Results 9,441-9,460 of 12,033 for speaker:Regina Doherty

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Rent Supplement Scheme Expenditure (22 Oct 2019)

Regina Doherty: The allocation for Rent Supplement in 2020 is €94.6m, as published in the 2020 Budget Estimates on Budget Day. 

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Pension Fund Data (22 Oct 2019)

Regina Doherty: My Department has arrangements in place to assist with the tracing of pension schemes members.  The pension provider must have made an unsuccessful attempt to contact the scheme member and my Department will only forward correspondence to the last known address of the member, based on its records, and only if this address differs from that held by the pension scheme provider. No...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Disability Allowance Applications (22 Oct 2019)

Regina Doherty: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 16 September 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...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Public Services Card (23 Oct 2019)

Regina Doherty: The public services card was provided for in legislation in 1998 when it was introduced alongside the personal public service, PPS, number to replace the previous revenue and social insurance number, the old RSI number, and the social service card, the old SSC. It acts as an identifier for access to a broad range of services. Successive Governments since have reaffirmed this policy both in...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Public Services Card (23 Oct 2019)

Regina Doherty: The Deputy is correct in saying we have not received an enforcement notice. Therefore it is very difficult to tell the Deputy, with 100% clarity, what we would do until we see that enforcement notice but I can reiterate the legal advice we have, which is numerous, tells us that the legal basis for conducting the safety registration pass, the production of PSC card, the retention of the data...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Public Services Card (23 Oct 2019)

Regina Doherty: The intention from the inception of this project, for want of a better word, was never to make accessing public services more difficult. It was always to try to make it more efficient and, in the main, I believe it has done that. I would regret if anybody finds it more difficult to access public services by the use of electronically communicating or using the public services card as an...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Departmental Staff (23 Oct 2019)

Regina Doherty: Front office-back office is a new operating model currently being introduced which seeks to make the best use of our resources by balancing workloads across our Intreo office network. The new model utilises recent ICT developments that have removed the location constraints of the previous paper-based system. Those constraints meant that the majority of claim-related activity had to be...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Departmental Staff (23 Oct 2019)

Regina Doherty: Just because the Deputy might not know something about an issue does not mean that we have done something quietly. There has been a full and ongoing consultation with staff and unions during the development, piloting and implementation of the new model. The Fórsa trade union supplied detailed feedback to us for consideration of the pilot evaluation. That feedback was included, in its...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Departmental Staff (23 Oct 2019)

Regina Doherty: The simple answer to the Deputy's question is "No". To reiterate, the Fórsa trade union was entirely involved in our pilot project. It supplied detailed feedback for consideration during the assessment of the pilot and all of its suggestions and recommendations were taken on board. There were incidents involving the union on two occasions. We engaged intensively with Fórsa and...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Fuel Allowance Data (23 Oct 2019)

Regina Doherty: In budget 2020, we increased the fuel allowance payment by €2 to €24.50 per week. That is an increase of just under 9% and that will increase the annual fuel allowance rate from €630 to €686, which is an increase of €56 for the year. The annual cost of this increase in the fuel allowance is €21 million and that is funded via a ring-fenced allocation...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Fuel Allowance Data (23 Oct 2019)

Regina Doherty: The studies the Taoiseach referred to are the only ones of which I am aware. I refer to the ESRI impact assessments done on the worst affected and the people with the lowest incomes in society. I will check with the Taoiseach to see if he knows something I do not. I state this tongue in cheek, but I cannot really answer the question as to the intentions of future Governments. If Deputy...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Fuel Allowance Data (23 Oct 2019)

Regina Doherty: To answer the Deputy's question, as I noted earlier on, of the ring-fenced €90 million that will be raised through the carbon tax this year, the single biggest investment of €21 million is coming to my Department to try to shield those who are most vulnerable. The Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment has the sole responsibility, with the Minister for...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Carer's Allowance Eligibility (23 Oct 2019)

Regina Doherty: I propose to take Questions Nos. 43 and 44 together.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Carer's Allowance Eligibility (23 Oct 2019)

Regina Doherty: Could I confirm that this gives the Deputy an opportunity to respond to my reply?

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Carer's Allowance Eligibility (23 Oct 2019)

Regina Doherty: Is that okay with the Deputy?

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Carer's Allowance Eligibility (23 Oct 2019)

Regina Doherty: In budget 2020, I announced that recipients of carer's payments would be allowed to increase the number of hours they can work, study or attend a training course, outside the home, from 15 to 18.5 hours per week. Over 1,200 additional family carers are expected to qualify for payment as a result of this change at an estimated cost of €11.6 million. Also, any carer currently...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Carer's Allowance Eligibility (23 Oct 2019)

Regina Doherty: I am not sure why the Deputy called it an anomaly given that it was part of the carers' benefit system, which is enshrined in legislation. It was a decision made when we sat down with a finite amount and we had to decide who we needed to best look after. We had to see how thinly we could spread the money to reach the most people in the current economy. When I considered increasing the...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Carer's Allowance Eligibility (23 Oct 2019)

Regina Doherty: I ask the Acting Chairman to indulge me briefly. I believe that we need to have a proper conversation about care in this country. No one can ignore it for much longer given we will have far more carers in future than ever. Collectively, we recognise that the State needs to change the way it works, supports and cares for our carers. That is why Ms Catherine Day is a very welcome...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Carer's Allowance Eligibility (23 Oct 2019)

Regina Doherty: I have asked to ensure that the Carers' Association is front and centre to any new Citizens' Assembly and, collectively, we should all buy into whatever recommendations emerge and the changes required to care for carers.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Carer's Allowance Eligibility (23 Oct 2019)

Regina Doherty: It is the net family working payment and income tax.