Results 2,621-2,640 of 12,033 for speaker:Regina Doherty

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: EU Agreements (18 Oct 2017)

Regina Doherty: The proposed Interinstitutional Proclamation (i.e. between the EU Council, Commission and Parliament) on the European Pillar of Social Rights was published by the Commission in April of this year following an extensive Commission consultation throughout 2016 on the EU Pillar of Social Rights. Ireland has been fully engaged throughout the process, publishing a detailed response to the...

Questions on Promised Legislation (19 Oct 2017)

Regina Doherty: We have had this conversation about the report before and we might be speaking at cross-purposes. The report agreed to by the then Minister for Social Protection was around a proposal to move to a calculation approach taking in total contributions.

Questions on Promised Legislation (19 Oct 2017)

Regina Doherty: As the Deputy is aware, we will launch a public consultation in November. We all want the information sought by the Deputy in his question. My Department started last week to compile the relevant information with regard to the women, in the main, and men - they are 40% of the cohort - who are particularly disadvantaged as a result of changes in bands because of their average length in...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Carer's Benefit Applications (19 Oct 2017)

Regina Doherty: I confirm that my department received an application for carer’s benefit from the person concerned on 14 September 2017. The application is currently being processed and once completed, the person concerned will be notified directly of the outcome. I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Community Services Programme (19 Oct 2017)

Regina Doherty: As the Deputy is aware, the Community Services Programme (CSP) provides financial support to community companies that provide revenue generating services of a social inclusion nature. The CSP works on a social-enterprise model which means that it does not fully fund contract holders but requires that they generate revenue by charging fees or raising funds. All CSP recipients are obliged to...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Registration of Births (19 Oct 2017)

Regina Doherty: The registration of stillbirths was first provided for in the Stillbirths Registration Act 1994. The definition of a stillbirth contained in that Act was carried forward to the Civil Registration Act 2004. The registration of stillbirths is provided for in section 28 of the 2004 Act. When the 1994 Act was introduced it was primarily to afford comfort to the bereaved parents. For this...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Invalidity Pension Appeals (19 Oct 2017)

Regina Doherty: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 5 September 2017 and form SWAO1 requesting grounds of appeal was issued. The grounds of appeal were returned and in accordance with the statutory requirements of the appeals process the relevant Departmental papers and comments by the Deciding Officer on the grounds of...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Maternity Leave (19 Oct 2017)

Regina Doherty: I propose to take Questions Nos. 243 and 245 together. On 3 October 2017 I, together with my colleague the Minister for Justice and Equality, Charlie Flanagan T.D., announced increased maternity leave and maternity benefit for mothers whose babies are born prematurely. Under the new arrangements, in addition to the current 26 weeks of paid maternity leave a mother will be entitled to...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pension (Contributory) Eligibility (19 Oct 2017)

Regina Doherty: In order to qualify for a widow(er)’s or surviving civil partner’s (contributory) pension, the surviving spouse must be deemed, under Irish State Law, to be the legal widower of the deceased. The person concerned was previously married in Ireland and subsequently divorced in Northern Ireland. Where a divorce has been granted in another jurisdiction, including Northern Ireland,...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Fuel Allowance Eligibility (19 Oct 2017)

Regina Doherty: The application for fuel allowance of the person concerned has been reviewed on 18 October 2017. It has now been determined that the applicant is residing with a qualified person. As fuel allowance is a means-tested payment, the applicant has been requested to complete and return a means assessment form, with supporting documentation. On receipt, a decision will be made on the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits Eligibility (19 Oct 2017)

Regina Doherty: In order to have a person’s entitlement to state pension (contributory) or widow(er)’s or surviving civil partner’s (contributory) pension examined, a completed application form must be submitted to my Department. Both pension application forms have been posted to the person concerned. Application forms are also available to download from the Department’s website...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Jobseeker's Allowance Eligibility (19 Oct 2017)

Regina Doherty: In assessing means for social assistance payments including jobseeker’s allowance, account is taken of the value of capital and property belonging to the person and their spouse or partner. Capital includes moneys on hands or deposited in financial institutions while property includes the value of other assets such as bonds and equities as well as houses and other premises. Property...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Jobseeker's Allowance Eligibility (19 Oct 2017)

Regina Doherty: There is no statutory retirement age in the State, and the age at which employees retire is a matter for the contract of employment between them and their employers. The Social Welfare and Pensions Act 2011 provides that State pension age will be increased gradually to 68 years. This began in January 2014 with the standardising of State pension age for all at 66 years and the cessation...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Appeals (19 Oct 2017)

Regina Doherty: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 8 August 2017. 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 Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Exceptional Needs Payment Eligibility (19 Oct 2017)

Regina Doherty: No application for an Exceptional Needs Payment (ENP) has been received from the person concerned. An application form for Supplementary Welfare Allowance, together with a request for supporting documentation and the contact details of the department’s Community Welfare Service has been sent to the person concerned. Once a completed application for Supplementary Welfare Allowance has...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pension (Contributory) Eligibility (19 Oct 2017)

Regina Doherty: The person concerned is in receipt of a reduced rate state pension (contributory) based on an assessed yearly average of 19 contributions, covering the period July 1962 to December 2010. According to the records of my Department, the person concerned has no recorded contributions during the period 1967 to 1997. The person concerned has been requested on a number of occasions to provide...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Redundancy Payments (19 Oct 2017)

Regina Doherty: It is the employer’s responsibility to pay statutory redundancy and other wage related entitlements to all eligible employees. In the event that an employer is unable to pay these entitlements due to financial difficulties, the Department can step in to make a payment from the Social Insurance Fund, as part of the redundancy and insolvency payments schemes. When a payment is made...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Illness Benefit Costs (19 Oct 2017)

Regina Doherty: Illness benefit is a short term social insurance payment made to insured people who are unable to work due to illness. Normally payment of illness benefit begins from the seventh day of the illness; no payment is made for the first six days. These are known as “waiting days”. Waiting days have been a long standing feature of social insurance schemes and are a feature of...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Jobseeker's Allowance Payments (19 Oct 2017)

Regina Doherty: An officer of the Department conducted an interview with the homeowner of the address stated above. The homeowner confirmed that the person concerned does not reside at this address. A report has been forwarded to the deciding officer for decision and the person concerned will be advised of the outcome in due course. I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pension (Contributory) Applications (19 Oct 2017)

Regina Doherty: The person concerned is in receipt of a reduced rate state pension (contributory) based on an assessed yearly average of 35 contributions, covering the period from July 1970 to December 2016. The person concerned has a social insurance record of 1,625 reckonable contributions and credits. There are gaps in their insurance record for the years 1978 to 1989, from 1990 to 1992, and for the year...