Results 3,741-3,760 of 12,033 for speaker:Regina Doherty

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Money Advice and Budgeting Service Funding (6 Feb 2018)

Regina Doherty: As the Deputy is aware, the Citizens Information Board (CIB) is a statutory body established by the Oireachtas. In addition to its own statutory responsibilities in relation to information and advocacy service provision, it has statutory responsibility for the countrywide networks of Citizens Information Services (CIS) and the Money Advice and Budgeting Service (MABS). In February 2017,...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Parental Leave (6 Feb 2018)

Regina Doherty: Maternity benefit and paternity benefit are paid by my Department and are based on payment of PRSI contributions while working. The current entitlement to paid maternity leave is 26 weeks and the current entitlement to paid paternity leave is 2 weeks. The 2018 Estimates for my Department provide for expenditure of approximately €264 million on maternity benefit and €16 million...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Labour Activation Programmes (6 Feb 2018)

Regina Doherty: The JobBridge Scheme closed in 2016. JobPath is provided for long term unemployed jobseekers only; Jobseekers remain with the JobPath service for 52 weeks and if they are successful in finding work in that time, the JobPath service will provide in-work support for at least the first 13 weeks. While compliance with employment law is a matter for the employer, the JobPath customer can...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Labour Activation Programmes (6 Feb 2018)

Regina Doherty: The JobBridge Scheme closed in 2016. JobPath is provided for long term unemployed jobseekers only; Jobseekers remain with the JobPath service for 52 weeks and if they are successful in finding work in that time, the JobPath service will provide in-work support for at least the first 13 weeks. While compliance with employment law is a matter for the employer, the JobPath customer can...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Staff Data (6 Feb 2018)

Regina Doherty: There are no secondees from these companies working in my Department.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pensions (6 Feb 2018)

Regina Doherty: The purpose of credited contributions or “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 periods of unemployment or illness. Therefore in general credits can only be awarded where an individual has had a recent attachment to the workforce i.e. within...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pensions Reform (6 Feb 2018)

Regina Doherty: A policy to introduce the Total Contributions Approach (TCA) to pensions calculation was first adopted by Government in the National Pensions Framework in 2010, as was the decision to assess all new pensioners under this approach from around 2020. The Government at that time was aware that there would be some people who would benefit, and some people who would have a lower rate of...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: One-Parent Family Payment Payments (6 Feb 2018)

Regina Doherty: Since taking up my role as Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection last year, I have made it clear that my priorities include working families, and in particular, lone parents. In Budget 2018, I continued to improve the situation for lone parents through an increase to the income disregard of the One-Parent Family Payment (OFP) and the Jobseeker’s Transitional Payment...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pension (Contributory) (6 Feb 2018)

Regina Doherty: On 23 January, the Government agreed to a proposal that will allow pensioners affected by the 2012 changes in rate bands to have their pension entitlement calculated by a new “Total Contributions Approach”, TCA, which will include up to 20 years of a new HomeCaring credit. This approach is expected to significantly benefit many people, particularly women, whose work history...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: JobPath Data (6 Feb 2018)

Regina Doherty: All jobseekers are required to engage with the Department’s activation service and this obligation applies irrespective of whether the service is provided by the Department’s own case officers or those advisors employed by external contractors such as the Local Employment Services and JobPath service providers. Failure to engage without good cause may result in the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Labour Activation Programmes (6 Feb 2018)

Regina Doherty: Tús is one of a range of supports provided by my Department to cater for long-term unemployed jobseekers and those most distant from the labour market. It provides part-time temporary work in local communities, as a stepping-stone back to employment. However, it is important to note that these placements are not full-time sustainable jobs and are designed to break the cycle of...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Child Benefit Data (6 Feb 2018)

Regina Doherty: Child Benefit is a monthly payment made to families with children in respect of all qualified children up to the age of 16 years. The payment continues to be paid in respect of children up to their 18th birthday who are in full-time education, or who have a disability. Child benefit is currently paid to more than 627,000 families in respect of some 1.2 million children, with an estimated...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Supplementary Welfare Allowance Applications (6 Feb 2018)

Regina Doherty: A Supplementary Welfare Allowance, SWA, exceptional needs payment application was received from the person concerned on 1 February 2018. The application in this instance for funeral expenses has been refused by the designated person, as the applicants’ spouse is in full-time employment, and as the household income is above the SWA rate by €422.50 per week. The SWA rate for a...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: JobPath Data (7 Feb 2018)

Regina Doherty: JobPath is an employment service, designed to support people who are long-term unemployed to secure and sustain paid employment. The service is delivered by Turas Nua Limited in County Clare. Currently, circa 35 customers per week are referred by my Department to the JobPath service in County Clare. Through the service jobseekers have access to a personal adviser (PA) who works with...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pension (Contributory) Applications (7 Feb 2018)

Regina Doherty: My Department identifies customers who appear to have an entitlement to state pension (contributory), in advance of reaching pension age (currently 66 years of age), to invite them to make a timely application for pension. This customer service initiative is aimed at helping approx. 14,000 applicants annually to receive their pension entitlement by the due date (currently their 66thbirthday)...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: JobPath Programme (7 Feb 2018)

Regina Doherty: I propose to take Questions Nos. 286 and 293 together. The JobPath service is one of a range of activation supports provided by my Department to assist long-term unemployed jobseekers to secure and sustain full-time paid employment. Participants spend 52 weeks with the service, during which time they receive intensive individual support to help them address barriers to employment and to...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Public Services Card (7 Feb 2018)

Regina Doherty: Only bodies specified in legislation and currently included in Schedule 5 of the Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005 (as amended) or their agents can ask for and use the Public Services Card (PSC). The current proposal in Section 5 of the Social Welfare Bill does notchange this. That protection will remain if the legislative proposal is adopted. As the law currently stands, even if a...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Public Services Card (7 Feb 2018)

Regina Doherty: A Public Services Card (PSC) may be issued to a person who has successfully completed a SAFE 2 identity registration. The person’s Public Service Identity Dataset is verified as part of this process. Adopted people are treated in the same way as other individuals in terms of verification of identity. Name, date of birth, place of birth and mother’s birth surname are generally...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits Data (7 Feb 2018)

Regina Doherty: The information requested (where available) by the Deputy is detailed in the tabular statement. Social Welfare claims by average waiting times December 2017 Claim Processing Appeals Processing Scheme Average Waiting Time (weeks) Average processing times (weeks) Summary Decisions Average processing times (weeks) -Oral Hearings Carer’s Benefit 10 17.8 21.3 Carer's Allowance 17...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Labour Activation Measures (7 Feb 2018)

Regina Doherty: The Action Plan for Jobless Householdsis an example of one of the many measures that Government is implementing with a view to assisting people and families to become work ready and gain employment. Adults in jobless households are not all unemployed; they include people who are not seeking work for reasons such as disability or caring responsibilities. The plan therefore sets out to extend...