfare and revenue systems against fraud. Arrangements between the two bodies, including the exchange of customer information and joint anti-fraud operations, are overseen by a High Level Group of officials drawn from both organisations which...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Pensions Data (13 Dec 2016)

Leo Varadkar: The only data formally notified to the Department by another EU/EAA State on this matter is from the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) in the United Kingdom. Since 2014, DWP sends the Department a complete list each year of the people residing in the State who are in receipt of a British Retirement Pension. This list is then matched against the Department’s records to identify...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Traveller Accommodation (13 Dec 2016)

Leo Varadkar: This is a matter for my colleague the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Rural Social Scheme Eligibility (13 Dec 2016)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 317 and 318 together. The Rural Social Scheme (RSS) is an income support initiative to provide part-time employment opportunities for farmers or fishermen who are in receipt of certain social welfare payments and are underemployed in their primary occupation. The work undertaken is primarily to support local service provision via community, voluntary and...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Pensions Reform (13 Dec 2016)

Leo Varadkar: In Ireland, occupational pension schemes are generally set up under trust and are maintained by the employer on a voluntary basis. The trust deeds and rules of a scheme differ from one to another and, as with any contractual situation, reflect the level of obligation on the parties involved. While the Pensions Act provides a framework for the regulation and supervision of occupational...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Departmental Legal Cases (13 Dec 2016)

Leo Varadkar: My Department is examining the relevant records to assess the feasibility of providing the Deputy with all of the information requested. The Deputy will be provided with the outcome of this exercise as soon as possible.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Farm Assist Scheme Applications (13 Dec 2016)

Leo Varadkar: In relation to the client's application for Farm Assist, a request for documentation was sent to the person concerned on 05/12/2016. When these documents are received and assessed by the Social Welfare Inspector, arrangements will be made to visit the farm to complete the means assessment and a decision on his claim will follow. I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: JobPath Implementation (13 Dec 2016)

Leo Varadkar: All jobseekers are required to engage with the Department's activation service and this obligation applies irrespective of whether the service is provided by the department's own case officers or those employed by the Local Employment Service or by JobPath. Participants on JobPath receive intensive individual support to help them tackle barriers to employment and to assist them in...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Departmental Properties (13 Dec 2016)

Leo Varadkar: While the Department of Social Protection has a presence in Government Buildings, Millennium Centre, Dundalk, the Revenue Commissioners are the main tenant of the building. As such they are responsible for arranging the opening and closing of the building. The Minister for Social Protection has therefore no statement to make on the matter.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Supplementary Welfare Allowance Data (13 Dec 2016)

Leo Varadkar: The following table shows jobseeker's allowance recipients as at the end of November 2016: Age Bands by Sex Duration <3mths 3-6mths 6-12mths 1-2yrs 2-3yrs >3yrs Grand Total Under 25 5961 3082 5374 5031 2411 2871 24730 M 3651 1840 3152 2909 1471 1700 14723 W 2310 1242 2222 2122 940 1171 10007 25-29 3867 2339 4357 4806 2760 10098 28227 M 2392 1394 2568 2838 1610 5890 16692...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits Data (13 Dec 2016)

Leo Varadkar: The information requested by the Deputy in relation to the number of persons that have availed of education, training and labour market activation programmes such as Tús and Gateway who were previously in receipt of the supplementary welfare allowance is not readily available in my Department. The Central Statistics Office publishes the number of persons who are participating on...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: JobPath Data (13 Dec 2016)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 333 to 335, inclusive, together. As the deputy will be aware, JobPath is an employment activation 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. JobPath supplements the internal case management capacity of my Department's Intreo...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Credit Union Services (13 Dec 2016)

Leo Varadkar: A Personal Micro Credit (PMC) Scheme providing for small scale loans by Credit Unions to borrowers who have difficulty accessing low cost credit was piloted in 30 credit unions for a six month period from November 2015. Over 1,200 loans were drawn down under the Scheme during the pilot with an overall value of over €720,000. The Programme for a Partnership Governmentprovides for the...