Results 9,601-9,620 of 12,033 for speaker:Regina Doherty

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection Remit and Legislative Agenda: Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection (28 Sep 2017)

Regina Doherty: The Attorney General has given me the advice that I do not have the legal authority to interfere in operational matters with regard to MABS.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection Remit and Legislative Agenda: Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection (28 Sep 2017)

Regina Doherty: That is actually irrelevant because it is an operational matter.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection Remit and Legislative Agenda: Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection (28 Sep 2017)

Regina Doherty: I will respond to questions on community employment schemes. Community employment schemes are probably the backbone of every single town and village in this country and there is not a town or village that is not benefiting from the services provided under those schemes, which probably should be provided by the State or by Departments. That work is of major value. In response to questions...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection Remit and Legislative Agenda: Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection (28 Sep 2017)

Regina Doherty: We held a briefing session on Tuesday of last week for Oireachtas Members, where we invited all Senators and Deputies to come and meet the officials in the audio visual, AV, room to discuss their concerns. The officials of my Department did that last week. We are willing to answer questions. There is an acknowledgement that there is extra expense on people with disabilities. I believe...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection Remit and Legislative Agenda: Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection (28 Sep 2017)

Regina Doherty: That is a valid point. The ruling on direct provision arising from the court's ruling. A working group was established by the Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy Charles Flanagan, a number of months ago to look at the outcome of that ruling. My officials sit on the working group, simply for the fact that whatever action comes from the working group has to acknowledge that with...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection Remit and Legislative Agenda: Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection (28 Sep 2017)

Regina Doherty: May I reply?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection Remit and Legislative Agenda: Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection (28 Sep 2017)

Regina Doherty: It is typical Sinn Féin style to attack the man or woman. Its name-calling last week was pathetic. It is classic Sinn Féin. When it is losing an argument because it does not have an argument, it resorts to personal attacks.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection Remit and Legislative Agenda: Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection (28 Sep 2017)

Regina Doherty: I am not ignorant.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection Remit and Legislative Agenda: Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection (28 Sep 2017)

Regina Doherty: Is it the Sinn Féin mantra to keep interrupting people? Is that what its Deputies and Senators receive in their briefings in the morning? Are they told "Go on out there, boys and girls, and make sure you interrupt all day"?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection Remit and Legislative Agenda: Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection (28 Sep 2017)

Regina Doherty: I will answer very clearly. If the Deputy would close his mouth for two minutes I might actually get a word in edgeways.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection Remit and Legislative Agenda: Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection (28 Sep 2017)

Regina Doherty: The Bill the Deputy is talking about went through extensive scrutiny by a committee last year. The Bill does not focus on low paid vulnerable workers because it requires that every worker in every sector of the economy be given additional hours on request unless the employer can prove there are financial difficulties. That goes no way to addressing the current situation which I am...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection Remit and Legislative Agenda: Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection (28 Sep 2017)

Regina Doherty: I thank the committee for having me here this morning for this engagement. I genuinely accept most of the contributions that have been made by the committee's members this morning. I value the input even of those I disagree with and I look forward to working with the committee in the future.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Rent Supplement Scheme Data (28 Sep 2017)

Regina Doherty: I propose to take Questions Nos. 262 and 266 together. Rent supplement plays a vital role in housing families and individuals, with the scheme currently supporting approximately 38,600 tenants for which the Government has provided €253 million for in 2017. The full annualised costs for 38,600 tenants at current blended rent supplement tenancy rates of €480 per month, is...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Dietary Allowance Applications (28 Sep 2017)

Regina Doherty: Diet supplement, administered under the supplementary welfare allowance (SWA) scheme, is payable to qualifying persons, in receipt of the supplement prior to February 2014, who have been prescribed a special diet as a result of a specified medical condition. There are currently fewer than 3,000 in receipt of the diet supplement of diet supplement at a cost of €4.6 million in 2017. ...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Data Protection (28 Sep 2017)

Regina Doherty: My Department has prepared responses to the list of questions submitted by the Data Protection Commissioner regarding the Public Services Card. These responses are currently being proofed and will issue to the Data Protection Commissioner shortly. Once the Data Protection Commissioner has had an opportunity to consider these responses they will be published on my Department’s website.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Applications (28 Sep 2017)

Regina Doherty: Carer's Allowance is a statutory, means-tested payment which provides an income support for carers who look after certain people in need of full-time care and attention. As is the case with most other means-tested social welfare payments, Carer’s Allowance is not payable on an extended basis to or in respect of persons outside the State, although legislation provides for the payment of...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes Review (28 Sep 2017)

Regina Doherty: Following the publication of my Department’s Report - An Analysis of the Community Employment Programme – earlier this year,the Government approved a number of changes to the terms and conditions around participation on Community Employment (CE). The main purpose of these changes was to broaden the availability of CE to a greater number of people on the live register, to...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Jobseeker's Allowance Eligibility (28 Sep 2017)

Regina Doherty: Retained (part-time) fire-fighters, provide services which are vitally important to their communities. Typically, these workers provide services in rural and less densely populated areas but larger urban centres may also have a cohort of part-time workers. Retained fire-fighters who are otherwise unemployed are entitled to a jobseeker’s payment in respect of days that they are...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: JobPath Programme (28 Sep 2017)

Regina Doherty: I propose to take Questions Nos. 269 to 271, inclusive, together. As the Deputy will be aware, JobPath is an employment activation service that supports people who are long-term unemployed and those most at risk of becoming long-term unemployed to secure and sustain paid employment. The service is delivered by two companies, Seetec Ltd and Turas Nua Ltd. For the purposes of the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: One-Parent Family Payment (28 Sep 2017)

Regina Doherty: On foot of the legislative commitment contained in the Social Welfare Act 2016 to carry out an independent report on the amendments to the one parent family payment, and following a tendering process, Indecon Economic Consultants were selected and commenced work on the report in April of this year. The contract requires Indecon to examine the financial, social, poverty and welfare...