Results 5,421-5,440 of 12,033 for speaker:Regina Doherty

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Child Benefit Eligibility (7 Sep 2018)

Regina Doherty: Child Benefit is a universal payment to help families with the cost of raising children and plays an important role in tackling child poverty. It provides assistance to households with children in recognition of the higher costs incurred in child-raising and child care in a way which allows choice to parents in how this is undertaken. It does not rely on a means test or social insurance...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Exceptional Needs Payment Applications (7 Sep 2018)

Regina Doherty: Under the supplementary welfare allowance (SWA) scheme, the 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 Government has provided over €36 million for exceptional and urgent needs payments in 2018. An application can be made under the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Homemakers Scheme (7 Sep 2018)

Regina Doherty: The Homemaker scheme was introduced to make it easier for those who provide full-time care for children or for an incapacitated person to qualify for a higher rate of payment under the State Pension (Contributory), as calculated under the current Yearly Average system. The scheme came into effect on 6 April 1994 and applies to both men and women. The homemakers scheme allows up to a...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Commencement of Legislation (7 Sep 2018)

Regina Doherty: The Employment (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2017 was published on 7thDecember 2017. The Bill delivers on the commitment in the Programme for a Partnership Government to tackle the problems caused by the increased casualisation of work and to strengthen the regulation of precarious work. The key objective of the Bill is to improve the security and predictability of working hours for...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Reports (7 Sep 2018)

Regina Doherty: My Department commissioned Indecon to conduct a review of the Local Employment and Job Club services. This review is the first significant independent review that has been commissioned since the Local Employment Services (LES) and Job Clubs were established and it will help inform future decisions regarding how the Department contracts, monitors and procures for these services. The final...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits Payments (7 Sep 2018)

Regina Doherty: On Budget Day last year, I was pleased to announce a €5 increase in the maximum rates of all weekly social welfare payments at a cost of €264 million in 2018. This built on a similar increase provided in Budget 2017, which was the first across the board rate increase since 2009. Budget 2018 increases commenced in March. In the context of budgetary parameters, payment...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Pension Provisions (7 Sep 2018)

Regina Doherty: On 23 January last, this Government agreed to a proposal that will allow pensioners affected by the 2012 changes in rate bands to have their pension entitlement calculated on a Total Contributions basis, including provision for up to 20 years of a new home caring credit. Legislation has to be drafted and enacted to enable implementation of these arrangements, and a number of options...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Domiciliary Care Allowance Appeals (7 Sep 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 allow the appeals 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 Affairs...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Domiciliary Care Allowance Appeals (7 Sep 2018)

Regina Doherty: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that the appeal from the person concerned was referred to an Appeals Officer who has decided to convene an oral hearing in this case. Every effort will be made to hear the case as quickly as possible and the person concerned will be informed when arrangements for the oral hearing have been made. The Social Welfare Appeals Office functions...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Jobseeker's Allowance Data (7 Sep 2018)

Regina Doherty: The rationale for having reduced rates of payment for young jobseekers in receipt of a means-tested jobseeker’s payment is to prevent young people from entering welfare dependency by providing a strong financial incentive to take up a job, or a training or education programme. In this regard, young jobseekers who participate in an education, training or employment programme...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Pensions Reform (7 Sep 2018)

Regina Doherty: On 23 January, the Government agreed to a proposal that will allow pensioners affected by the 2012 changes in rate bands to have their pension entitlement calculated by a new "Total Contributions Approach" (TCA) which will include up to 20 years of a new HomeCaring credit. This approach is expected to significantly benefit many people, particularly women, whose work history includes an...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Further Education and Training Programmes (7 Sep 2018)

Regina Doherty: Referrals to training supports by my Department are focused on those in receipt of qualifying welfare payments. Unemployed persons who are not in receipt of welfare support have access to Solas training supports. As you know Solas is a statutory agency that operates under the aegis of the Department of Education and Skills, which has responsibility the management, co-ordination and...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pensions Reform (7 Sep 2018)

Regina Doherty: As a general policy, the Government intends to introduce a Total Contributions Approach (TCA) to establishing level of entitlement for all new state pension contributory claims from 2020 onwards. I launched a public consultation on this proposal earlier this year in May.  This closed last Monday, the 3rd of September.  My Department has now started studying the submissions. ...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Exceptional Needs Payment Applications (7 Sep 2018)

Regina Doherty: The applicant in this case applied for an Exceptional Needs Payment to cover the cost of private dental care. This application was refused by the Designated Person as private dental care is not considered an exceptional need. Following a review, the original decision of the Designated Person to refuse the application was upheld. I trust that this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Carer's Benefit Applications (7 Sep 2018)

Regina Doherty: Carer's benefit (CARB) is a payment made to insured people who leave the workforce to care for a person(s) in need of full-time care and attention. I confirm that my department received an application for CARB from the person concerned on the 3 August 2018.  The application is currently being processed and once completed, the person concerned will be notified directly of the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Redundancy Payments (7 Sep 2018)

Regina Doherty: My Department provides a range of activation supports and programmes catering for long-term unemployed jobseekers and those most distant from the labour market. These supports include the Tús programme which is a work placement scheme that aims to provide short-term quality work opportunities for those who are unemployed while also assisting in providing certain services of benefit to...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Supplementary Welfare Allowance Eligibility (7 Sep 2018)

Regina Doherty: The Department currently provides an electricity allowance, payable at the rate of €35 per month, as part of the household benefits package.  The package is generally available to people living in the State, aged 66 years or over who are in receipt of a social welfare type payment or who satisfy a means test.  The package is also available to carers and people with...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pensions (7 Sep 2018)

Regina Doherty: On 23 January last, this Government agreed to a proposal that will allow pensioners affected by the 2012 changes in rate bands to have their pension entitlement calculated on a Total Contributions basis, including provision for up to 20 years of a new home caring credit. Legislation has to be enacted to enable implementation of these arrangements, and a number of options regarding...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Jobseeker's Benefit Eligibility (7 Sep 2018)

Regina Doherty: The Social Welfare and Pensions Act 2011 provided that State pension age will be increased gradually to 68 years.  This began in January 2014 with the abolition of State pension (transition) which was available to people aged 65 who satisfied the qualifying conditions. This measure standardised the State pension age for all at 66 years.  This will increase to 67 in 2021 and to 68...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Carer's Benefit Applications (7 Sep 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. I confirm that my department received an application for CA from the person concerned on the 9 March 2018. A person can be considered to be...