Results 3,921-3,940 of 12,033 for speaker:Regina Doherty

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals Waiting Times (20 Feb 2018)

Regina Doherty: All claim decisions taken by the Department’s deciding officers are appealable to the Chief Appeals Officer. In any year about 85% of all claims are awarded and just 1% are appealed. Nevertheless, the Department is concerned that these cases are dealt with as quickly as possible. Accordingly, significant efforts and resources have been devoted to reforming the appeal process in...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: JobPath Programme (20 Feb 2018)

Regina Doherty: As the Deputy is aware JobPath is one of a range of activation services provided by my Department to support and assist long term unemployed jobseekers to find full time sustainable employment. All of the activation services available, either directly from Intreo Case Officers or the external contractors such as the JobPath and Local Employment Service companies provide information and...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Humanitarian Assistance Scheme (20 Feb 2018)

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. My Department has an important role to play in assisting households in the immediate aftermath of emergency events. My Department immediately activated the humanitarian assistance scheme,...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: JobPath Programme (20 Feb 2018)

Regina Doherty: I propose to take Questions Nos. 82 and 95 together. JobPath is one of a range of activation supports, including employment schemes such as Community Employment (CE) and Tús, catering for unemployed jobseekers. Long term unemployed jobseekers who are not engaged with any other activation scheme or service are referred by my Department to the JobPath service to receive intensive...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Family Support Services (20 Feb 2018)

Regina Doherty: The Working Family Payment (formerly known as the Family Income Supplement (FIS) scheme) is an in-work support which provides an income top-up for low-earning employees with children and offers a financial incentive to take-up employment. It currently benefits over 58,000 families with almost 129,000 children, with an estimated spend in 2018 of approximately €431 million. I agreed...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pension (Contributory) Eligibility (20 Feb 2018)

Regina Doherty: I propose to take Questions Nos. 85 and 87 together. The farm assist scheme was introduced in 1999 to provide income support for low income farmers. It replaced the former smallholders’ unemployment assistance payment. In line with the then existing arrangements for unemployment assistance (including smallholders) and pre-retirement allowance, the income of farm assist recipients...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Jobseeker's Allowance Eligibility (20 Feb 2018)

Regina Doherty: The main social welfare schemes for unemployed persons are the jobseeker’s allowance and benefit schemes which provide income support for people who have lost work and are unable to find alternative full-time employment. Both schemes already provide significant support to individuals so that they can work up to 3 days a week and still retain access to a reduced jobseeker’s...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Jobseeker's Allowance Eligibility (20 Feb 2018)

Regina Doherty: Jobseeker’s allowance is a means tested payment and a person must satisfy the scheme conditions which include a means test and being available for full-time work. All jobseeker allowance claims including an actor’s claim are subject to review. A person’s entitlement to jobseeker’s allowance is reviewed on a continuing basis to ensure that they continue to satisfy...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Offices (20 Feb 2018)

Regina Doherty: The Department currently has 58 Social Welfare Branch Offices at various locations throughout the country. Each Branch Office is operated and managed, under a contract for services, by a Branch Manager who is required to act as an agent for the Department in the area served by the office. Branch Office managers operate on a contract for service and are independent contractors. The Contract...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes Eligibility (20 Feb 2018)

Regina Doherty: Currently there is a provision which allows Community Employment (CE) participants aged 62 or over to apply to extend their participation on CE beyond the standard participation time limits, providing the eligibility conditions of CE are met. Participants aged 62 or over are allowed to participate on a continuous basis up to the State Pension age, subject to satisfactory performance on the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Pensions Reform (20 Feb 2018)

Regina Doherty: Pensions reform is a Government priority and I can confirm an intention to publish and commence the implementation of a pensions reform plan in the coming weeks. This reform plan will detail measures to reform both our State and supplementary pension systems. Perhaps the two most fundamental reform measures contained within this plan will relate to the introduction of the ‘Total...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Labour Court (20 Feb 2018)

Regina Doherty: I propose to take Questions Nos. 93, 552 and 553 together. The Labour Court determination in question involves a case where the Court, in exercising its independent and quasi-judicial functions, found against an employer in the horse racing industry in relation to breaches of the working time legislation. The Organisation of Working Time Act 1997 (the 1997 Act) sets out statutory...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Unemployment Levels (20 Feb 2018)

Regina Doherty: The first publication of the Labour Force Survey which replaces the Quarterly National Household Survey (QHNS) was released on 16, January 2018 and is the official measure of unemployment. The most recent data shows that unemployment has fallen from a peak of 15% in 2012 to 6.7% by Q.3 2017. Within the South East region, which includes Wexford, unemployment has fallen from a peak of 19.0%...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Paternity Leave Data (20 Feb 2018)

Regina Doherty: Paternity benefit was introduced from 1stSeptember 2016 and provides a payment in respect of two weeks paternity leave to be taken within 26 weeks of the birth of the baby. In the period from the commencement of the scheme up to the end of 2017 a total of 31,071 people have availed of this leave and have been awarded and paid paternity benefit. The table below shows a breakdown by county of...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Employment Rights (20 Feb 2018)

Regina Doherty: The two main social welfare schemes in my Department for individuals who are unemployed or unable to find full-time work are jobseeker’s benefit and jobseekers allowance. The 2018 Estimates for my Department provide for expenditure this year on the jobseeker’s schemes of €2.17 billion. An Taoiseach, in his previous role as Minister for Social Protection, gave a...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Youth Employment Initiative (20 Feb 2018)

Regina Doherty: I intend to introduce the new Youth Employment Support Scheme (YESS) in June of this year. The scheme will be targeted at young people aged 18 to 24 who are long-term unemployed or who face barriers to employment. It aims to provide them with the opportunity to learn basic work and social skills in a supportive environment while on a work placement. It will be open to people getting a...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Citizen Information Services (20 Feb 2018)

Regina Doherty: The aim of the decision by the Board of the Citizens information Board (CIB) to restructure local Citizens Information Services (CIS) and Money Advice and Budgeting Service (MABS) company boards is to improve the governance arrangements with its downstream service delivery partners. It must be remembered that citizen centric CIS and MABS services are 100% funded by the Exchequer. It is...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Data Protection (20 Feb 2018)

Regina Doherty: I propose to take Questions Nos. 100 and 101 together. I am assuming that the Deputy is referring to security of the data relating to the Public Services Card. The purpose of the Public Services Card (PSC) is to enable individuals to gain access to public services more efficiently and with a minimum of duplication of effort, while at the same time preserving their privacy to the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Redundancy Payments (20 Feb 2018)

Regina Doherty: It is the employer’s responsibility to pay statutory redundancy and other wage related entitlements to all eligible employees. An eligible employee is entitled to two weeks statutory redundancy payment for every year of service, plus a bonus week. Compensation is based on the worker’s length of reckonable service and reckonable weekly remuneration, subject to a ceiling of...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Rural Social Scheme (20 Feb 2018)

Regina Doherty: Deputies on all sides of the House are fully aware of the positive benefits derived from schemes like the Rural Social Scheme (RSS). In recognition of the crucial work undertaken in rural communities under the scheme, and as part of the social welfare budget package for 2018, I announced an increase in the weekly rate of payment for participants from March together with an additional 250...