Results 6,861-6,880 of 12,033 for speaker:Regina Doherty

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes Operation (19 Dec 2018)

Regina Doherty: The Community Employment (CE) programme is a community centred labour market initiative the aim of which is to help long-term unemployed people and other vulnerable groups to enter the workforce by breaking their experience of unemployment through a short term return-to-work routine. The programme assists participants to enhance and develop both their technical and personal skills, which can...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Youth Unemployment Measures (19 Dec 2018)

Regina Doherty: Government policy to reduce unemployment is twofold. First, through policies set out in the Action Plan for Jobs, to create an environment in which business can succeed and create jobs; and second, through the Pathways to Work Strategy 2016-2020, to ensure that as many of these new jobs and other vacancies that arise in our economy are filled by people taken from the Live Register, including...

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

Regina Doherty: A social welfare overpayment occurs when a person is paid in excess of their entitlement to a social welfare payment. A deciding officer of the Department will usually determine the period and the amount of the excess payment. Customers have a legal right to seek a review of any decision and can appeal any decision to the Social Welfare Appeals Office if dissatisfied by the determination of...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Working Family Payment Data (19 Dec 2018)

Regina Doherty: Working Family Payment (WFP) formerly Family Income Supplement is a weekly tax-free payment which provides additional income support to employees on low earnings with children. WFP is designed to prevent in-work poverty for low paid workers with child dependants and to offer a financial incentive to take up employment. There are currently over 54,000 families in receipt of WFP. To qualify for...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pension (Contributory) (19 Dec 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. In advance of this, on the 23rd January this year, the Government agreed to a proposal that will allow pensioners affected by the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits Waiting Times (19 Dec 2018)

Regina Doherty: Processing times for the principal Social Welfare schemes operated by my Department are shown in the attached table. I regret that this information is temporarily unavailable for Illness Benefit, Occupational Injury Benefit, and Treatment Benefit, due to the impact of recent ICT system changes but will be shared with the Deputy as soon as they become available. Average time to award claims...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits Waiting Times (19 Dec 2018)

Regina Doherty: The average appeal processing times for all appeals determined to the end of November 2017 and to the end of November 2018 broken down by all social welfare scheme types is outlined in the table below. 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...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Pensions Reform (19 Dec 2018)

Regina Doherty: Pensions reform is a Government priority. The ‘Roadmap for Pensions Reform 2018-2023', which I launched in February 2018, details specific time-lined actions Government will take to reform our pension system. This includes the introduction, from 2022, of an ‘Automatic Enrolment’ retirement savings system, for those without personal retirement savings. This project...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pension (Contributory) Eligibility (19 Dec 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 2020. In advance of this, on 23 January, the Government agreed to a proposal that will allow pensioners affected by the 2012 changes in rate bands...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Expenditure (19 Dec 2018)

Regina Doherty: My Department administers over 70 separate schemes and services, which affect the lives of almost every person in the State. The Department is fully committed to ensuring that members of the general public are fully aware of the welfare supports and services available, as well as ensuring key changes are communicated to them. Public information campaigns are therefore an important part of the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Expenditure (19 Dec 2018)

Regina Doherty: For the purpose of this response, I have interpreted “the amount spent on marketing and media” as media buying costs incurred from public information campaigns, announcements and senior management vacancy notices. My Department is committed to ensuring that members of the general public are aware of the welfare supports and services that are available to them and that they are...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Back to Education Allowance Payments (15 Jan 2019)

Regina Doherty: The back to education allowance scheme (BTEA) is designed to support second chance education. It enables eligible persons to pursue education and to continue to receive income support, in line with their qualifying scheme rates, for the duration of a course of study. The objective of the scheme is to raise the educational and skill levels to enable jobseekers better access to the emerging...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Commencement of Legislation (15 Jan 2019)

Regina Doherty: I am aware of the pressing need to make technical amendments to the Children and Family Relationships Act 2015 including those sections in Part 9 that provide for the registration and re-registration of the birth of a donor-conceived child and, in particular, make possible the registration of details of “Parent”, as well as “Mother” and “Father”,...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Registration of Births (15 Jan 2019)

Regina Doherty: Provisions for registration of births in cases where the parents are not married to each other are set out in section 22 of the Civil Registration Act 2004. In particular, where the mother is still legally married to a person other than the father of the child, the provisions in section 22(3) apply. In these circumstances the father’s name may be registered on foot of: - A...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Back to Education Allowance Payments (15 Jan 2019)

Regina Doherty: The person concerned was in receipt of Jobseekers Allowance from the 23rdJune 2018. They disclosed to the Department on the 5thDecember 2018 that they were attending a full-time course of study since September 2018. Under Section 148(1) of the Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005, as amended, a person shall be disqualified from receipt of Jobseekers Allowance while attending a course of...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Proposed Legislation (15 Jan 2019)

Regina Doherty: As the Deputy is aware, the General Scheme of the Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2017 (now the Social Welfare, Pensions and Civil Registration Bill 2017) was published in May 2017 and contained a number of key measures relating to DB pension schemes. It is intended that these measures will act to support existing provisions in the Pensions Act by providing for further protection for scheme...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Legislative Measures (15 Jan 2019)

Regina Doherty: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1041 and 1057 together. The Government has approved the preparation of the Civil Registration Bill 2019, which will provide for the necessary technical amendments to Part 9 of the Children and Family Relationships Act 2015. The Bill will also include provisions for: - a role for a next of kin in providing a Coroner with additional details in relation to a...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Working Family Payment Applications (15 Jan 2019)

Regina Doherty: Working Family Payment (WFP) is a weekly in-work payment which provides additional income support to employees on low earnings with children. An application was received from the person concerned on 12 October 2018. The applicant was awarded WFP on 19 December 2018 and was notified in writing of this decision. However, they have requested a review of the decision of 19 December 2018....

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Illness Benefit Appeals (15 Jan 2019)

Regina Doherty: The person concerned was in receipt of Illness Benefit from July 2011 until December 2012, at which point they submitted a final certificate and the claim was closed. There is no appeal registered for an Illness Benefit claim in respect of this customer and no further application for illness benefit has been recieved. I trust this clarifies matters for the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Illness Benefit Payments (15 Jan 2019)

Regina Doherty: The Illness Benefit claim for the person concerned is paid up to date and any arrears due have been issued. If the person concerned remains ill and unfit for work, a further medical certificate should be submitted to the Department in order for further payments to issue. I trust this clarifies matters for the Deputy.