Results 3,001-3,020 of 12,033 for speaker:Regina Doherty

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: School Meals Programme (22 Nov 2017)

Regina Doherty: The school meals programme provides funding towards the provision of food to schools and organisations at a total cost of some €47.5 million in 2017. As part of Budget 2017, the funding for the scheme was substantially increased by an additional €5.5 million which is benefitting up to 50,000 additional children from September 2017 bringing the total number of schools in the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Code (22 Nov 2017)

Regina Doherty: I propose to take Questions Nos. 231 and 232 together. Once a person has been granted status, they may apply for payments from my Department which are appropriate to their circumstances, on the same basis as Irish citizens. Such payments could include basic supplementary welfare allowance, jobseekers allowance or one-parent family payment and child benefit. Entitlement is assessed on the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Supplementary Welfare Allowance Eligibility (22 Nov 2017)

Regina Doherty: Under the supplementary welfare allowance (SWA) scheme, my Department may make a single exceptional needs payment (ENP) to help meet essential, once-off and unforeseen expenditure which a person could not reasonably be expected to meet out of their weekly income. ENPs made to persons in the direct provision system are largely towards clothing costs, transport costs and the purchase of...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Widow's Pension Eligibility (22 Nov 2017)

Regina Doherty: 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 widow of the deceased. The late husband of the person concerned was previously married in Ireland and subsequently divorced in the United Kingdom. In order for a foreign divorce to be recognised in this State, one of...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: JobPath Programme (22 Nov 2017)

Regina Doherty: As the Deputy will be aware, JobPath is a service that supports people who are long-term unemployed to secure and sustain paid employment. My Department has contracted two companies, Turas Nua Limited and Seetec Limited, to deliver JobPath services. The contracts are for six years, comprising two consecutive phases: phase one entails four years of client referrals while phase two entails a...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Jobseeker's Benefit (22 Nov 2017)

Regina Doherty: The jobseeker's benefit and jobseeker’s allowance schemes provide income support for people who have lost work and who are available for and genuinely seeking full-time employment. Jobseeker’s allowance is a means tested social assistance payment whereas jobseeker’s benefit is a contribution based insurance scheme. The 2017 Estimates for the Department provide for...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: JobPath Programme (22 Nov 2017)

Regina Doherty: It is planned to carry out a full econometric review of JobPath commencing end 2017 when participant numbers will have reached a level to support such an evaluation. The Department has recently published the JobPath Performance Data Report for the period July – March 2016, the results of which have been very positive. The report is available on the Departments website at . The...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals (22 Nov 2017)

Regina Doherty: I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that in light of additional evidence submitted, the Appeals Officer has completed a review of his original decision to disallow the appeal of the person concerned. Regrettably, the Appeals Officer did not find any new facts or fresh evidence which warranted a revision of his earlier decision. A detailed letter outlining the result of the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Jobseeker's Allowance Payments (22 Nov 2017)

Regina Doherty: The jobseeker's benefit and jobseeker’s allowance schemes provide income support for people who have lost work and who are available for and genuinely seeking full-time employment. Jobseeker’s allowance is a means tested social assistance payment whereas jobseeker’s benefit is a contribution based insurance scheme. The 2017 Estimates for the Department provide for...

Social Welfare Bill 2017: Order for Second Stage (23 Nov 2017)

Regina Doherty: I move: "That Second Stage be taken today."

Social Welfare Bill: Second Stage (23 Nov 2017)

Regina Doherty: I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time." The purpose of this Bill is to provide the legislative framework for the implementation of the social protection measures contained in budget 2018. It includes the provisions required to enable a €5 increase in the maximum rate of all weekly social welfare payments. It provides for a €2 increase for each qualified...

Social Welfare Bill: Second Stage (23 Nov 2017)

Regina Doherty: I am sorry to interrupt but will Deputy Brady correct the record? He has misled the House in his opening statement. He referred to the fact that this budget contains absolutely nothing for the 42,000 people who are suffering from a pension anomaly based on rate band changes in 2012. That is incorrect and I want him to withdraw it. They will benefit from the €5 increase in their...

Social Welfare Bill: Second Stage (23 Nov 2017)

Regina Doherty: Then the Deputy is misleading the Dáil.

Social Welfare Bill: Second Stage (23 Nov 2017)

Regina Doherty: That is not what the Deputy said. Is the Deputy going to continue to mislead the Dáil? That is misleading.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Applications (23 Nov 2017)

Regina Doherty: I confirm that my department received an application for carer’s allowance (CA) from the person concerned on 3 August 2017. The application was referred to a local social welfare inspector (SWI) to assess the level of care being provided, composition of the household, assess means and confirm that all the conditions for receipt of carer’s allowance are satisfied. Once the SWI...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Insurance Data (23 Nov 2017)

Regina Doherty: My Department is committed to providing a contribution record statement to all customers who require one. The main facility for accessing social insurance contribution statements is now online, via the MyWelfare.ie application. This service was introduced on 27 January 2017; and details of how to register are available at: . However, if any customer is not in a position to use the online...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Insurance Data (23 Nov 2017)

Regina Doherty: My Department is committed to providing a contribution record statement to all customers who require one. The main facility for accessing social insurance contribution statements is now online, via the MyWelfare.ie application. This service was introduced on 27 January 2017; and details of how to register are available at: . However, if any customer is not in a position to use the online...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes Supervisors (23 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 (23 Nov 2017)

Regina Doherty: I refer to the replies to the Deputy’s previous PQs about this matter. Reference Numbers 42721-17 and 47178-17 refer. The review of the case has been completed and communicated to the Deputy. Arrangements have been proposed for an amount of unpaid Rent Supplement to be paid directly to the landlord. I trust that this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Free Travel Scheme (23 Nov 2017)

Regina Doherty: The current free travel scheme provides free travel on the main public and private transport services for those eligible under the scheme. These include road, rail and ferry services provided by companies such as Bus Átha Cliath, Bus Éireann and Iarnród Éireann, as well as Luas and services provided by almost 80 private transport operators. There are currently...