Results 10,761-10,780 of 12,033 for speaker:Regina Doherty

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Public Services Card (9 Jun 2020)

Regina Doherty: The SAFE registration process, which my Department uses to authenticate a person's identity, is a face-to-face process which results in the issuing of a Public Services Card (PSC). Once a person has authenticated their identity in this manner, they can set up a verified MyGovID account, which allows them access to high-value Government online services, including those delivered through the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (9 Jun 2020)

Regina Doherty: The Department, in line with the overall Government response to this public health emergency, moved swiftly to put in place enhanced and new supports for existing customers and new customers who, as a result of COVID-19, are working reduced hours or who have lost their employment entirely – even if on a temporary basis. A priority from the outset has been to ensure that income still...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Illness Benefit (9 Jun 2020)

Regina Doherty: Under the Health (Preservation and Protection and other Emergency Measures in the Public Interest) Act 2020 (No. 1), and subsequent regulations, the Government, having regard to the manifest and grave risk to human life and public health posed by the spread of Covid-19, made exceptional provision in the public interest and to mitigate the effect of the spread of the disease to amend and...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Child Maintenance Payments (9 Jun 2020)

Regina Doherty: I established a Child Maintenance Review Group to examine a number of issues regarding child maintenance. Specifically, the group is tasked with examining whether there is a case for the establishment of a child maintenance agency in Ireland. It will be chaired by former Circuit Court Judge Catherine Murphy. The purpose of the Child Maintenance Review Group is to consider and make...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (9 Jun 2020)

Regina Doherty: Applicants for International Protection accommodated under the system of Direct Provision operated by the International Protection Accommodation Services of the Department of Justice and Equality are provided with full board accommodation and other facilities and services. People in direct provision receive a daily expenses allowance payment from my Department payable at the weekly rate of...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (9 Jun 2020)

Regina Doherty: I propose to take Questions Nos. 683 and 684 together. The COVID 19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment was introduced as an emergency measure to meet the surge in unemployment which resulted from the effects of the Coronavirus pandemic. Self-employed people must have experienced a collapse of income and be available to take up other full-time work if it was available to them in order to...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (9 Jun 2020)

Regina Doherty: The Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) was introduced by the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. It is an income support payment for both employees and the self-employed who have become fully unemployed due to a downturn in economic activity related to Covid-19. The Coivd-19 PUP is payable where a person meeting the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Personal Public Service Numbers (9 Jun 2020)

Regina Doherty: The SAFE registration process, which involves the authentication of a person's identity in a face-to-face interview, is the normal method of processing an application for a Personal Pubic Service Number (PPSN). Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, my Department has temporarily suspended the SAFE registration process. This decision was taken in order to comply with HSE and World...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Employment Rights (16 Jun 2020)

Regina Doherty: I propose to take Questions Nos. 948, 960 and 967 together. The Organisation of Working Time Act 1997 sets out the key parameters around the taking of annual leave and payment of same. The terms and conditions of individual employment contracts may provide additional specifics within those parameters such as stipulations in relation to the entitlement to extra days' leave above what is...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (16 Jun 2020)

Regina Doherty: To receive the Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP), a person must have been in employment or self-employment in March, and must have lost their employment as a result of the public health emergency. The only jobseeker payment recipients who have received a PUP payment are those who were in part-time or casual employment who lost their employment due to the pandemic.  Jobseeker numbers...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (16 Jun 2020)

Regina Doherty: I am advised that my Department does not have data on  persons in receipt of the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP), or of those living in social housing.  The requested figures for recipients of both Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) and Rent Supplement are presented in the following table.   This table is based only on 2018 earnings data, and...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (16 Jun 2020)

Regina Doherty: I propose to take Questions Nos. 951, 985 and 988 together. On Friday 5th June the Government approved the extension of the Pandemic Unemployment Payment until 10th August. The rate of payment will remain at a flat rate of €350 until 29th June when a two-level payment structure will be introduced to link the pandemic unemployment payment level to gross prior earnings. This change...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (16 Jun 2020)

Regina Doherty: The implications of the changes to the pandemic unemployment payment (PUP) announced on June 5th 2020 is currently being evaluated by my Department in respect of all recipients of this payment. I am advised that at this juncture it is not yet possible report on the number of persons due to have their pandemic unemployment payment adjusted from 30 June 2020 that were earning...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (16 Jun 2020)

Regina Doherty: The implications of the changes to the pandemic unemployment payment (PUP) announced on June 5th 2020 is currently being evaluated by my Department in respect of all recipients of this payment. However, I am advised that based on the Pandemic Unemployment Payments issued on June 9th, a total of 43,790 recipients were under 25 years of age and had weekly earnings of less than...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (16 Jun 2020)

Regina Doherty: The COVID-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment is an emergency payment introduced by the Government for an initial 12 week period for employees and self-employed people who have lost all their employment due to the COVID-19 public health emergency.  The 2020 Revised Estimates, passed by the Dáil on 28 May 2020, provides for an allocation of €2.23 billion for the Pandemic...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Job Losses (16 Jun 2020)

Regina Doherty: Firstly, I would like to say that my thoughts are with all CityJet workers who are faced with job losses at this difficult time.  I wish to assure the affected workers that my Department is available through its Intreo service to assist them in whatever way we can in terms of income supports and job-seeking over the coming weeks and months. When selecting a particular employee for...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (16 Jun 2020)

Regina Doherty: I propose to take Questions Nos. 956, 957, 973, 979, 980, 984 and 1019 together. The COVID-19 pandemic unemployment payment was introduced as a time limited emergency measure in response to the pandemic and Government has approved the extension of this payment until 10th August. Changes were also announced to the structure of this payment which means that it continues to be a strong...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Back to Education Allowance (16 Jun 2020)

Regina Doherty: The back to education allowance (BTEA) provides income support for jobseekers and others in receipt of certain social welfare payments that pursue courses of education at second or third level.  The main focus of the BTEA is to assist qualifying applicants to improve their educational qualifications and improve their prospects of gaining employment. It is expected that, during the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Redundancy Payments (16 Jun 2020)

Regina Doherty: Entitlement to a redundancy payment is set out under the Redundancy Payments Act.  It is  the employer’s responsibility to pay statutory redundancy payments to eligible employees.   In situations where an employer is unable to pay these entitlements due to financial difficulties or insolvency an application for payment under the Redundancy Payments Scheme...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Employment Rights (16 Jun 2020)

Regina Doherty: I propose to take Questions Nos. 961, 977 and 978 together. I am on record as stating that I and my Department am committed to tackling the issue of false self-employment.  The deliberate misclassification of a worker as a self-employed contractor, in a situation where they are actually working as an employee, is wrong.  There are robust arrangements in place for dealing...