Results 4,461-4,480 of 12,033 for speaker:Regina Doherty

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Waiting Times (24 Apr 2018)

Regina Doherty: Like all Government departments and agencies, my Department is required to operate within a staff ceiling figure and a commensurate administrative staffing budget, which for this Department has involved reductions in staff. The staffing needs for all areas within the Department are continuously reviewed, taking account of workloads, management priorities and the ongoing need to respond...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Illness Benefit Payments (24 Apr 2018)

Regina Doherty: Illness Benefit is a payment for people who cannot work due to illness and who satisfy the pay-related social insurance (PRSI) contribution conditions. For illness benefit claims made in 2018, the governing PRSI contribution year is 2016. The rate of payment depends onthe person’s level of earnings in the governing contribution year. Where the average weeklyearnings are €300 or...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Reviews (24 Apr 2018)

Regina Doherty: I propose to take Questions Nos. 587 and 588 together. My Department’s main social welfare schemes for people who are unemployed are the jobseeker’s allowance and the jobseekers benefit schemes. Both schemes 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 payment. The 2018 Estimates...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Offices (24 Apr 2018)

Regina Doherty: The Department currently has 58 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. Services are provided...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Public Services Card (24 Apr 2018)

Regina Doherty: At present, a Public Services Card (PSC) cannot be requested by any public or private body or person not included as a specified body in Schedule 5 of the Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005 (as amended). The Central Bank is not prescribed as a Specified Body under Schedule 5 of the Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005, so therefore cannot ask for or accept the Public Services Card as a...

Leaders' Questions (25 Apr 2018)

Regina Doherty: Remember the emergency school on the racecourse. There was no planning back then.

Topical Issue Debate: Social Welfare Offices (25 Apr 2018)

Regina Doherty: I hate to start off by addressing the tone of the insinuations the Deputy has just made. I hope he clarifies them and, when he does-----

Topical Issue Debate: Social Welfare Offices (25 Apr 2018)

Regina Doherty: -----I would advise him to be exceptionally careful. That is all I will say to him at first. This is the fourth time we are having this conversation. To put it on the record of the House, just in case the Deputy missed it the three other times we have had the conversation, my Department operated an outreach community welfare service clinic from the HSE premises in Dunleer every...

Topical Issue Debate: Social Welfare Offices (25 Apr 2018)

Regina Doherty: I am at pains to conclude because I am not sure what allegations the Deputy is actually making. In the first instance, he tried to claim that I am misleading people; and now he is saying that it is not me but the Intreo staff.

Topical Issue Debate: Social Welfare Offices (25 Apr 2018)

Regina Doherty: Let us be really clear. The services were never closed. The office was not fit for staff to work in and it had to be closed down, but the service continues. Moreover, that was on a temporary basis. We have no intention of closing down the service. The insinuation at the beginning of Deputy Breathnach's second speech-----

Topical Issue Debate: Social Welfare Offices (25 Apr 2018)

Regina Doherty: -----is that this is closing the service by stealth. I ask him to take that off the record of this House, because he has absolutely no basis in fact to make that statement. We were exceptionally clear when we made our first statement. We were removed from this building only because it was not safe to be in, either for the clients or my staff. We told Deputy Breathnach at the time that we...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments Administration (25 Apr 2018)

Regina Doherty: Qualification for a number of assistance payment from my Department require a means test to be undertaken to assess the customers’ eligibility. One of the factors that are taken into account in the calculation of means is any investments and savings that the customer may have. To carry out a means test in respect of savings, original bank statements should be provided. If it is not...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Offices (25 Apr 2018)

Regina Doherty: The Department currently has 58 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. Services are provided...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Expenditure (25 Apr 2018)

Regina Doherty: There was no spending on social media training or consultancy by my Department between 2011 and 2016.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Staff Training (25 Apr 2018)

Regina Doherty: Social media provides a useful channel for the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection to engage with our customers and stakeholders, and to provide important Department news, scheme information, and updates. It also provides an important channel for our customers and the wider public to access general information about the Department’s schemes and services. Details of...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes Places (25 Apr 2018)

Regina Doherty: The person concerned commenced a placement on the community employment scheme (CE) on 14/5/12 and will complete the overall lifetime limit of 6 years on 4/5/18. This is the maximum participation period allowable per current CE scheme guidelines for a person of his circumstances. As the person concerned will not reach 62 years of age until 19/9/18, he does not meet the eligibility criteria...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pension (Contributory) Applications (26 Apr 2018)

Regina Doherty: The person concerned is in receipt of a reduced rate of state pension (contributory) of €238.50 which is their correct entitlement based on the contribution record held by my Department. This weekly entitlement is greater than the highest rate of entitlement payable on state pension (non - contributory) and therefore the most financially beneficial to the person concerned. The...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: One-Parent Family Payment Payments (26 Apr 2018)

Regina Doherty: My Department provides a number of income supports to lone parents once their entitlement to the One-Parent Family Payment (OFP) ceases. These include the Jobseeker’s Transitional Payment (JST) payment where the youngest child is aged 7-13 years and the Jobseeker’s Allowance (JA) payment which may be paid to lone parents where the youngest child is aged 14 or over. The Family...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Code (26 Apr 2018)

Regina Doherty: The Back to Education Allowance Scheme (BTEA), operated by my Department, is designed to support second-chance education. It enables eligible persons to pursue approved education courses and to continue to receive income support for the duration of a course of study, subject to meeting certain conditions. The BTEA is not intended to be an alternative form of funding for people entering...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Child Benefit Eligibility (26 Apr 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 almost 628,000 families in respect of over 1.2 million children, with an estimated...