Results 7,461-7,480 of 12,033 for speaker:Regina Doherty

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Public Services Card (26 Feb 2019)

Regina Doherty: I propose to take Questions Nos. 613 and 616 together. Customer surveys are carried out to assess customer satisfaction and perception of the quality of services offered by my Department. These surveys provide valuable insights into how customers interact with the Department’s processes and services and may also act as a benchmark against which future progress may be measured. With...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Parental Leave (26 Feb 2019)

Regina Doherty: I propose to take Questions Nos. 614 and 615 together. In Budget 2019, I announced the introduction of a new social insurance based paid parental benefit scheme which will provide two weeks paid leave to both parents. This new scheme of parental benefit will support parents during the first year of the child's life and allows parents more flexibility in achieving and managing a work life...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: JobPath Data (26 Feb 2019)

Regina Doherty: Penalty rates were introduced as a means of encouraging jobseekers to engage with activation measures and co-operate with efforts of the Department to assist them in securing employment. The Department is committed, under Pathways to Work, to incentivise the take-up of activation opportunities, including implementing sanctions for failure to engage. The legislation underpinning the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: JobPath Programme (26 Feb 2019)

Regina Doherty: The JobPath contract does contain provisions for early termination, notwithstanding any dispute which may arise and which is covered elsewhere in the contract. Written notice must be served on the contractor 6 months in advance of a termination. The amount of compensation to be paid to the service providers is stipulated in the contract, however the amount of compensation, having been...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Fuel Allowance Data (26 Feb 2019)

Regina Doherty: I propose to take Questions Nos. 619 and 620 together. The fuel allowance is a payment of €22.50 per week for 28 weeks (a total of €630 each year) from October to April, to over 372,000 low income households, at an estimated cost of €227 million in 2018. The purpose of this payment is to assist these households with their energy costs. The allowance represents a...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Bereavement Grant (26 Feb 2019)

Regina Doherty: During the economic downturn, my Department focused on protecting primary social welfare rates. In recent years, as the economy has been recovering, the Government has concentrated resources in improving the core rates of payments, particularly for pensioners, resulting in considerable increases in these rates. The Bereavement Grant was a payment of €850 made where the deceased...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals Waiting Times (26 Feb 2019)

Regina Doherty: I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that statistics are not maintained on a local authority or on a county by county basis, and it is not in a position to supply the information sought by the Deputy in relation to the Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown local authority area. The average appeal processing times for each month in 2018 and January 2019 for disability allowance, illness...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals Data (26 Feb 2019)

Regina Doherty: I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that statistics are not maintained on a local authority or on a county by county basis, and it is not in a position to supply the information sought by the Deputy in relation to the Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown local authority area. The outcome of all appeals by scheme for the years 2016 to 2018 and for January 2019 are available at the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals (26 Feb 2019)

Regina Doherty: The independent Social Welfare Appeals Office is responsible for determining appeals against decisions in relation to social welfare entitlements. Any person wishing to appeal a decision on their entitlement to a social welfare payment should apply directly to the Social Welfare Appeals Office. It provides an independent, accessible appeals service which is free of charge. My Department has...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Illness Benefit Payments (26 Feb 2019)

Regina Doherty: A sum in respect of Illness Benefit made payable to the employer of the person concerned was refunded to the Department. The payment has been reissued directly to the bank account of the person concerned and she will receive this payment during week commencing February 25th. The payment of Illness Benefit to the person concerned is up to date as she has provided medical certification to 25...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: EU Funding (26 Feb 2019)

Regina Doherty: The amount of EU funds received or channelled through my Department in 2017 is outlined in the following table - Programme Amount Description Connecting Europe Facility Fund (CEF) €500,000 The CEF assists Member States with their national implementation of the Electronic Exchange of Social Security Information. DEASP and the HSE are in partnership on this implementation. European...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Cheques (26 Feb 2019)

Regina Doherty: My Department provides two main options for payment methods for its customers: payments in cash at post offices or payments direct to customer accounts in financial institutions. While payment to an individual can be made by cheque for all Social Welfare schemes, it is only used as a payment method in exceptional circumstances or to pay arrears. Cheques impose a significant production...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Income Inequality (26 Feb 2019)

Regina Doherty: I understand that the Report on Cherishing all Equally 2019 was published on 20 February. The Report examines a number of issues in relation to inequality, including inequality in wealth, education, health and employment. In response to the Deputy's specific question regarding high incidence of low pay and weak labour protection, I would point out that the Government continues to work to...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Living Wage Implementation (26 Feb 2019)

Regina Doherty: The most recent figures published by Eurostat (January 2019) show that Ireland has the second highest national minimum wage of any country in the EU at €1,614 per month, behind only Luxembourg whose minimum wage is €1,999 per month (for comparison purposes Eurostat converts countries’ hourly or weekly rates into monthly rates). Allowing for purchasing power standards,...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pension (Contributory) Data (26 Feb 2019)

Regina Doherty: Since late September 2018, my Department has been examining the social insurance records of approximately 90,000 pensioners, born on or after 1 September 1946, who have a reduced rate State pension contributory entitlement on post Budget 2012 rate-bands. These payments are being reviewed under a new Total Contributions Approach (TCA) to pension calculation which includes provision for...

Withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union (Consequential Provisions) Bill 2019: Second Stage (Resumed) (27 Feb 2019)

Regina Doherty: I will speak to Parts 11 and 12 of the Bill, which fall within my remit. Both are subject to commencement orders as set out in section 2. Part 11 sets out amendments to the Social Welfare (Consolidation) Act 2005 required in order to maintain the status quoin the common travel area. The purpose of these amendments is to maintain the current reciprocal arrangements for social insurance,...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Payments (27 Feb 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. I confirm that my department received an application for carer’s allowance (CA) from the person concerned on 31...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Pensions Reform (27 Feb 2019)

Regina Doherty: Since 2010, it has been Government policy to replace the Yearly Average system with a Total Contributions Approach (TCA) to establishing the level of entitlement for all new state pension contributory claims from 2020 onwards (TCA2020). In January 2018, I announced the Government Decision to introduce a new interim Total Contributions Approach (TCA) to the calculation of State Pension...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Pensions Reform (27 Feb 2019)

Regina Doherty: Regulation and supervision of State Pensions does not come under the remit of the Pension Authority. Therefore it has no role in the provision of information in relation to the State pension. The Pensions Authority regulates occupational pension and private pensions. The Government intends to introduce a Total Contributions Approach (TCA) to establishing the level of entitlement for...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Pensions Reform (27 Feb 2019)

Regina Doherty: The Government intends to introduce a Total Contributions Approach (TCA) to establish the level of entitlement for all new state pension contributory claims from 2020 onwards (TCA2020). I launched a public consultation on the design of the full TCA to be introduced from 2020 on the 28th of May 2018 to which a wide variety of stakeholder groups were invited. A number of workshops were...