Results 6,481-6,500 of 12,033 for speaker:Regina Doherty

Social Welfare, Pensions and Civil Registration Bill: Report Stage (29 Nov 2018)

Regina Doherty: In the spirit of collegiality, I am happy to accept this and the next amendment. However, that absolutely does not mean that I agree with either amendment or with the Deputy's view. I am not being a smartarse and am not here to split hairs with the Deputy. It really makes me sad that he thinks somebody from the age of 55 is elderly. I am nearly there myself and it is far from elderly I am.

Social Welfare, Pensions and Civil Registration Bill: Report Stage (29 Nov 2018)

Regina Doherty: It saddens me that we would have so little ambition for people of 55 years when they are 12 years away from retirement. Does the Deputy think it is okay for somebody to stay on an activation scheme for 12 years?

Social Welfare, Pensions and Civil Registration Bill: Report Stage (29 Nov 2018)

Regina Doherty: The people who are already 60 have the ability to stay on it. We already relaxed those rules earlier this year. That is why I say with sincerity that it fills me with sadness that the Deputy would have so little ambition for people who are only in their mid-fifties. This morning at the Committee of Public Accounts the Government was being lashed because we are sending people for a second...

Social Welfare, Pensions and Civil Registration Bill: Report Stage (29 Nov 2018)

Regina Doherty: I move amendment No. 16:In page 19, line 5, to delete ", or in respect of,". As the House will know, section 22 of the Bill introduces measures to deal with the small cohort of cases where the member of an occupational pension scheme could not have satisfied the rules of a scheme regarding entitlement to spousal pension because same-sex relationships were not legally recognised in Ireland on...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Waiting Times (29 Nov 2018)

Regina Doherty: My Department is committed to providing a quality service to all its customers. This includes ensuring that applications are processed and that decisions on entitlement are made as quickly as possible. In general, social welfare schemes with a number of complex qualifying conditions can take longer to process. This is compounded if the documentary evidence provided at initial application...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: One-Parent Family Payment Eligibility (29 Nov 2018)

Regina Doherty: The customer is currently in receipt of One Parent Family (Jobseekers Transition) Payment.I understand from my Department that this claim was reviewed at the customer’s request as she is no longer receiving maintenance payments in respect of her child. I trust this clarifies the matter.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: JobPath Data (29 Nov 2018)

Regina Doherty: All persons in receipt of Jobseeker's Allowance must be capable of; available for and actively seeking full time employment. The Social Welfare (Consolidated) Act 2005, as amended, specifies that participation in activation meetings is mandatory and that applies to all activation services provided by the Department including those provided by the contracted providers JobPath; Local Employment...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits Waiting Times (29 Nov 2018)

Regina Doherty: Whenever a claim is made for a Social Welfare payment, a Deciding Officer must have sufficient information to assess whether all of the necessary eligibility criteria for that payment have been met, as laid down in the Social Welfare Consolidation Act and/or the applicable Regulations and Guidelines. For example, Fuel Allowance is an administrative scheme where a claimant must meet the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Illness Benefit Applications (29 Nov 2018)

Regina Doherty: The Illness Benefit claim for the person concerned has been processed and arrears owing to him have been issued. The claim is both certified and paid up to the 22nd November 2018. If the person concerned remains ill and unfit for work, a further medical certificate should be submitted to the Department as soon as possible in order for further payments to issue. I trust this clarifies the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Occupational Injuries Benefit Applications (29 Nov 2018)

Regina Doherty: The person concerned is currently in receipt of Illness Benefit pending a decision on her Occupational Injury Benefit claim. According to our records she does not qualify for payment of an increase by way of Child Dependant Allowance (CDA) due to the level of her spouses earnings in the current tax year. If her spouses earnings are less than €400 per week she should forward proof of...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Paternity Leave Data (29 Nov 2018)

Regina Doherty: The information requested in respect of the number of people that have availed of paternity benefit in 2016, 2017 and from 1st January 2018 to 31st October 2018, by county, is set out in the table below: PATERNITY BENEFIT Claimants by County Breakdown County Awarded 1st September 2016 - 31st December 2016 Awarded 2017 Awarded 1st January 2018 – 31st October 2018 Total Awarded Carlow...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Maternity Leave (29 Nov 2018)

Regina Doherty: I regret that the county breakdown requested by the Deputy is not readily available in my Department. However, the Department holds a county by county breakdown of maternity benefit claims currently in payment. Please see table below, giving a listing of recipients by county at the end of October 2018. Maternity Benefit in payment at the end of October 2018 County Recipients CARLOW 244...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits Eligibility (29 Nov 2018)

Regina Doherty: My officials are currently examining the claim for the person concerned with a view to addressing the query. Officials will revert directly to the Deputy at the earliest opportunity with the information he has requested and will also contact the person concerned directly. I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Back to Education Allowance Eligibility (29 Nov 2018)

Regina Doherty: The customer is currently in receipt of the One Parent Family Payment and the Working Family Payment. She made an application for Back to Education Allowance on 6 September 2018. Customers in receipt of the Working Family Payment are not eligible for Back to Education Allowance. A decision letter issued to the customer on 11 September 2018 advising her that her application had been refused...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Fuel Allowance Eligibility (29 Nov 2018)

Regina Doherty: A fuel allowance is a payment under the National Fuel Scheme to help with the cost of heating a home during the winter months. It is paid to people who are in receipt of certain qualifying social welfare payments and who also satisfy certain other conditions. Carer's allowance (CA) is not a qualifying payment for receipt of fuel allowance. The person concerned is in receipt of CA and a...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Carer's Benefit Applications (29 Nov 2018)

Regina Doherty: Carer's benefit (CARB) is a payment made to insured people who leave the workforce to care for a child or an adult in need of full-time care and attention. 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 CARB from the person concerned on the 1 October 2018. The application is currently being...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Exceptional Needs Payment Eligibility (29 Nov 2018)

Regina Doherty: The person concerned contacted the Community Welfare Service on 22/11/2018. An application form for Supplementary Welfare Allowance issued to the person concerned on the same date. The application will be assessed upon receipt of completed documentation and the person concerned will be notified of the outcome. I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Jobseeker's Allowance Payments (29 Nov 2018)

Regina Doherty: 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 for my Department provide for expenditure this year on the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Dietary Allowance Administration (29 Nov 2018)

Regina Doherty: Diet supplement, administered under the supplementary welfare allowance (SWA) scheme, is payable to qualifying persons, in receipt of the supplement prior to February 2014, who have been prescribed a special diet as a result of a specified medical condition. There are currently 2,500 in receipt of diet supplement at a cost of €1.4 million in 2018. Following the outcome of a review of...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits Eligibility (29 Nov 2018)

Regina Doherty: The new scheme for the self-employed, which I announced as part of the 2019 Budget measures, will extend a PSRI insurance based benefit to the self-employed who lose employment. This measure builds on other significant improvements for the self-employed in recent years such as access to invalidity pension and treatment benefits in Budget 2017. Applicants will have to satisfy the...