Results 9,301-9,320 of 12,033 for speaker:Regina Doherty

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes Supervisors (8 Oct 2019)

Regina Doherty: I am currently engaging with representatives of Community Employment supervisors and assistant supervisors to discuss issues arising following the 2008 Labour Court Recommendation. All parties to the engagement process have agreed that the detail of the discussions should remain confidential while the engagement is ongoing and I would ask Deputies to respect these wishes and allow the talks...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes Review (8 Oct 2019)

Regina Doherty: As the Deputy will be aware, the Government agreed to establish an Interdepartmental Group (IDG) to explore how social inclusion schemes might be organised going forward. A number of meetings of the IDG have taken place and a number of bilateral meetings with relevant Departments have also been undertaken. There was a consultative process with stakeholders and the associated submissions...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Commencement of Legislation (8 Oct 2019)

Regina Doherty: The commencement of section 13 of the Civil Registration (Amendment) Act 2014 is subject to engagement by Civil Registration Service staff in the HSE with training that has been developed by the General Register Office of my Department. Officials from my Department are continuing to engage with their counterparts from the Department of Health and the HSE, with a view to them expediting the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes Supervisors (8 Oct 2019)

Regina Doherty: I am currently engaging with representatives of the Community Employment supervisors and assistant supervisors to discuss issues arising following the 2008 Labour Court Recommendation. All parties to the this process have agreed that the detail of the discussions should remain confidential while discussions are ongoing. I would ask Deputies to respect these wishes and allow the talks to...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Free Travel Scheme (8 Oct 2019)

Regina Doherty: The person concerned was awarded a Free Travel Companion Pass in 2016, to be reviewed in one year. Following review in 2018, the Department's Medical Advisor found that the claimant does not require a Free Travel Companion Pass on medical grounds and subsequently the pass was revoked on 2 November 2018. Later that month, the claimant reapplied for a Companion Pass. This application...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Working Family Payment Applications (8 Oct 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 you must have at least 1 qualified child who normally resides with you. Under Social Welfare Legislation, a qualified child is defined as a child under 18 years of age or aged between 18 and 22 and in full-time day education....

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Applications (8 Oct 2019)

Regina Doherty: Carer's allowance (CA) is a means-tested social assistance 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. The person concerned has been in receipt of a Carers Allowance payment since 4th April 2002. The department has no record of an additional application for a second caree by the person...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Applications (8 Oct 2019)

Regina Doherty: Carer's allowance (CA) is a means-tested social assistance 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. I confirm that my department received an application for carer’s allowance from the person concerned on 21 June 2019. Additional information in relation to the person’s...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: JobPath Programme (8 Oct 2019)

Regina Doherty: All Jobseekers on the live register; including those working part time and in receipt of jobseeker payments must be capable of; available for and actively seeking full time employment, they are also required to engage with the Department’s activation services. The Social Welfare (Consolidated) Act 2005, as amended, specifies that participation in activation meetings is mandatory. ...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Illness Benefit Applications (8 Oct 2019)

Regina Doherty: The Illness Benefit claim from the person concerned has been awarded and is currently paid up to date. I am advised that there was a delay in the person concerned receiving payment as the account details provided to the Department were incorrect. The department received the correct bank account details on the 27th September 2019, and the person's claim was subsequently updated and all...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes Funding (8 Oct 2019)

Regina Doherty: Community Employment (CE) is aimed at quality projects that provide excellent work experience that will assist a person participating on CE to enter the open labour market on exit from the scheme. The programme supports voluntary and community companies to provide local services for their communities. CE sponsors receive annual contracts from my Department which fund the employment of...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: School Meals Programme (8 Oct 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 food, to...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pensions Reform (8 Oct 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 of the TCA...

Financial Resolutions 2019 - Financial Resolution No. 9: General (Resumed) (9 Oct 2019)

Regina Doherty: Politics is essentially all about choices, particularly so when there are limited resources and not everybody can be catered for, as one would hope and like to do. As the Government delivers a prudent budget in the shadow of Brexit, I have chosen to ensure we consolidate the progress we have made in recent years to ensure the social welfare system supports some of the most vulnerable...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Expenditure (9 Oct 2019)

Regina Doherty: My Department incurred expenditure of €9.5m under the Training and Development and Incidental Expenses subhead in 2018. This subhead provides for staff training, customer communications and advertising and other incidental costs.

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: State Pension (Contributory) (9 Oct 2019)

Regina Doherty: The State pension age is currently 66 years of age. This will increase to 67 in 2021 and to 68 in 2028. The State pension (contributory) is a PRSI based payment. Under Social Welfare Legislation, qualification for the scheme is based on the social insurance record of the person concerned up to their 66th birthday. I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Carer's Benefit Applications (9 Oct 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 Carer's Benefit was received from the person concerned on 18 September 2019. The application is currently being processed and once completed, the person concerned will be notified...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: JobPath Programme (9 Oct 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 customers are chosen by means of a random selection...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Carer's Allowance Appeals (9 Oct 2019)

Regina Doherty: I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that an oral hearing of the appeal of the person concerned was scheduled for 4 September 2019. However, the person concerned did not attend nor have they subsequently been in touch with the Appeals Office. The Appeals Officer is now considering the appeal in the light of all of the evidence submitted and will be making a summary decision. The...

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2019: Report Stage (9 Oct 2019)

Regina Doherty: These amendments relate to the new section 68I, which concerns refusal or failure to attend activation meetings, and the new section 68J, which concerns refusal or failure to participate in prescribed schemes, programmes or courses. When we discussed these matters on Committee Stage last week, I explained to the Senator that these new sections mirror the equivalent provisions which apply to...