Results 3,981-4,000 of 12,033 for speaker:Regina Doherty

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

Regina Doherty: Rent supplement plays a vital role in housing families and individuals, with the scheme supporting some 33,400 recipients for which the Government has provided €180 million for in 2018. Continued entitlement to rent supplement is not linked to entitlement to other social welfare schemes, however the rent supplement claim may be reviewed following a decision to suspend or disallow...

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

Regina Doherty: Irish youth unemployment has fallen from a peak of 31.2% in 2012 to 13.7% in January 2018. Irish youth unemployment has thus fallen from well above the EU average in 2012 (23%) to well below the current figure EU figure of 19.1%. The long-term unemployment rate for young people has fallen from over 15% at peak to below 4% in the third quarter of 2017. Youth unemployment figures can be...

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

Regina Doherty: Government policy to reduce unemployment is twofold. First, through policies set out in the Action Plan for Jobs, to create an environment in which business can succeed and create jobs; and second, through Pathways to Work to ensure that as many of these new jobs and other vacancies that arise in our economy are filled by people taken from the Live Register, and in particular the long-term...

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

Regina Doherty: I understand the Deputy’s question relates to the outcome of appeals made to the Social Welfare Appeals Office over the past four years. The Social Welfare Appeals Office functions independently of the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection and of the Department and is responsible for determining appeals against decisions in relation to social welfare entitlements. The...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Payments (21 Feb 2018)

Regina Doherty: Carer's allowance (CA) is a means-tested social assistance payment made to a person who is habitually resident in the State and who is providing full-time care and attention to a person who has such a disability that they require that level of care. Once claims are in payment, the Department periodically reviews them to ensure that there is continued entitlement. Depending on the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pension (Contributory) (21 Feb 2018)

Regina Doherty: According to the records of my Department the person concerned has a social insurance record of 703 full rate insurance contributions and credits covering the period 1965 to the end of December 2014. The person concerned is in receipt of a reduced rate state pension (contributory) based on their assessed yearly average of 15 contributions. In arriving at this yearly average account was...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Public Services Card Availability (21 Feb 2018)

Regina Doherty: There are over 100 of the Department’s offices nationally where customers can complete in-person registration to SAFE level 2. Details of the offices are provided in tabular form below. SAFE level 2 is the minimum level for the issue of a Public Services Card as a physical token of authenticated identity. There is at least one SAFE location in every county and it would be the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Exceptional Needs Payment Data (21 Feb 2018)

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 expenditure which a person could not reasonably be expected to meet out of their weekly income. The Department may make an urgent needs payment (UNP) to a person who may not normally qualify for SWA but who have an urgent need which they...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes Supervisors (21 Feb 2018)

Regina Doherty: I propose to take Questions Nos. 209 and 210 together. 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...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Jobseeker's Allowance Payments (22 Feb 2018)

Regina Doherty: According to departmental records the person concerned made a claim for jobseekers allowance on 22/12/2017. An officer of the department requested supporting documentation from the person concerned on 10/1/2018. To date no further contact or information has been received from the person concerned. The claim was closed due to outstanding documentation on 1/2/2018. It is open to the person...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Public Services Card (22 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 not change this. That protection will remain if the legislative proposal is adopted. As the law currently stands, even...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pension (Contributory) (22 Feb 2018)

Regina Doherty: According to the records of my Department the person concerned was invited to make an application for state pension (contributory) in November 2013, in advance of their 66thbirthday in March 2014.An application for state pension (contributory) was received from the person concerned on 25 April 2016. The person concerned was awarded a reduced rate pension, based on an assessed yearly average...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Fuel Allowance Payments (22 Feb 2018)

Regina Doherty: The fuel allowance is a payment of €22.50 per week for 27 weeks from October to April, to over 338,000 low income households, at an estimated cost of €227 million in 2018. The purpose of this payment is to assist these households 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...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Staff Data (22 Feb 2018)

Regina Doherty: One advisor, Ms Denise Duffy, travelled to Sligo with the Minister for Employment Affairs on Friday the 16thFebruary 2018; as the advisor travelled with the Minister there are no associated additional costs.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Working Family Payment Eligibility (22 Feb 2018)

Regina Doherty: Working Family Payment (WFP) formerly Family Income Supplement is a weekly tax free payment which provides additional income support to employees on low earnings with childrenTo qualify for WFP, a person must be engaged in full time insurable employment which is expected to last for at least 3 months and must be working for a minimum of 38 hours per fortnight or 19 hours per week. It is also...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Disability Allowance Appeals (22 Feb 2018)

Regina Doherty: I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that an oral hearing of the appeal of the person concerned took place on 30 January 2018. The person concerned indicated at the oral hearing that he wished to submit further evidence in support of his appeal. On receipt of same the Appeals Officer will consider the appeal in the light of all of the evidence submitted, including that adduced...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Appeals (22 Feb 2018)

Regina Doherty: I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that an oral hearing of the appeals of the person concerned took place on 7thDecember 2017. At the oral hearing it was agreed that the person concerned would send in further documentation in support of the appeals and this has been reiterated in subsequent communications between the Appeals Officer and the person concerned. To date, the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Freedom of Information Data (27 Feb 2018)

Regina Doherty: The number of freedom of information (FOI) requests received in the Department in the past 8 years which were granted, part-granted or refused is set out in table 1. The number of FOI requests where a review by the OIC was requested in the past 8 years which were accepted and the decision to affirm or rule against is set out in table 2. There were none appealed to the High Court or to the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits Data (27 Feb 2018)

Regina Doherty: The age breakdowns requested are not routinely collated in my Department. However, my officials will collate the requested information on a once off basis and will forward it to the Deputy as soon as possible.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Rural Social Scheme Applications (27 Feb 2018)

Regina Doherty: The Rural Social Scheme (RSS) is an income support initiative which provides part-time employment opportunities in community and voluntary organisations for farmers or fishermen who are in receipt of certain social welfare payments and underemployed in their primary occupation. It is a supplementary income support scheme designed specifically for those participants whose income falls below a...