Results 5,101-5,120 of 12,033 for speaker:Regina Doherty

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Code (19 Jun 2018)

Regina Doherty: The Roadmap for Pensions Reform 2018-2023 sets out how the Government intends to introduce and implement a Total Contributions Approach (TCA) to calculating entitlement for all new state pension contributory claims from 2020 onwards. The criteria required for a full pension under that new approach have not yet been determined, and are currently subject to a public consultation which I...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Live Register Data (19 Jun 2018)

Regina Doherty: Live Register Figures by detailed age group for all months from October 2009 to May 2017 are accessible from the CSO Statbank on the CSO Website, (available at ). At the end of May 2018, there were 223,502 people on the Live Register. This is less than half the number of people signing on the Live Register at the crisis peak in mid-2012. While this reduction in Live Register numbers has...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Code (19 Jun 2018)

Regina Doherty: The question of whether a couple is cohabiting as husband and wife or civil partners affects entitlement under the Social Welfare Acts in a number of ways: - A person may be entitled to an increase for a qualified adult for a person who is not a husband, wife or civil partner provided the couple are cohabiting; - A disqualification applies in various schemes where there is cohabitation, for...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Schemes Data (19 Jun 2018)

Regina Doherty: 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 schemes with the highest number of appeals to the Social Welfare Appeals Office in 2017 and 2018 (to the end of May) were - disability allowance...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Community Welfare Services Provision (19 Jun 2018)

Regina Doherty: Community Welfare Services in County Kildare are administered by the Mid-Leinster Division (Naas, Newbridge, Athy and surrounding areas) and the Dublin Central Division (Leixlip, Maynooth, Celbridge, Kilcock and surrounding areas). In the Mid-Leinster Division and Dublin Central Division areas, customers may contact the Community Welfare Service through their local Intreo Centre, by...

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

Regina Doherty: I propose to take Questions Nos. 207 and 211 together. The costings sought by the Deputy are detailed in the following table. Cost of varying increases in social welfare payments - Full year cost of a €5 increase Full year cost of a €10 increase Full year cost of a €15 increase Full year cost of a €20 increase Scheme €m €m €m...

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

Regina Doherty: Last December, an 85% Bonus was paid to some 1.2 million long-term social welfare recipients, including pensioners, people with disabilities, carers, lone parents and the long-term unemployed, at a cost of €218.6 million. The cost of a 100% Bonus is estimated at circa €257 million in 2018. As was the case in previous years where a Bonus was subsequently paid (2014 to 2017...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Jobseeker's Benefit Payments (20 Jun 2018)

Regina Doherty: The jobseeker’s schemes provide income support for people who have lost work and are unable to find alternative full-time employment. The 2018 Estimates for my Department provide for expenditure this year on the jobseeker’s schemes of €2.17 billion. The current weekly maximum personal rate of jobseekers benefit is €198. Where a claimant has average weekly...

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

Regina Doherty: The information (where available) requested by the Deputy is detailed in the following tabular statement. Average Weeks to Award May 2018 State Pension Contributory 6 State Pension Non-Contributory 13 Jobseeker's Benefit 1 Jobseeker's Allowance 2 Maternity Benefit 6 Disability Allowance 13 Illness Benefit 1 Invalidity Pension 7 Carer's Allowance 15 Domiciliary Care Allowance 10...

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

Regina Doherty: I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that an Appeals Officer, having fully considered all of the available evidence including that adduced at the oral hearing, has decided to allow the appeal of the person concerned. The person concerned has been notified of the Appeals Officer’s decision. The Social Welfare Appeals Office functions independently of the Minister for...

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

Regina Doherty: Qualification for dental benefit is based on satisfying certain PRSI conditions, which vary depending on the age of the person concerned. In this case, the person concerned would need to have paid 260 PRSI contributions at Class A, E, H, P or S, since first starting work, and also have at least 39 qualifying contributions paid at the correct rate, or credited, in the relevant tax year/s on...

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

Regina Doherty: I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that an Appeals Officer, having fully considered all of the available evidence, has decided to disallow the appeal of the person concerned by way of a summary decision. The person concerned has been notified of the Appeals Officer’s decision. The Social Welfare Appeals Office functions independently of the Minister for Employment...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Funding (20 Jun 2018)

Regina Doherty: Under the programme my Department provides funding for local sponsoring organisations to provide training, upskilling and educational opportunities for jobseekers and other vulnerable groups in the community. This funding is granted under an annually renewable legal agreement/contract between the sponsoring organisation and the Department. Article 3 of the agreement/contract states...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Data (20 Jun 2018)

Regina Doherty: The following are the numbers of Carer’s Allowance applications made in 2017 (‘registered’), the number of claims awarded in the year (‘awarded’), and the number of applications rejected in the year (‘rejected’). Note that some of the awarded and rejected outcomes are in respect of claims registered prior to 2017, and that the same claim may...

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

Regina Doherty: The following are the numbers of Carer’s Allowance applications made in 2017 (‘registered’), the number of claims awarded in the year (‘awarded’), and the number of applications rejected in the year (‘rejected’). Note that some of the awarded and rejected outcomes are in respect of claims registered prior to 2017, and that the same claim may...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Back to Work Allowance Data (21 Jun 2018)

Regina Doherty: The back to work enterprise allowance (BTWEA) is designed to provide a monetary incentive for people who are in receipt of a qualifying social welfare payment to develop a business while allowing them to retain a reducing proportion of their qualifying social welfare payment over two years; 100% in year 1 and 75% in year 2. A review of the person’s BTWEA application referred to by...

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

Regina Doherty: Carer’s allowance (CA) is a means tested income support paid to people who are providing full-time care and attention to a person requiring such support. The type of illness or the medical condition does not determine whether the person meets the care conditionality The person receiving care is regarded as requiring full-time care and attention where: - He or she is so incapacitated...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Respite Care Grant (21 Jun 2018)

Regina Doherty: Firstly may I take this opportunity to extend my condolences to the person concerned and his family on their recent bereavement. The Carer's Support Grant (CSG) formerly known as the respite care grant is an annual payment made to full-time carers who satisfy certain conditions. The grant is payable automatically to carers who are in receipt of carer’s allowance (CA) on the first...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Bodies Data (21 Jun 2018)

Regina Doherty: The statutory bodies operating under the aegis of my Department are the Citizens Information Board, the Low Pay Commission, the Pensions Authority, the Pensions Council (which does not have a board) and the Social Welfare Tribunal. The Social Welfare Tribunal consists of a Chairman and four other members, two of whom are nominated by the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) and two by the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Supplementary Welfare Allowance Payments (21 Jun 2018)

Regina Doherty: As advised in the reply to Questions Number 24681-18, the person concerned was awarded an interim payment of supplementary welfare allowance (SWA) following the withdrawal of her widow’s pension on grounds of cohabitation. The SWA payment had been awarded as an interim payment while the person was awaiting a decision on an appeal against the disallowance of her pension and was advised...