Results 8,341-8,360 of 12,033 for speaker:Regina Doherty

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Employment Rights (30 May 2019)

Regina Doherty: The legislation on the victimisation of workers is important. In recent months, I have been approached directly by a number of people who were genuinely afraid that even if they won their cases, they would have no choice but to leave their organisations because they would be treated so badly. That is not acceptable and that culture needs to be stamped out. We will do that in law. Similar...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Employment Rights (30 May 2019)

Regina Doherty: That is exactly what we are doing. Since the Deputy might not be aware of it, I am not trying to be smart when I say we actually are taking a whole-of-government approach. The code of practice is being reviewed by an interdepartmental group comprising the Workplace Relations Commission, the Department of Finance, Revenue and my Department. We are also having conversations with ICTU and...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Jobseeker's Payments (30 May 2019)

Regina Doherty: The Social Welfare and Pensions Act 2011 provided that the State pension age would increase to age 67 years in 2021 and 68 years in 2028. The purpose of these changes was to make the pension system more sustainable in the context of increasing life expectancy. This has significant implications for the future costs of the State's pension provision, which are increasing by approximately...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Jobseeker's Payments (30 May 2019)

Regina Doherty: It must be noted that there is no legally mandated retirement age in the State and I do not think that is true of any other state. The age at which employees in Ireland retire is therefore a matter for the contract between the employer and the employee. While such a contract may have been entered into when the retirement age was 65 years, this is in the context of previous State pension...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Jobseeker's Payments (30 May 2019)

Regina Doherty: The purpose of raising the State pension age was not to force those people who are 65 years of age or over onto jobseekers' payments. Rather, the then Government - we continue to believe this - sought to encourage workers to remain economically active for longer in recognition of the fact that they are living longer and healthier lives. We wish to promote the implications of their increased...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Social Welfare Benefits Waiting Times (30 May 2019)

Regina Doherty: The Department is genuinely committed to ensuring that claims for its schemes are processed as quickly as possible. In April 2019 new claims for non-contributory State pension, carer's allowance, carer's benefit and domiciliary care allowance schemes were processed within their respective target timeframes. Depending on the scheme, targets for awarding claims are set between ten and 12...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Social Welfare Benefits Waiting Times (30 May 2019)

Regina Doherty: I will give the Deputy some new statistics since the last time he asked a question about this matter. There are currently 81,652 people in receipt of carer's allowance providing care to 89,679 recipients with 49,704 qualified children. There are some 2,770 people in receipt of carer's benefit giving care to 3,185 people. The average processing time for carer's benefit is 11 weeks. The...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Social Welfare Benefits Waiting Times (30 May 2019)

Regina Doherty: I do not know the answer to the question on the two vacant posts. I will revert to the Deputy on it later today. With my tongue in my cheek, I assure him that the Department of Finance does not know what my expected want is for next year but it will know fairly soon. I will do my very best to ensure we get what we want.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Social Welfare Benefits Waiting Times (30 May 2019)

Regina Doherty: I do not know.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Social Welfare Benefits Waiting Times (30 May 2019)

Regina Doherty: I have ambitions to do certain things. I hope we will be able to work together to get the support to be able to do them. Again, this is not about my ambitions but about the need to reflect on the two or three areas or groups of people who are most marginalised. I would like to make sure that we set in train a process in the next few years to improve their lot significantly. The issue...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Social Welfare Benefits Waiting Times (30 May 2019)

Regina Doherty: Yes, and any assistance in that regard would be gratefully received.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Local Employment Service (30 May 2019)

Regina Doherty: The LES and job clubs contracts are reviewed on an annual basis to ensure they are fit for purpose in the context of the Irish labour market, as well as providing value for money for taxpayers. Indecon, in its reviews of LES and job clubs published in January recommended that the Department consider the introduction of multi-annual contracts and a competitive...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Local Employment Service (30 May 2019)

Regina Doherty: Given that we have not yet designed the tender process, I do not know how Deputy O'Dea can make the assumption that it will be unfair or that the playing field will not be level. The design of the tender process, involving officials in my Department and the stakeholders, is currently in the very early stages. When that design is completed, we will publish it.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Local Employment Service (30 May 2019)

Regina Doherty: The Deputy already knows the answer to his last question. Lawyers are a bit like doctors in that they all have differences of opinion. The legal advice that I have been given is contrary to the advice referred to by Deputy O'Dea. As a dutiful Minister, I will adhere to the legal advice that has been given to me.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Local Employment Service (30 May 2019)

Regina Doherty: That is who gives us our legal advice.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Local Employment Service (30 May 2019)

Regina Doherty: We are on a roll.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Community Employment Schemes Supervisors (30 May 2019)

Regina Doherty: I thank the Deputy for the question because it gives me an opportunity to set the scene in terms of what has been agreed. I met unions and CE supervisors on a number of occasions before their planned strike. We had a genuine and decent conversation. The Deputy will be aware that the strike was called off with a view to us establishing a planned engagement in the coming weeks and months. ...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Community Employment Schemes Supervisors (30 May 2019)

Regina Doherty: That was resolved in July 2017.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Community Employment Schemes Supervisors (30 May 2019)

Regina Doherty: Yes. We made changes on foot of being told that Tús and CE schemes could not find applicants. We also made them in light of the lobbying done for many months by the good Deputies present, including Deputy Brady. We provided that people on JobPath could be available to go to Tús to see if that was what they wanted to do. That has been the case for some time.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Community Employment Schemes Supervisors (30 May 2019)

Regina Doherty: No.