Results 8,941-8,960 of 12,033 for speaker:Regina Doherty

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Jobseeker's Allowance Appeals (6 Sep 2019)

Regina Doherty: I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that an oral hearing of the appeal of the person concerned took place on 20 August 2019 and that the Appeals Officer is now considering the appeal in the light of all of the evidence submitted, including that adduced at the oral hearing. The person concerned will be notified of the Appeals Officer’s decision when the appeal has been...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes Supervisors (6 Sep 2019)

Regina Doherty: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1868 and 1877 together. First, I wish to acknowledge the valuable and dedicated service that Community Employment (CE) sponsor organisations provide in running CE Schemes all over the country. CE supervisors, as employees of these organisations, are an integral part of that good work. We simply could not sustain a lot of our local community services...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Cyber Security Data (6 Sep 2019)

Regina Doherty: My Department has a dedicated and fully trained cyber security team. Staff receive regular training to become proficient with new products, to update their skills, and to advance their knowledge of cyber security. My Department has also engaged an independent security partner who supplements and advises the cyber security team. I am advised that my Department maintains a register of...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Operations (6 Sep 2019)

Regina Doherty: I am advised that my Department has a Disaster Recovery plan, a business continuity plan and a Disaster Recovery site all of which are regularly reviewed and tested.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Jobseeker's Benefit Payments (6 Sep 2019)

Regina Doherty: A jobseeker’s payment is paid for days of unemployment where the person is not in receipt of holiday pay from their employer for those days and where they also satisfy the conditions of the scheme. In general, there is no delay in processing jobseeker benefit claims in Intreo Centres if the relevant claim application forms and supporting documentation are completed by the customer,...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Treatment Benefit Scheme Eligibility (6 Sep 2019)

Regina Doherty: Entitlement to treatment benefit is based on having paid PRSI contributions, with customers required to have a certain number of PRSI contributions paid or credited in order to qualify. The scheme is based entirely on the PRSI records of the claimant or if they are a dependent adult, their spouse/partner’s PRSI record. The number of contributions required varies with age, to take...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Pacáiste Sochair Teaghlaigh (6 Sep 2019)

Regina Doherty: Is éard atá san Íocaíocht do Theaghlach i bhFostaíocht (ÍTF/WFP) ná íocaíocht inoibre a bhfuil taca ioncaim á chur ar fáil tríthi d’fhostaithe a bhfuil leanaí acu agus atá ar thuilleamh íseal i gcomparáid le líon a dteaghlaigh. Chun cáiliú don Íocaíocht do Theaghlach i...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Working Family Payment Eligibility (6 Sep 2019)

Regina Doherty: The Working Family Payment (WFP) is an in-work support which provides an income to employees on low earnings with children. WFP is designed to prevent in-work poverty for low paid workers with child dependents and to offer a financial incentive to take up employment. To qualify for WFP, a person must be engaged in full-time insurable employment which is expected to last for at least 3 months...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Insurance Fund (6 Sep 2019)

Regina Doherty: The issue to which the Deputy refers is the tax provision applying to the release/forgiveness of a debt relating to land held as trading stock. This provision applies to individuals - - who own land as part of their trade, - the value of that land was previously written down, in many cases giving rise to large trading losses, and - who benefitted from debt forgiveness on borrowings made to...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Child Benefit Eligibility (6 Sep 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-July 2019 to almost 630,000 families in respect of nearly 1.2 million children,...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Strategies (6 Sep 2019)

Regina Doherty: The new social inclusion strategy "Roadmap for Social Inclusion 2019-2025", is being finalised and I expect that the new strategy will be published shortly.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Jobseeker's Allowance Payments (6 Sep 2019)

Regina Doherty: Reduced rates for JA recipients aged 18-25 were introduced on a phased basis to tackle high youth unemployment and to prevent long term welfare dependency. This is in line with other EU and OECD jurisdictions. Receiving the maximum rate of JA without a strong financial incentive to engage in education or training can lead to long-term welfare dependency from a young age. If a young jobseeker...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Jobseeker's Allowance Applications (6 Sep 2019)

Regina Doherty: The person concerned is currently in receipt of Jobseekers Allowance and has made an application for Back To Education Allowance (BTEA). The BTEA application was refused by a Deciding Officer on 3rd September 2019 as the person concerned is under 21 years of age, not 3 months in receipt of a qualifying payment and already holds a level 5 qualification. This was communicated to the person...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Working Family Payment Eligibility (6 Sep 2019)

Regina Doherty: Working Family Payment (WFP) is an in-work payment which provides additional income support to employees on low earnings with children. In order to qualify for WFP, an applicant must have a qualified child and be engaged in full-time paid employment as an employee for not less than 38 hours per fortnight. All household income is assessable for Working Family Payment. We received your...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Invalidity Pension Appeals (6 Sep 2019)

Regina Doherty: I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that an Appeals Officer, having fully considered all of the available evidence including that adduced at the oral hearing, decided to disallow the appeal of the person concerned. Under Social Welfare legislation, the decision of an Appeals Officer is final and conclusive and may only be reviewed in the light of additional evidence or new...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Disability Allowance Payments (17 Sep 2019)

Regina Doherty: The full year estimated cost of increasing the rate of disability allowance by €20 per week is €166.9 million.   This cost is based on the estimated number of recipients in 2020 and is subject to change in the context of emerging trends and associated revision of these estimates.  This cost includes proportionate increases for qualified adults.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Rent Supplement Scheme Data (17 Sep 2019)

Regina Doherty: I propose to take Questions Nos. 610 to 612, inclusive, together. Rent supplement continues its vital role in supporting families and individuals in private rented accommodation, with the scheme supporting approximately 18,600 recipients for which the Government has provided €132.4 million for 2019. The strategic goal of returning rent supplement to its original purpose,...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits Eligibility (17 Sep 2019)

Regina Doherty: The social welfare system treats spouses, civil partners and cohabitants in the same way for the purposes of determining entitlement to income support and other payments.  The full range of social protection schemes are available to unmarried couples with children on the same basis as married couples with children. The Working Family Payment, for example, is a weekly tax-free...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pension (Contributory) Applications (17 Sep 2019)

Regina Doherty: In late September 2018, my Department began examining the social insurance records of over 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: Social Welfare Benefits Payments (17 Sep 2019)

Regina Doherty: As the Deputy is aware, the Roadmap for Pensions Reform, published last year, commits the Government to examine and develop proposals to set a formal benchmark of 34% of average earnings for the State Pension and to institute a process whereby future changes in pension rates of payment are explicitly linked to changes in consumer prices and average wages.  My Department is currently...