Results 6,941-6,960 of 12,033 for speaker:Regina Doherty

Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) (Amendment) Bill 2018: Report and Final Stages (16 Jan 2019)

Regina Doherty: I am only here to lend my support to the Bill. I was not present for the debates on any of the other Stages of the Bill. I was interested to hear the comments that have been made. I am quite surprised by them because, with no disrespect to any of our esteemed judges intended, week in and week out cases are raised - either in this House or in the media - and shock, surprise and disgust are...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Illness Benefit Data (16 Jan 2019)

Regina Doherty: The Person concerned is currently in receipt of Illness Benefit and two payments have issued to him thus far. The first payment of €1551 issued to him on the 31st December 2018 which included arrears and that weeks payment. A further payment of €231 issued to him on the 11th January 2019 which was for the current medically certified period of up to 7th January 2019. If they...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Partial Capacity Benefit Scheme Appeals (16 Jan 2019)

Regina Doherty: Partial Capacity Benefit (PCB) allows a person who has been in receipt of Illness Benefit for six months and who may not have full capacity for work, to return to employment and continue to receive a partial or full payment from the Department. The Partial Capacity Benefit file and relevant reports in respect of the person concerned was sent to the Social Welfare Appeals Office on the 9th...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Staff Data (16 Jan 2019)

Regina Doherty: My Department, like all Government departments and agencies, is required to operate within a staff ceiling figure and a commensurate administrative staffing budget, which for this Department has involved reductions in staff numbers. At the end of December 2018, there were 75.02 FTE’s (77 people) assigned to the Carers Allowance section. There are two areas within the Carers Allowance...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits Data (16 Jan 2019)

Regina Doherty: The information requested by the Deputy is detailed in the following tabular statement. The number of claims in respect of Carer's Allowance and Carer's Benefit registered, awarded or rejected in 2018 Scheme Registered Awarded Rejected* Carer's Allowance 20,122 17,242 9,291 Carer's Benefit 4,101 2,774 1,026 * The rejected claim total may include claims which were subsequently...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Payments (16 Jan 2019)

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 child or an adult who has such a disability that as a result they require that level of care. The person concerned has been in receipt of a half-rate CA since 1 March 2018 as her husband has been claiming an...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals (16 Jan 2019)

Regina Doherty: I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that an appeal was registered on the 17th October 2018 and, in accordance with the statutory requirements, the Appeals Office had contacted the appellant and asked her to set out the complete grounds of her appeal. I am informed that these grounds of appeal were received in the Social Welfare Appeals Office on the 7th November 2018. It is...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Rural Social Scheme Eligibility (16 Jan 2019)

Regina Doherty: The Rural Social scheme (RSS) provides part-time employment opportunities in the community and voluntary organisations for low-income farmers and fishermen/women in receipt of certain social welfare payments who are actively farming /fishing and underemployed in their primary occupation. It also gives participants an opportunity to develop new skills. The blind pension is not currently a...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Brexit Issues (16 Jan 2019)

Regina Doherty: The Government and the EU remain committed to securing a negotiated Brexit outcome. We have been planning for all Brexit scenarios but in light of uncertainties in London and the Brexit deadline of 29 March, the Government decided at its meeting of 11 December that immediate priority must now be given to preparations for a no deal Brexit and that Government Departments and state agencies...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Legislative Process (16 Jan 2019)

Regina Doherty: The Social Welfare, Pensions and Civil Registration Bill 2017 proposes a number of amendments to the Social Welfare Acts, the Pensions Act 1990 and the Civil Registration Act 2004. The amendments to the Pensions Act contain a number of key measures relating to Defined Benefit pension schemes. It is intended that these measures will act to support existing provisions in the Pensions Act...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Back to Work Family Dividend Scheme Data (16 Jan 2019)

Regina Doherty: The back to work enterprise allowance (BTWEA) is designed to provide a monetary incentive for people who are in receipt of social welfare payments to enter self-employment and 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. The BTWEA is generally available to persons who are...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Personal Micro Credit Scheme (17 Jan 2019)

Regina Doherty: The Personal Micro Credit Scheme (PMC) provides for small scale loans, known as It Makes Sense loans, by credit unions to borrowers who have difficulty accessing low cost credit. Currently 111 credit unions, at 272 locations are participating in the scheme. Loans under the scheme range from €100 to a maximum of €2,000 and have a maximum interest rate of 12% per annum. The...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Working Family Payment Payments (17 Jan 2019)

Regina Doherty: Working Family Payment (formerly Family Income Supplement) is a weekly in-work payment which provides additional income support to employees on low earnings with children. An application for Working Family Payment (WFP) was received from the person concerned on 11 December 2018. The Department wrote to the person concerned on 14 January 2019 and has requested additional details in respect of...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Working Family Payment Waiting Times (17 Jan 2019)

Regina Doherty: Working Family Payment (formerly Family Income Supplement) is an in-work payment which provides additional income support to employees on low earnings with children. Working Family Payment (WFP) is payable for a 52 week period from award date and a person must reapply at the end of this period to have their payment renewed. My Department is committed to providing a quality service to all its...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Review (17 Jan 2019)

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 child or an adult who has such a disability that as a result they require that level of care. Once claims are in payment, my Department periodically reviews them to ensure that there is continued entitlement. In...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Working Family Payment Waiting Times (17 Jan 2019)

Regina Doherty: Working Family Payment (WFP) is an in-work payment which provides additional income support to employees on low earnings with children. WFP is payable for a 52 week period from award date and a person must reapply at the end of this period to have their payment renewed. My Department is committed to providing a quality service to all its customers. This includes ensuring that applications...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Illness Benefit Payments (17 Jan 2019)

Regina Doherty: The Illness Benefit claim from the person concerned is fully paid and certified up to the 16th January 2019. A payment of €627 issued to her bank account on the 19th December 2018 that paid her for the dates 11th December 2018 - 1st January 2019. A further payment of €429 issued to her on the 14th January 2019 that paid her for the period of 2nd January - 16th January. She is...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Illness Benefit Applications (17 Jan 2019)

Regina Doherty: The Department administers the Illness Benefit scheme to those customers who cannot work because they are sick or ill provided they are covered by the appropriate class of social insurance (PRSI) and satisfy the PRSI conditions. The Illness Benefit claim from the person concerned is both paid and medically certified up to the 15th January 2019. Payment is due to reach the customers bank...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes Eligibility (17 Jan 2019)

Regina Doherty: Requests for extending participants on Community Employment Schemes are only considered by this Department at the request of the Project Sponsor, which in this case is Abbeydorney Development Co Ltd. A request for an extension has not yet been made by the sponsor. I trust this clarifies that matter.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Insurance (17 Jan 2019)

Regina Doherty: Scope section in my Department was requested to investigate the class S contributions from 2001 to 2017 on the record of the person referred to by the Deputy. The class S contributions were returned under her spouse’s personal public service number (PPSN). A social welfare inspector interviewed the person in November 2018 and she was asked if she wished to be considered for...