Results 4,241-4,260 of 12,033 for speaker:Regina Doherty

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits Waiting Times (27 Mar 2018)

Regina Doherty: The information requested by the Deputy, where available, is detailed in the attached in the following tabular statements. Please note that ‘wait times for reviews by scheme’ is not currently a defined metric. Average Weeks to Award As at end February 2018 State Pension Contributory 4 State Pension Non-Contributory 12 Jobseeker's Benefit 1 Jobseeker's Allowance 2...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pension (Contributory) Appeals (27 Mar 2018)

Regina Doherty: I have been notified by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that an Appeals Officer having considered all of the available evidence before her, disallowed the state pension (contributory) appeal of the person concerned on 16th March 2017 on the grounds that the person concerned did not have sufficient reckonable contributions or credits over the period from their date of entry into insurable...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments Administration (27 Mar 2018)

Regina Doherty: The information requested by the Deputy is detailed in the attached in the following tabular statement. Average Weeks to Award Feb-18 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 State Pension Contributory 4 5 7 5 5 5 6 State Pension Non-Contributory 12 12 14 14 13 16 12 Jobseeker's Benefit 1 1 1 1 1 2 2 Jobseeker's Allowance 2 2 2 2 2 3 4 One-Parent Family Payment 5 6 6 9 11 13 15 Widow(er)'s...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals Waiting Times (27 Mar 2018)

Regina Doherty: The tables provide the details which have been requested by the Deputy for the years 2012 to 2017 and to the end of February 2018. They only include the appeal processing times for schemes paid on a weekly basis. 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...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Pension Provisions (27 Mar 2018)

Regina Doherty: Self-employed workers who earn €5,000 or more in a contribution year, including those brought into social insurance as a result of Directive 2010/14/EU, are liable for PRSI at the class S rate of 4%, subject to a minimum annual payment of €500. This provides them with access to the following benefits: State pension (contributory), widow’s, widower’s or surviving...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Employment Support Services (27 Mar 2018)

Regina Doherty: The purpose of the Technical Employment Support Grant (TESG) now known as the Training Support Grant (TSG) is designed to fund quick access to short term training or related interventions, obtain/renew certification/permits for individual jobseekers looking to exit the live register. The grant is awarded where Case Officers have identified an immediate skills gap that represents an obstacle...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Jobseeker's Allowance Applications (27 Mar 2018)

Regina Doherty: The person concerned Jobseeker’s Allowance claim will be re-examined and in this regard the client has been requested to submit information in support of his claim. The person concerned has also submitted a claim for Supplementary Welfare Allowance (SWA). However, the Designated Person who is dealing with the claim has made several attempts to contact the client with regard to his...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Applications (27 Mar 2018)

Regina Doherty: Carer's Allowance (CA) is a means-tested payment, made to a person providing full-time care and attention to a child or an adult who has such a disability that they require that level of care. An increased payment can be made where full-time care is being provided to two people. I confirm that my department received an application for CA from the person concerned on the 25 September 2017. ...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Fuel Allowance Payments (27 Mar 2018)

Regina Doherty: The household benefits package comprises the electricity/gas allowance (€35 per month) and the free television licence scheme (€160 per annum). At present, it is paid to some 436,000 customers, with expenditure estimated at €237 million for 2018. The package is generally available to people living in the State, aged 66 years or over who are in receipt of a social...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Public Services Card (27 Mar 2018)

Regina Doherty: The National Driver Licence Service (NDLS) does not register its customers to SAFE 2 standard. However, it does authenticate customer identities in a face-to-face engagement, including the capture of a photograph. In August 2017, my Department commenced inviting NDLS customers to complete SAFE 2 registration by post. Invites were only issued to customers whose Public Services Identity...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Payments (27 Mar 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. CA was awarded to the person concerned from 3 March 2016 in respect of her mother. I can confirm that she is currently in receipt of the maximum...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Fuel Allowance Eligibility (27 Mar 2018)

Regina Doherty: A Fuel Allowance is a payment under the National Fuel Scheme to help with the cost of heating a person’s home during the winter months. It is paid to people who are receiving certain qualifying social welfare payments and who are unable to provide for their own heating needs. Carer's allowance is not a qualifying payment. If the person being cared for is in receipt of a long-term...

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

Regina Doherty: I propose to take Questions Nos. 599 and 607 together. The rural social scheme (RSS) provides opportunities for farmers and fishermen/women who are currently in receipt of specified social welfare payments to work to provide certain services of benefit to rural communities. Communities benefit from the skills and talents of local farmers and fishermen and participants have the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Rural Social Scheme (27 Mar 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: JobPath Programme (27 Mar 2018)

Regina Doherty: As the Deputy will be aware, JobPath is a service that supports people who are long-term unemployed to obtain and sustain paid employment. The service was launched in 2015 on a ‘rolling basis’ with referral numbers gradually increasing over time. The aim of the service is to assist persons who are long term unemployed to find and sustain full-time paid employment in the open...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Tús Programme (27 Mar 2018)

Regina Doherty: I propose to take Questions Nos. 602 and 611 together. 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...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Free Travel Scheme Eligibility (27 Mar 2018)

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 approximately...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Pension Provisions (27 Mar 2018)

Regina Doherty: A policy to introduce the Total Contributions Approach (TCA) to pensions calculation was adopted by Government in the National Pensions Framework in 2010, as was the decision to base the entitlements of all new pensioners on this approach from around 2020. The Government has confirmed its intention to proceed with that policy in its recently published Roadmap for Pensions Reform. To that...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes Data (27 Mar 2018)

Regina Doherty: The following tables give the breakdown of Community Employment (CE) projects as requested by the Deputy. Table 1: The number of community employment projects, the detail of the project type being run and the number of persons on each project. Table 2: Number of community employment projects and Participants/Supervisors/Assistant Supervisors by county. Table 1: Breakdown of CE Projects by...

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

Regina Doherty: Deputies on all sides of the House are fully aware of the positive benefits derived from work 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 additional 250 places to be rolled out this year together with an increase in the weekly rate of...