Results 8,801-8,820 of 12,033 for speaker:Regina Doherty

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: School Meals Programme (9 Jul 2019)

Regina Doherty: The school meals programme provides funding towards the provision of food to some 1,580 schools and organisations benefitting 250,000 children at a total cost of €57.6 million in 2019 representing an increase of €3.6 million over the previous year. The objective of the scheme is to provide regular, nutritious food to children who are unable, due to lack of good quality...

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

Regina Doherty: I am on record as stating very clearly that I am committed to tackling the issue of false self-employment. I believe the deliberate mis-classification of a worker as a self-employed contractor, in a situation where they are actually working as an employee, is wrong. It is wrong for three reasons. Firstly, it denies the worker full protection under the Social Welfare Act, which means he...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Jobseeker's Transitional Payment (9 Jul 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...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Working Family Payment (9 Jul 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.  The estimated expenditure on WFP in 2018 is approximately €430 million and as of May 2019 it is...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Direct Provision System (9 Jul 2019)

Regina Doherty: In Budget 2019, I was pleased to increase the rate of Daily Expenses Allowance to the rates recommended in the McMahon Report on Improvements to the Protection Process.  This included a €8.20 per week increase (to €29.80) in the payment for children.  The estimated full year cost of increasing the weekly payment for children living in direct provision in...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Jobseeker's Transitional Payment (9 Jul 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...

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

Regina Doherty: It is estimated that the full year cost of introducing child benefit for children who live in direct provision is €2.84 million. Any introduction of child benefit for children living in direct provision would have to be considered in the overall budgetary context.  I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

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

Regina Doherty: The estimated full year cost to pay the full adult rate of €203 per week to persons under 26 years of age on Jobseeker's Allowance is €59.9 million.  This costing includes increasing the €112.70 qualified adult rate to €134.70 per week. Young jobseekers who participate in an education, training or employment programme currently qualify for...

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

Regina Doherty: The information requested by the Deputy is currently being compiled by my officials and will be provided to the Deputy as soon as possible.

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

Regina Doherty: There were no commissions of investigation or statutory inquiries in the period of time outlined by the Deputy.

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

Regina Doherty: Firstly, may I offer my condolences to the person and his family on the loss of a loved one. The carer’s support grant (CSG) is an annual payment for carers who look after a person in need of full-time care and attention. The payment is made regardless of the carer's means but is subject to the same caring conditions as carer’s allowance (CA). CA recipients automatically...

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

Regina Doherty: The Deputy will appreciate that I am unable to comment or intervene on issues relating to a particular pension scheme.   My Department has no role in setting the level of pension increases received by members of occupational pension schemes.  Pension increases are entirely a matter for the scheme trustees and the sponsoring employer.  Matters directly...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pension (Contributory) (9 Jul 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 based on post Budget 2012 rate-bands.  These payments are being reviewed under a new Total Contributions Approach (TCA) to pension calculation which includes provision...

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

Regina Doherty: There are a number of key features which enables my Department to monitor all aspects Seetec's performance and ensure contract compliance. Every participant is provided with a service guarantee - a baseline level of service covering frequency of engagement, personal progression planning, geographic accessibility and in-employment support. On-site inspections are carried out as part of...

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

Regina Doherty: Carer’s benefit (CARB) is a payment made to insured people who leave the workforce to care for a person(s) in need of full-time care and attention. A person can be considered to be providing full-time care and attention where they are engaged in employment, self-employment or on training courses outside the home for a maximum of 15 hours per week, provided that they can show to the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Illness Benefit Applications (9 Jul 2019)

Regina Doherty: An application for Illness Benefit from 13 December 2018 was received from the person concerned on 15 January 2019. One of the qualifying conditions for Illness Benefit is that a person must have 39 weeks of PRSI contributions paid or credited in the relevant tax year (or 26 weeks of PRSI contributions paid in the relevant year and the tax year immediately before the relevant year), of which...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Climate Change Policy (9 Jul 2019)

Regina Doherty: The Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection and the agencies under its remit are no longer purchasing single-use plastics.  The Department provides purchasing facilities for the Social Welfare Appeals Office, Social Welfare Tribunal and the Labour Market Council agencies whilst the Citizens Information Board and Pensions...

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

Regina Doherty: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 13 May 2019.  It is a statutory requirement of the appeals process that the relevant papers and comments by or on behalf of the Deciding Officer on the grounds of appeal be sought from the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection  These papers...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pension (Contributory) (9 Jul 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 based on post Budget 2012 rate-bands.  These payments are being reviewed under a new Total Contributions Approach (TCA) to pension calculation which includes provision...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Carer's Benefit Applications (10 Jul 2019)

Regina Doherty: Carer's benefit (CARB) is a PRSI based payment, made to persons who are providing full-time care and attention to a person who has such a disability that they require that level of care.   An application for CARB was received from the person concerned on 27 March 2019.  The application was awarded to the person concerned with effect from 22 August 2019 when her carer’s leave...