Results 241-260 of 430 for 5 million speaker:Leo Varadkar

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

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 550, 560, 562, 565, 572 to 574, inclusive, and 577 together. In Budget 2017, I was pleased to increase the rate of Back to Education Allowance for those on age-related reduced rates of payment to €193 per week. This change will come into effect from the academic year commencing in September. The cost of increasing the reduced weekly rates of...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Child Benefit Data (21 Mar 2017)

Leo Varadkar: ...be paid in respect of children up to their 18th birthday who are in full-time education, or who have a disability. Child Benefit is currently paid to around 627,000 families in respect of some 1.2 million children, with an estimated expenditure in the order of over €2 billion in 2017. The estimated annual costs of increasing Child Benefit by €3, €5 and €10...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: State Pensions (21 Mar 2017)

Leo Varadkar: ...on pensions is approximately €7 billion per annum. Due to demographic changes, my Department's spending on older people is increasing year on year at an approximate rate of €1 billion every 5 years. Maintaining the rate of the State pension and other payments is critical in protecting people from poverty. As provided for in Budget 2012, from September 2012, new rate...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: State Pensions (21 Mar 2017)

Leo Varadkar: ...and Pensions Act 2011 provided that State pension age will be increased gradually to 68 years. This began in January 2014 with the abolition of the State pension (transition) available from 65 for those who satisfied the qualifying conditions, thereby standardising State pension age for all at 66 years, which is the current State pension age. This will increase to 67 in 2021 and to 68 in...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Fuel Allowance Expenditure (21 Mar 2017)

Leo Varadkar: The fuel allowance is a payment of €22.50 per week for 26 weeks from October to April, to 378,000 low income households, at an estimated cost of €229 million in 2017. The purpose of this payment is to assist these households with their energy costs. It represents a contribution towards those costs and is not intended to meet them in full. Only one allowance is paid per...

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

Leo Varadkar: ...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 year cost of a €15 increase €m Full year cost of a €20 increase €m Social...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: State Pension (Contributory) Eligibility (7 Mar 2017)

Leo Varadkar: ...social welfare rates. Expenditure on pensions, at approximately €7 billion each year, is the largest block of expenditure in my Department in the Estimate for 2017, representing approximately 35% of overall expenditure. Due to demographic changes, my Department’s spending on older people is increasing by approximately €200m year on year. Maintaining the rate of the...

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

Leo Varadkar: ...multiple competing offers. In 2013 the value of the telephone allowance was €114.00 per annum. The cost of restoring the allowance at 2013 levels is estimated to be in the region of €50 million per annum. The Government is keenly aware of the impact of Budget decisions on the Department’s clients, and strives to ensure that the money available is targeted in...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Household Benefits Scheme (1 Mar 2017)

Leo Varadkar: ...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 package for over 425,000 customers. The cost of the telephone allowance scheme had risen significantly each year, as the...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: State Pensions (1 Mar 2017)

Leo Varadkar: On Budget Day, I announced the first general increase in the weekly rates of payment since 2009, which builds on the €3 increase which was introduced for pensioners in Budget 2016. A €5 increase in the weekly rates of payment for all social welfare recipients will come into force this month, with proportionate increases for qualified adults and those on reduced rates of...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: State Pensions Reform (28 Feb 2017)

Leo Varadkar: ...and Pensions Act 2011 provided that State pension age will be increased gradually to 68 years. This began in January 2014 with the abolition of the State pension (transition) available from 65 for those who satisfied the qualifying conditions, thereby standardising State pension age for all at 66 years, which is the current State pension age. This will increase to 67 in 2021 and to 68 in...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: State Pensions Payments (21 Feb 2017)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 41 and 45 together. The overall concern in recent years has been to protect the value of weekly social welfare rates. Expenditure on pensions is approximately €7 billion per annum. Due to demographic changes, my Department’s spending on older people is increasing year on year at an approximate rate of €1 billion every 5 years....

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: State Pension (Contributory) (21 Feb 2017)

Leo Varadkar: ...of weekly social welfare rates. Expenditure on pensions, at approximately €7 billion, is the largest block of expenditure in my Department in the Estimate for 2017, representing approximately 35% of overall expenditure. Due to demographic changes, my Department’s spending on older people is increasing year on year. Maintaining the rate of the State pension and other...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: State Pensions (21 Feb 2017)

Leo Varadkar: ...and Pensions Act 2011 provided that State pension age will be increased gradually to 68 years. This began in January 2014 with the abolition of the State pension (transition) available from 65 for those who satisfied the qualifying conditions, thereby standardising State pension age for all at 66 years, which is the current State pension age. This will increase to 67 in 2021 and to 68 in...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Rent Supplement Scheme Data (2 Feb 2017)

Leo Varadkar: The rent supplement scheme plays a vital role in housing families and individuals, with the scheme currently supporting approximately 47,100 tenants for which the Government has provided €253 million for in 2017. In recognition of the ongoing housing supply difficulties, my Department continues to implement a targeted case-by-case policy approach that allows for flexibility where...

Other Questions: Farm Assist Scheme Administration (24 Jan 2017)

Leo Varadkar: ...changes mean that 70% of farm income will now be assessed as means, down from 100%, which is equivalent to a 30% income disregard, and an additional annual means disregard will be applied at €254 for each of the first two children and €381 for the third and subsequent children. The introduction of additional income disregards for farmers with children further ensures that...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Farm Assist Scheme Administration (24 Jan 2017)

Leo Varadkar: ...jobseeker’s allowance scheme such as the retention of secondary benefits and access to activation programmes. The 2017 Revised Estimates for my Department provide for expenditure of almost €83 million on the farm assist scheme. I am very pleased that, with the agreement of my colleagues in Government, Budget 2017 introduced new measures in relation to the assessment of...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Schemes (24 Jan 2017)

Leo Varadkar: ..., people with disabilities, carers, those who cannot work, urban, rural, young and old. More than 840,000 people will benefit from the first increase in weekly Social Welfare payments since 2009 and 650,000 from the €5 increase in the State pension. The Budget also set out to make work pay through reforms to the PRSI system, including a new deal for the self-employed and it...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: State Pensions (17 Jan 2017)

Leo Varadkar: ...and Pensions Act 2011 provided that State pension age will be increased gradually to 68 years. This began in January 2014 with the abolition of the State pension (transition) available from 65 for those who satisfied the qualifying conditions, thereby standardising State pension age for all at 66 years, which is the current State pension age. This will increase to 67 in 2021 and to 68 in...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Poverty Data (14 Dec 2016)

Leo Varadkar: The Eurostat Statistics on Income and Living Conditions 2014 show that the severe material deprivation rate for lone parent households in Ireland was 25.1% in 2014, reflecting a 7.2 percentage point decrease on the 2013 rate. This compares to an EU average of 19.2% in 2014. (See the following table) My Department estimates spending €500 million on the one-parent family payment (OFP)...