Results 8,541-8,560 of 12,033 for speaker:Regina Doherty

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Low Pay Commission Funding (18 Jun 2019)

Regina Doherty: The Low Pay Commission was launched on the 26th of February 2015 with a budget of €500,000 (per calendar year). This is broken down on a pay (€270,000) and a non-pay basis (€230,000). The budget for the Commission is provided by the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection. The Commission’s annual expenditure has ranged between €250,000 and...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Maternity Benefit Data (18 Jun 2019)

Regina Doherty: The Department of Justice and Equality has policy responsibility for maternity leave which is provided for in the 1994 and 2004 Maternity Acts. Any decision to extend the duration of maternity leave, including that for families with multiple births, would be the responsibility of my colleague the Minister for Justice and Equality. My Department has responsibility for the payment of maternity...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Child Benefit Data (18 Jun 2019)

Regina Doherty: Child benefit is paid to almost 632,000 qualifying adults in respect of over 1.2 Million children with an annual cost in 2018 of €2.1 Billion. Given the universality of Child Benefit, introducing a double entitlement to parents on the birth of a child would not be a sufficiently targeted approach. Furthermore, the introduction of such a proposal would have significant cost...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: National Advocacy Service (18 Jun 2019)

Regina Doherty: The National Advocacy Service for People with Disabilities (NAS) provides an independent, confidential and free, issues-based representative advocacy service that works exclusively for the person using the service and adheres to the highest professional standards. NAS has a particular remit for people with disabilities who are isolated from their community and services, have communication...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Bereavement Leave (18 Jun 2019)

Regina Doherty: The death of a child is a tragic event for any parent. According to the CSO data for deaths of those aged less than 19 years in 2016, there were 354 deaths in the year. The statistics also indicate that the majority of these child deaths, 194, occurred during the first year. My Department continues to pay Maternity Benefit for the 26 weeks for stillborn babies born after 24 weeks of...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Working Family Payment Data (18 Jun 2019)

Regina Doherty: The Working Family Payment (WFP) is an in-work support which provides an income top-up for 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. Estimated expenditure on WFP in 2018 is approximately €430 million and it is currently paid to 53,327 families...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Schemes Data (18 Jun 2019)

Regina Doherty: My Department provides a number of options for income support to lone parents once their entitlement to the One-Parent Family Payment (OFP) ceases. These include the Jobseeker’s Transitional Payment (JST) payment where the youngest child is aged 7-13 years (inclusive), and the Jobseeker’s Allowance (JA) payment which may be paid to lone parents where the youngest child is aged...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Jobseeker's Transitional Payment (18 Jun 2019)

Regina Doherty: My Department provides a number of options for income support to lone parents once their entitlement to the One-Parent Family Payment (OFP) ceases. These include the Jobseeker’s Transitional Payment (JST) payment where the youngest child is aged 7-13 years (inclusive) and the Jobseeker’s Allowance (JA) payment which may be paid to lone parents where the youngest child is aged...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Jobseeker's Transitional Payment (18 Jun 2019)

Regina Doherty: The estimated full year cost of increasing the earnings disregard for the Jobseeker’s Transitional Payment €10, €15, €20 and €25, respectively is set out in tabular form: Estimated additional Annual Cost @ 160 disregard €1.34M Estimated additional Annual Cost @ 165 disregard €2.01M Estimated additional Annual Cost @ 170 disregard...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: One-Parent Family Payment Data (18 Jun 2019)

Regina Doherty: The estimated full year cost of increasing the earnings disregard for the One Parent Family payment by €10, €15, €20 and €25, respectively is set out in tabular form: Estimated additional Annual Cost @ 160 disregard €3.0M Estimated additional Annual Cost @ 165 disregard €4.5M Estimated additional Annual Cost @ 170 disregard €6.0M...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits Data (18 Jun 2019)

Regina Doherty: The main income supports for carers provided by my Department include Carer’s Allowance, Carer’s Benefit, Domiciliary Care Allowance and Carer's Support Grant. Spending on these payments in 2019 is expected to exceed €1.2 billion. It is a condition for receipt of Carer’s Allowance, Carer’s Benefit and the Carers Support Grant that the carer must be...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Free Travel Scheme (18 Jun 2019)

Regina Doherty: The free travel scheme provides free travel on the main public and private transport services for those eligible under the scheme. These include road, rail and ferry services provided by companies such as Bus Átha Cliath, Bus Éireann and Iarnród Éireann, as well as Luas and services provided by over 80 private transport operators. There are currently approx. 944,000...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Data (18 Jun 2019)

Regina Doherty: Carer's Allowance (CA) is a means tested payment, made to people who are providing full-time care and attention to elderly people or to people with disabilities and whose income falls below certain limits. The principal conditions for receipt of the allowance are that full time care and attention is required and being provided and that the means test which applies is satisfied. The...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits Data (18 Jun 2019)

Regina Doherty: I propose to take Questions Nos. 640 and 641 together. The costings sought by the Deputy are detailed in the following tables. Table 1: Cost of varying amounts in all social insurance payments Scheme Full year cost of a €5 increase Full year cost of a €10 increase Full year cost of a €15 increase Full year cost of a €20 increase Full year cost of a...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Jobseeker's Benefit Appeals (18 Jun 2019)

Regina Doherty: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was referred on 28th May 2019 to an Appeals Officer who will make a summary decision on the appeal based on the documentary evidence presented or, if required, hold an oral hearing. The Social Welfare Appeals Office functions independently of the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection and...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Disability Allowance Appeals (18 Jun 2019)

Regina Doherty: I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that an Appeals Officer has completed a review of the original decision to disallow the appeal of the person concerned in light of additional evidence submitted and, as a result, has decided to allow the appeal. The person concerned has been notified of the Appeals Officer’s decision. The Social Welfare Appeals Office functions...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Illness Benefit Payments (18 Jun 2019)

Regina Doherty: The person concerned is currently a qualified adult on her partner's Jobseeker's Allowance claim. This means that her partner is in receipt of a payment in respect of her. A claim for Illness Benefit by the person concerned has been received and the monetary difference between the qualified adult allowance and her illness benefit entitlement is currently being calculated and processed. Any...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Tús Programme (18 Jun 2019)

Regina Doherty: It is recognised by Government that Tús is a positive initiative that enables the long-term unemployed to make a contribution to their communities whilst up-skilling themselves for prospective future employment. Tús provides work placements for a twelve month period for those who are on the Live Register for a year or more. The initiative helps break the cycle of long-term...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits Reviews (18 Jun 2019)

Regina Doherty: Where a social welfare payment has been awarded, a Deciding Officer may revise that decision at any stage, where there is either a change of circumstances, or where there was an error in the original decision, or where fresh facts or evidence indicate that the original decision was incorrect.There is no time limit on this. Where the original decision was to refuse the payment, the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Child Benefit Payments (18 Jun 2019)

Regina Doherty: Child Benefit is a monthly payment made to families with children in respect of all qualified children up to the age of 16 years. The payment continues to be paid in respect of children up to their 18th birthday who are in full-time education, or who have a disability. Child Benefit is currently paid, as of end-April 2019 to almost 632,000 families in respect of over 1.2 million children,...