Results 1-20 of 46 for "direct provision" speaker:Leo Varadkar

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Direct Provision Data (28 Feb 2017)

Leo Varadkar: The direct provision allowance is a non-statutory payment administered by my Department on behalf of the Department of Justice and Equality to persons in the Direct Provision system. The Government has provided €3.7 million for the allowance in 2017. There are approximately 2,800 adults and 900 children residing in the system of direct provision in respect of whom the direct...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Direct Provision Data (21 Jul 2016)

Leo Varadkar: The direct provision allowance is a non-statutory payment administered by my Department on behalf of the Department of Justice and Equality to persons in the Direct Provision system. The Government has provided €3.6 million for the allowance in 2016. The number of claimants for direct provision allowance is difficult to predict as it is a demand led scheme. Currently there are some...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Direct Provision Payments (22 Nov 2016)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 66 and 98 together. A weekly direct provision allowance (DPA) is paid to asylum seekers who reside within the system of direct provision. DPA is administered by my Department’s Community Welfare Service (CWS) on an administrative basis on behalf of the Department of Justice and Equality at the weekly rate of €19.10 per adult and...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Direct Provision System (31 May 2016)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 464 and 515 together. Protection seekers are offered accommodation under the system of direct provision operated by the Reception & Integration Agency (RIA) of the Department of Justice and Equality. Those who accept direct provision are provided with accommodation, food and health services together with other facilities and services designed to...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Direct Provision Payments (11 Apr 2017)

Leo Varadkar: Protection seekers are offered accommodation under the system of direct provision operated by the Reception & Integration Agency (RIA) of the Department of Justice and Equality. Those who accept direct provision are provided with accommodation, food and health services together with other facilities and services designed to ensure their needs are met while seeking the protection of...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (1 Oct 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy and share her sentiments. Direct provision is far from ideal but we will never be in a position, nor will any other country, to provide a house or an apartment to everyone who comes into the country as an asylum seeker. That is just not possible and no country does that. The sad reality is that the alternative to direct provision is what happens in France, Germany,...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Direct Provision Data (22 Nov 2016)

Leo Varadkar: ...scheme, in terms of consistency throughout the country and of discretion when supporting LGBT people, and to the provision of on-site services by the Community Welfare Service (CWS) to residents in direct provision. I have provided the Deputy with a tabular statement containing further details of these recommendations and the status of their implementation. The Department continues to...

Select Committee on Social Protection: Social Welfare Bill 2016: Committee Stage (17 Nov 2016)

Leo Varadkar: ...State no longer automatically qualifies a person to Irish citizenship. We held a referendum on that and people voted overwhelmingly to remove that provision. I have noted the Deputy's comments on direct provision and he is correct to say there is no increase provided in the Bill for people in receipt of a direct provision payment. My Department administers the direct provision allowance...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (22 May 2019)

Leo Varadkar: ...on this but I will check it out and get back to the Deputy with a reply in the next couple of days, as best I can. Government acknowledges that there are many people who have been living in direct provision for far too long. A lot of that relates to the fact that we have a very slow system for deciding whether someone is allowed to stay in the country or not when they claim asylum....

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2017
Vote 37 - Social Protection (Revised) (18 May 2017)

Leo Varadkar: ...in the other areas. We anticipate that humanitarian aid will fall from €1.7 million to €500,000 because we hope there will not be any major floods or similar things in 2017. The allocation for direct provision is going down as well because the number of people in direct provision is decreasing. We are estimating a fall in things such as heat and light from €6.7...

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2016: Second Stage (29 Nov 2016)

Leo Varadkar: Similarly, policy decisions around direct provision are a matter for the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality under her legislation. I admire Senator Craughwell for his very brave advocacy on behalf of Oireachtas Members and judges who, of course, are among the most vulnerable groups in our society.

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2017
Vote 37 - Social Protection (Revised) (18 May 2017)

Leo Varadkar: It is broken down into four categories: exceptional and urgent needs; other supplements; humanitarian aid and direct provision allowance. The outturn for 2016 for exceptional needs payments, ENPs, and urgent needs payments, UNPs, was €32 million.

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Cabinet Committees (8 Oct 2019)

Leo Varadkar: ...issues relating to health and Sláintecare, education, children, equality, social inclusion; Irish language, arts and culture; and continued improvements and reform of public services. The issues of Direct Provision and the Irish Refugee Protection Programme are also covered.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (22 May 2019)

Leo Varadkar: ...McMahon on many occasions and I have had the privilege of attending some of the citizenship ceremonies with him. He did a very good piece of work in setting out what the standards should be for direct provision accommodation. We are implementing those standards but they are not fully implemented yet and we acknowledge that. The Department of Justice and Equality, the Refugee Integration...

Covid-19 (Taoiseach): Statements (4 Jun 2020)

Leo Varadkar: ...that we do not want to hear the experts. They have their own press conference every day and I think it is a good thing that is the case. It will not continue forever, but it will continue. On direct provision, I absolutely accept what Deputy Kelly said. Much direct provision accommodation is substandard and that needs to change. Some of it is of a good standard, such as own door...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (27 Sep 2016)

Leo Varadkar: The person concerned is currently residing in direct provision accommodation as provided by the Irish Refugee Protection Programme. The food and accommodation benefits attributed to this accommodation are deemed to be non-cash benefits, and for a single person are valued at €166.90 when assessing jobseeker allowance. In addition, the person concerned is also engaged in casual...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (5 Jul 2023)

Leo Varadkar: I do not want to comment on the individual case because I do not know all the information. However, we have a serious issue because thousands of people living in direct provision who have status are working and not paying any rent. That is not a tenable situation because we need those spaces for people who are new applicants for international protection. Single people, in particular, have...

Written Answers — Department of Trade, Enterprise and Employment: Covid-19 Pandemic (3 Nov 2020)

Leo Varadkar: ...than social, recreational, cultural or tourist purposes - operation of hotels or similar accommodation services providing essential accommodation (including accommodation for homeless persons and persons in direct provision, persons who are unable to reside in their usual place of residence due to reasons related to the spread of COVID-19 or otherwise) and related services - hotel or...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (1 Mar 2023)

Leo Varadkar: We will certainly take those suggestions under consideration. The Children's Rights Alliance gave us a B- last year for our plans to end the direct provision system and replace it with a not-for-profit accommodation model, which is Government policy. The report downgraded us to a D this year. That has happened because of a massive increase, a near trebling, in the number of people coming...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Prescriptions Charges (4 May 2016)

Leo Varadkar: ...community pharmacists, subject to a cap of €25 per month for each person or family. Prescription charges do not apply to children in the care of the Health Service Executive, asylum seekers living in direct provision, or to methadone supplied to patients participating in the Methadone Treatment Scheme. There are no plans to amend the prescription charge; however, the charge...