Results 8,761-8,780 of 12,033 for speaker:Regina Doherty

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: JobPath Data (9 Jul 2019)

Regina Doherty: As the Deputy will be aware JobPath is a case management service that provides employment counselling and advice to long-term unemployed jobseekers with a view to improving their prospects of securing sustained employment.  It complements the case management services provided directly by the Department's own staff via Intreo and via other contracted providers such as the Local...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Schemes Data (9 Jul 2019)

Regina Doherty: I am advised that the Social Welfare (Consolidated Claims, Payments and Control) (Amendment) (No. 10) (Assessment of Means) Regulations 2019 and the Social Welfare (Consolidated Supplementary Welfare Allowance) (Amendment) (No. 5) (Assessment of Means) Regulations 2019 are due to cease to have effect on 31 December 2019. These Regulations provide that, for...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Eligibility (9 Jul 2019)

Regina Doherty: Carer's benefit (CARB) is a PRSI based payment, made to a person 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. It is payable for a maximum of 104 weeks for each person being cared for. This may be claimed as a single continuous period or in any number of separate periods up to a total of...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Defined Benefit Pension Schemes (9 Jul 2019)

Regina Doherty: Defined Benefit (DB) schemes are voluntary tri-partite arrangements between employers, employees (or their representatives) and trustees.  Responsibility rests with all the parties for ensuring that the scheme is properly managed and funded to meet the promised level of benefits. Almost all Irish defined benefit pension schemes have a rule that allows the employer to cease contributions,...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pension (Contributory) Data (9 Jul 2019)

Regina Doherty: The increase for a qualified adult, payable with the state pension (contributory), is a means-tested payment, based on the means of the qualified adult, solely or jointly held.  An increase has been awarded to the person concerned with effect from 7 March 2019, at the maximum weekly rate for a qualified adult under 66 with nil assessable means.  ...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pension (Contributory) Eligibility (9 Jul 2019)

Regina Doherty: The introduction of a Total Contributions Approach (TCA) to establishing the level of entitlement for all new state pension contributory claims was signalled by the then Government in the National Pensions Framework in 2010.  At that time it set a target date of 2020 for the implementation of TCA.  More recently, the Roadmap for Pensions Reform 2018-2023 targeted implementation...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Free Travel Scheme Data (9 Jul 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....

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Disability Support Services (9 Jul 2019)

Regina Doherty: My Department provides a range of grants and supports to assist both jobseekers with disabilities and employers to take appropriate measures to enable either a potential employee or existing employee with disabilities to obtain or retain employment.  These include the: - Disability Awareness Support Scheme (DASS) - Reasonable Accommodation Fund (RAF), which...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits Data (9 Jul 2019)

Regina Doherty: The Christmas Bonus payment is made to long-term social welfare recipients, such as pensioners, carers, people with disabilities, lone parents and long-term unemployed people who rely wholly or mainly on their social welfare payments for financial support. As is the case every year, the payment of a Christmas Bonus is a discretionary decision made by Government in the context of the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Pensions Legislation (9 Jul 2019)

Regina Doherty: The Social Welfare and Pensions Act 2011 provided that State pension age will increase to age 67 in 2021 and age 68 in 2028.  The purpose of these changes is to make the pension system more sustainable in the context of increasing life expectancy.  This has significant implications for future cost of State pension provision which is increasing by approximately €1 billion...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Pensions Data (9 Jul 2019)

Regina Doherty: In 2019, it is estimated that this Department will spend over €8 billion on pension payments. The cost includes payments to over 650,000 pensioners and qualified adults who are aged 66 and over as well as pensions paid to those who are under 66 years of age (such as widows and qualified adults under the age of 66). According to the CSO’s Population and Labour Force...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: JobPath Data (9 Jul 2019)

Regina Doherty: JobPath is an employment activation service that supports people who are long-term unemployed, including those working part-time and those at risk of becoming long-term unemployed, to secure and sustain full-time paid employment.  All jobseekers over one year on the Live Register are eligible for selection for the JobPath service and clients are chosen by means of a random selection...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits Eligibility (9 Jul 2019)

Regina Doherty: The social protection system includes a variety of social assistance payments with different rules in relation to means testing, reflecting the different contingencies under which payments are made. The blind pension is a means-tested payment paid to blind and visually impaired people. It is unique in the social protection system as it is a payment provided to people with a specific...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Applications (9 Jul 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. An increased payment can be made where full-time care is being provided to two people. An application for CA was received...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pension (Contributory) Eligibility (9 Jul 2019)

Regina Doherty: The introduction of a Total Contributions Approach (TCA) to establishing the level of entitlement for all new state pension contributory claims was signalled by the then Government in the National Pensions Framework in 2010.  At that time it set a target date of 2020 for the implementation of TCA.  More recently, the Roadmap for Pensions Reform 2018-2023 targeted implementation...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Carer's Support Grant (9 Jul 2019)

Regina Doherty: The Carer’s Support Grant is an annual payment made by the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection to full-time carers. The person concerned was paid the 2018 grant earlier this year. A short questionnaire was sent to her for completion in April in order to assess her eligibility for the 2019 grant. However, the completed questionnaire has not been...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Treatment Benefit Scheme Data (9 Jul 2019)

Regina Doherty: The number of treatment benefit claims made in respect of self-employed contributors in 2018 and 2019 (to date) is outlined in the following tables, categorised under the Dental, Optical and M&S (hearing aids) schemes. Treatment benefits have been available to self-employed contributors since March 2017. Statistics are not available for the 2017...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Jobseeker's Benefit Eligibility (9 Jul 2019)

Regina Doherty: It is planned that the new scheme of jobseekers benefit for the self-employed which I announced as part of Budget 2019 will be introduced from November this year. The Social Welfare Bill 2019 will provide for the necessary legislation required to introduce this new scheme and is progressing through the Houses of the Oireachtas. Once enacted, jobseeker’s benefit...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Payments (9 Jul 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. A person can be considered to be providing full-time care and attention where they are engaged in employment,...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Applications (9 Jul 2019)

Regina Doherty: An application for carer’s allowance (CA) was receive from the person concerned on 2 October 2018.The application was referred to a local social welfare inspector (SWI) to assess the level of care being provided, assess means and confirm that all the conditions for receipt of carer’s allowance are satisfied. It is a condition for receipt of CA that every claimant shall furnish...