Results 2,841-2,860 of 12,033 for speaker:Regina Doherty

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals Delays (7 Nov 2017)

Regina Doherty: I am advised by the Chief Appeals Officer that the management of appeal processing times is a key priority which is kept under constant scrutiny. Tables showing the average appeal processing times for all appeals determined from 2014 to date in 2017 broken down by all social welfare scheme types are attached below. The Deputy will be aware from previous replies that significant effort and...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Pension Provisions (7 Nov 2017)

Regina Doherty: The national pensions framework proposed that a total contribution approach should replace the yearly average approach. Under this approach, the rate of pension paid would more closely reflect the total number of contributions, and anomalies of the nature raised by the Deputy would no longer arise. The position of those who have gaps in their records is being carefully considered in...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits Data (7 Nov 2017)

Regina Doherty: The information requested (where available) by the Deputy is detailed at the following link:

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals Data (7 Nov 2017)

Regina Doherty: The link that follows provide the details which have been requested by the Deputy in respect of 2016 and to date in 2017. The schemes with the highest number of appeals to the Social Welfare Appeals Office in 2016 and to date in 2017 were - disability allowance (4 ,912 in 2016/4,337 in 2017), carer’s allowance (3,887 in 2016/2,893 in 2017 ), jobseeker’s allowance - means (2,050...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Community Welfare Services Provision (7 Nov 2017)

Regina Doherty: County Kildare is administered by 3 separate departmental divisions, for the purposes of the provision of community welfare services to its customers. Each division has its own arrangements in place for the provision of such services depending upon specific regional needs, resources and customer requirements. Recent developments in the community welfare service allow staff to concentrate...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Unemployment Levels (7 Nov 2017)

Regina Doherty: The official measure of unemployment is sourced from the Quarterly National Household Survey (QNHS). Measures of unemployment from the QNHS are based on International Labour Office (ILO) definitions. To be ‘ILO unemployed’ a person must in the week before the survey be without work but available for work and have recently taken specific job-search steps. The Live Register,...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Rent Supplement Scheme (7 Nov 2017)

Regina Doherty: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1288 and 1289 together. Rent supplement plays a vital role in housing families and individuals, with the scheme currently supporting some 36,200 recipients at a cost of €253 million in 2017. A county breakdown of rent supplements recipients is provided in the tabular statement. A breakdown by local authority is not available. In recognition of the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Code (7 Nov 2017)

Regina Doherty: The term 'cohabitant' is defined in the social welfare code in accordance with Section 172 (1) of the Civil Partnership and Certain Rights and Obligations of Cohabitants Act, 2010. This Act defines a cohabitant as “one of 2 adults (whether of the same or the opposite sex) who live together as a couple in an intimate and committed relationship and who are not related to each other...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Pension Provisions (8 Nov 2017)

Regina Doherty: Community Employment (CE) scheme supervisors are employees of private companies in the community and voluntary sector. The State is not responsible for funding pension arrangements for such employees even where the companies in question are reliant on State funding. It is open to individuals to make provision for a pension by way of PRSA which all employers are obliged to facilitate. ...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Rent Supplement Scheme Payments (8 Nov 2017)

Regina Doherty: I refer to the reply to the Deputy’s previous PQ about this matter. Reference Number 42721-17 refers. The planned review of the case is currently underway but is not yet completed. A response will be provided shortly to the Deputy in this regard. I trust that this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Fuel Allowance Eligibility (8 Nov 2017)

Regina Doherty: The fuel allowance is a payment of €22.50 per week from October to April, to 376,000 low income households to assist them with their energy costs. The allowance represents a contribution towards the energy costs of a household. It is not intended to meet those costs in full. Only one allowance is paid per household. The criteria for Fuel Allowance are framed in order to direct...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments Administration (8 Nov 2017)

Regina Doherty: I can confirm that the person concerned is currently in receipt of carer’s allowance (CA) at the weekly rate of €209.00. From 30 November 2017 this rate is set to increase to €247.00 weekly as he will have reached State pension age. However, I note that the person concerned has made an application for state pension contributory (SPC). Normally two social welfare income...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Pensions Data (8 Nov 2017)

Regina Doherty: The information requested (where available) by the Deputy is detailed in the attached tabular statement. Scheme recipients by sex at 31 October 2017 Scheme Male Female Total State Pension Contributory 247,014 144,984 391,998 State Pension Non-Contributory 36,726 58,269 94,995 Widow's, Widower's and Surviving Civil Partner's Pension (Contributory) 17,931 103,212 121,143 Death Benefit 14...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Fraud Data (8 Nov 2017)

Regina Doherty: The social welfare fraud awareness campaign from earlier this year was designed to encourage a discussion and debate about social welfare fraud and to challenge the perceptions of those who see it as a victimless crime, while promoting the Department’s online and telephone fraud-reporting services. It was also aimed at demonstrating the considerable work undertaken by the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pension (Contributory) Eligibility (8 Nov 2017)

Regina Doherty: According to the records of my Department, the person concerned has a total of 442 paid full-rate social insurance contributions. As this is less than 520 full-rate social insurance contributions, one of the qualifying conditions for state pension (contributory), the person is not entitled to the state pension (contributory) and was notified in writing of this decision on 23 November 2015. ...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Supplementary Welfare Allowance Eligibility (8 Nov 2017)

Regina Doherty: The person concerned was in receipt of illness benefit from 18/6/16 until 27/5/17. He received an interim payment of supplementary welfare allowance (SWA) for one week while his claim for jobseekers allowance was processed and he has been in receipt of jobseekers allowance with effect from 29/5/17. In addition, the person concerned submitted an application for invalidity pension with...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Invalidity Pension Appeals (8 Nov 2017)

Regina Doherty: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 23 October 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: Social Welfare Rates (8 Nov 2017)

Regina Doherty: The findings of the recent National Council for the Blind of Ireland (NCBI) and Vincentian Partnership for Social Justice (VPSJ) report on a minimum essential standard of living (MESL) for a single adult with vision impairment have been made available to my Department. The results of this research are a useful contribution to analysis on the issue of income adequacy in general. This...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Appeals (8 Nov 2017)

Regina Doherty: Carer's Allowance (CA) is a means-tested social assistance payment, made to a person who is providing full-time care and attention to a person who has a disability such that they require that level of care. The Department periodically reviews claims in payment to ensure that there is continued entitlement. Following a review in this case it was determined that the evidence did not indicate...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Applications (9 Nov 2017)

Regina Doherty: I confirm that the Department received an application for Carer's Allowance (CA) from the person concerned on 23 June 2017 in respect of her parents. It is a condition for receipt of a CA that the person being cared for must have a disability whose effect is that they require full-time care and attention. This is defined as requiring from another person, continual supervision and frequent...