Results 3,301-3,320 of 12,033 for speaker:Regina Doherty

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes Administration (12 Dec 2017)

Regina Doherty: The organisation referred to by the Deputy has contacted my Department regarding Community Employment (CE) scheme places. Local divisional staff from my Department will be in contact with them regarding their CE request with a view to meeting them in the near future where the options, including the process of making an application for a new CE scheme, will be discussed. In addition, the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments Administration (12 Dec 2017)

Regina Doherty: The person concerned has been in receipt of jobseeker’s benefit since 1/9/17. Jobseeker’s benefit is a short term payment. Only customers in receipt of long term payments qualify for the Christmas bonus. I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Overpayments (12 Dec 2017)

Regina Doherty: The person concerned was assessed with an overpayment of €1,890.00 on her one parent family payment claim for the period 5 January 2017 to 12 July 2017 by a Deciding Officer of the Department. The overpayment resulted due to an undeclared increase in means from employment. The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned has been registered...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Domiciliary Care Allowance Data (12 Dec 2017)

Regina Doherty: The refusal rates for Domiciliary Care Allowance claims for the last 3 complete years, 2014 to end August 2017 are outlined as follows: Year Applications Received Approved Not approved Percentage refused 2014 5743 3104 2062 36% 2015 6422 4186 2102 33% 2016 7434 4996 1683 23% 2017*  *To end of August 5772 3801 970 17%

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Rent Supplement Scheme Payments (12 Dec 2017)

Regina Doherty: The person concerned was requested to provide the Department with relevant documentation regarding her Rent Supplement claim on 6/9/17. This documentation has not, to date, been received by the Department. On receipt of same, the rent claim for the person concerned will be re-assessed. I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Humanitarian Assistance Scheme (12 Dec 2017)

Regina Doherty: The Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government is the lead Department for severe weather emergencies and the Office of Public Works has responsibility for capital flood relief activities. However, my Department has an important role to play in assisting households in the immediate aftermath of emergency events such as flooding. The purpose of the humanitarian assistance scheme...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Insurance (12 Dec 2017)

Regina Doherty: All workers pay PRSI on their earnings from employment or self-employment. In the case of individuals who have more than one income source, PRSI is generally paid on all forms of income. Prior to 2013, exemptions from PRSI applied to the self-employed income of specific groups. These exemptions have since been abolished. Since 2013, modified rate employees contributors (i.e....

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes Administration (12 Dec 2017)

Regina Doherty: Community Employment (CE) projects operate on annual rolling contracts. The CE project year is divided into 13 four-week pay cycles. As part of the contract, the CE project is given an advance payment at the project commencement (called the Initial Grant) equivalent to 8 weeks estimated wages to cover the initial wages for the Supervisor and participants (who are paid on a current week...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Reports (12 Dec 2017)

Regina Doherty: Ireland’s fifteenth report on the implementation of the European Social Charter was submitted to the European Committee of Social Rights on 31 October 2017. National reports under the European Social Charter, including those from Ireland, are published on the Council of Europe’s website and are available to view and download at the following link: It is planned to make...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Insurance Payments (12 Dec 2017)

Regina Doherty: The purpose of credited contributions (credits) is to protect social insurance entitlements by bridging gaps in an employee’s social insurance record, where they are not in a position to pay PRSI, such as for period of unemployment, illness or in receipt of certain payments, including carer’s allowance. In isolation, credits do not give entitlement to social insurance...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pension (Contributory) (12 Dec 2017)

Regina Doherty: The National Pensions Framework proposed that a total contribution approach should replace the yearly average approach to the calculation of the State Pension (contributory). Under this approach, the rate of pension paid would more closely reflect the total number of Social Insurance contributions made by a person throughout her or his working life and the incongruities of the Yearly...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: JobPath Data (13 Dec 2017)

Regina Doherty: A public procurement process for the provision of the JobPath service was conducted in accordance with EU and Irish procurement rules. On 12 December 2013, my Department published a Prior Information Notice (PIN) and a request for tenders (RFT) notice on both the Government etenders website(www.etenders.gov.ie)and on the website of the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU). That...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes Supervisors (13 Dec 2017)

Regina Doherty: I propose to take Questions Nos. 237 to 239, inclusive, and 241 together. Community Employment (CE) schemes are typically sponsored by groups (known as CE sponsors) wishing to benefit the local community. The CE sponsoring organisations are the legal employers of CE supervisors and assistant supervisors. My Department is committed to modernising its service delivery and developing systems to...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes Review (13 Dec 2017)

Regina Doherty: Following the publication, earlier this year, of my Department’s Report - An Analysis of the Community Employment Programme - the Government approved a number of changes to the terms and conditions of participation on CE. The main purpose of the changes is to broaden access to CE to a wider range of people. The changes saw the general qualifying age for CE, for those on the live...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes Supervisors (13 Dec 2017)

Regina Doherty: Community Employment (CE) Sponsoring Organisations are the legal employers of CE Supervisors. The Department funds the statutory holiday entitlement for CE Supervisors which, depending on the hours worked, is usually 20 days plus public holidays. There has been no change to the number of annual leave days funded for CE Supervisors since the Department took on responsibility for the CE...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes Supervisors (13 Dec 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 and the Department was neither party to or bound by the Labour Court Recommendation (LCR19293). It is open to individuals to...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes Supervisors (13 Dec 2017)

Regina Doherty: My Department provides funding to Community Employment (CE) Sponsoring Organisations on the basis of an annual contract agreement. The CE Sponsors are the legal employers of CE supervisors and the duration for which the Sponsor contracts with the supervisor is a matter between the two parties. However, the Department provides funding for the duration of the agreement (1 year). It is...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Household Benefits Scheme (13 Dec 2017)

Regina Doherty: The household benefits package (HHB) comprises the electricity or gas allowance, and the free television licence. My Department will spend approximately €232 million this year on the household benefits package for over 434,000 customers. The package is generally available to people living in the State, aged 66 years or over who are in receipt of a social welfare type payment or who...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pension (Contributory) Eligibility (13 Dec 2017)

Regina Doherty: The person concerned was awarded maximum personal rate of state pension (contributory) from 18 February 2017, their 66th birthday. An increase for qualified adult was not awarded at that time as the person’s spouse was in receipt of a social welfare payment at a higher rate in their own right. Written notification of these decisions issued to the claimant on 17 January 2017. The...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Staff Redeployment (13 Dec 2017)

Regina Doherty: My Department is committed to providing a quality service to all its customers. This includes ensuring that applications are processed and that decisions on entitlement are made as quickly as possible. The staffing needs for all areas within the Department are continuously reviewed, taking account of workloads, management priorities and the competing demands arising, to ensure that the best...