Results 2,421-2,440 of 12,033 for speaker:Regina Doherty

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

Regina Doherty: The Social Welfare (Consolidation) Act, 2005, as amended, makes provision for the carrying out of actuarial reviews of the Social Insurance Fund at five yearly intervals. The last actuarial review, as at 31 December 2010, was published in 2012. The fourth actuarial review, as at 31 December 2015, is currently being undertaken by external consultants. The review will project the income...

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 Chairman and members for the invitation to meet with them today. I look forward to working constructively with them in the weeks, months and years ahead. As they have requested, I will outline my priorities in the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection, including those arising from the expansion of the Department's remit into employment affairs. I will also, as...

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 was probably remiss of me not to thank the Chairman for the amount of reports that the committee had sent me in recent months. I hope that members will see that I have read them and have taken heed, given my public utterances about my intentions regarding some of them. I must say that I found the reports published by this committee to be very valuable, particularly those on lone parents...

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: Absolutely. At the end of the day there is a greater reduction in our unemployment figures, which has obviously made some savings. A large chunk of that has however been eaten up by the increase in people of pensionable age. To be clear then: there will be savings at the end of the year but they will go back to central Exchequer funds and will be distributed in accordance with whatever...

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 said €198. The Deputy has my figures wrong.

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: Obviously, we will be looking to keep the moneys we have and I do not anticipate that our budget will be reduced next year. It will be in line with what we had this year. As I said, just because there is a drop in one column does not mean it is not taken up in another column. We anticipate we will have the same amount of money next year. I am not sure we can call the pension issue...

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 was not passed without debate.

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 legislation went through all Stages of debate, as do all items of legislation, so there was ample debate on its passage. I will try to find employment for older people who want to work. That the legislation was passed is an acknowledgement that people are living longer and healthier and perhaps we must get industry to recognise that 65 is an arbitrary retirement age and people of 65, 66...

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 not just my ambition to extend the same employment rights and social insurance rights to the self-employed as enjoyed by those who are employed. Senator Butler has been talking about this for years and work on this was started by the previous Minister. It will not all happen in this budget and I am sorry if I gave Senator Ardagh that impression. Last year, hearing, eye and dental...

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 practice has been embedded in people's minds for donkey's years and we need to change that. The only way to change that is to lead by example. If we can do something as a State to change people's mindset and, for example, encourage them to put off their retirement by incentivising them, a separate body of work will need to be done. The State will have to lead by example because it is...

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 no problem. The Senator also raised the old age pension increase and the increase in hours for social welfare recipients. Changes to the schemes we operate or payments we make will be considered in the context of the budgetary negotiations we are having and input is very much welcome from people. She will see the fruits of those negotiations in the next ten days. Fingers crossed...

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: If Senator Butler does not mind, I will respond to the questions in reverse order. I will also talk about self-employed people in the context of what Senator Butler raised, if Deputy Carey does not mind, starting with the Christmas bonus. As I think I said to other Deputies, that will be discussed in the context of the overall budget. Those deliberations will not be concluded for the next...

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 Chairman. I will go backwards again and address Deputy Kenny's points first. I know last year's campaign was new, but the practice employed by the Department to seek out people who are claiming benefits to which they are not entitled is not. We have always had officers and inspectors to spot check or follow up referrals made to the Department from people in communities. They...

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 already know I will not agree with what Deputy Kenny thinks, but I will watch it and come back to him. In reply to Deputy O'Dea, my advice is that the legislation would not overarch any current contract law, but I will ask again. I am not opposed to doing it and I do not think anyone else is either. It would be easier than the method I would have to employ in my head, which is to lead...

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 Deputy because that is not the will of the Department. The reason it is there is to ensure that we support the people who are receiving a welfare payment while working. The whole ethos of the Department is activation for people who can work part-time or full-time. It is certainly not to see people stuck for a few weeks. That makes no sense. We empower our Intreo offices and...

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 Deputy might let me know. The contract that exists between this taxpayers' money and those who need help at certain times is there to support them, not to make their situations any more difficult than they are already. Without answering the question Deputy O'Dea asked on the specific legislation, the best thing for me to tell him is that I am currently seeking advice on the...

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 deal with that issue first, and I know other people raised it. There were five years of consultation before the decision was made. People are stating that it was rushed through or they were not consulted. For five years the boards of MABS and CIB consulted with their members and volunteers over changing the process. With regard to the consultation that is going ahead now, and which...

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: Not at all. I accept what the Chairman says but I do not agree with it, if that makes sense to him.

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 being disrespectful to the Chairman, but there are a small number of representatives who are upset with the changes. Given the large numbers of volunteers and people who work in the two organisations, the overwhelming majority of people accept the process changes that are being made. They recognise the reasons those changes are being recommended by the board, having spent five...

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: If I am allowed to answer the question without Deputy Brady jumping down my throat-----