Results 1,881-1,900 of 12,033 for speaker:Regina Doherty

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Pension Provisions (11 Jul 2017)

Regina Doherty: The Social Welfare and Pensions Act 2011 provided that State pension age will be increased gradually to 68 years. This began in January 2014 with the abolition of the State pension (transition) available from 65 for those who satisfied the qualifying conditions, thereby standardising State pension age for all at 66 years, which is the current State pension age. This will increase to 67 in...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Departmental Expenditure (11 Jul 2017)

Regina Doherty: The information sought by the Deputy is currently being collated and will be provided shortly.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals (11 Jul 2017)

Regina Doherty: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that the appeal from the person concerned was referred to an Appeals Officer who has decided to hold an oral hearing in this case on 18 July 2017. The person concerned has been notified of the arrangements for the hearing. The Social Welfare Appeals Office functions independently of the Minister for Social Protection and of the Department and...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Tax Code (11 Jul 2017)

Regina Doherty: The Programme for a Partnership Government commits to seeking “to introduce a PRSI scheme for the self-employed and provide a supportive tax regime for entrepreneurs and the self-employed". Significant progress has been made in the last Budget on extending the level of cover available to self-employed PRSI contributors. Self-employed contributors now have access to treatment benefits...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Overpayments (11 Jul 2017)

Regina Doherty: In response to information received by my Department, an investigation of payments to the person concerned was undertaken by the Special Investigations Unit. The outcome of the investigation resulted in decisions being made under the Social Welfare Acts. My Department has written to the person concerned advising her of the outcome, her rights to seek an appeal to the Social Welfare Appeals...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Fuel Allowance Payments (11 Jul 2017)

Regina Doherty: The fuel allowance is paid over the winter season and in the 2016/17 season it was paid for 26 weeks at the rate of €22.50 per week amounting to €585 per annum. Expenditure for 2016/2017 is estimated at €229 million with approximately 376,000 households benefiting. It is a means tested payment to assist householders on long-term social welfare payments who are unable to...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Poverty Data (11 Jul 2017)

Regina Doherty: In Ireland, consistent poverty at the household level is defined as having a household income below 60% of the median household income andexperiencing basic deprivation (measured as lacking 2 or more of a list of 11 basic necessities). The latest national data from the CSO Survey on Income and Living Conditions (SILC) for 2015 shows that the number of children in consistent poverty in 2015...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Unemployment Data (11 Jul 2017)

Regina Doherty: Based on EUROSTAT Labour Force Survey data, the number of Irish long-term unemployed was 80,000 in Q4 2016, as compared with 9,278,000 in the EU overall. The situation in Ireland has improved substantially both in absolute terms and relative to the EU average in the last few years. The number of long-term unemployed here peaked at 204,000 in Q1 2012 at a time when the EU number was...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Unemployment Data (11 Jul 2017)

Regina Doherty: Government policy to reduce unemployment is twofold. First, through policies set out in the Action Plan for Jobs, to create an environment in which business can succeed and create jobs; and second, through Pathways to Work to ensure that as many of these new jobs and other vacancies that arise in our economy are filled by people taken from the Live Register, including young people. To date,...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Gender Recognition (11 Jul 2017)

Regina Doherty: I propose to take Questions Nos. 769 and 770 together. Section 7 of the Gender Recognition Act 2015 provides for a review of the Act to commence within 2 years of enactment of the legislation. Officials in my Department are currently making preparations for the review which is due to commence in September. The terms of reference and the composition of the review group have yet to be...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Citizen Information Services (11 Jul 2017)

Regina Doherty: As the Deputy is aware, the Citizens Information Board (CIB) has statutory responsibility for Citizens Information Services (CIS) and Money Advice and Budgeting Service (MABS). The functions of the Board are set out in Section 7 of the Comhairle Act, 2000, as amended. Under the legislation, the Board can directly provide, or support the provision of, independent information, advice...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Citizen Information Services (11 Jul 2017)

Regina Doherty: The process for selecting board membership of the new sixteen regional boards has not yet been defined by the Citizens Information Board (CIB). Some discussions have taken place on this topic at the regional consultations, held by CIB in May 2017. Further consultations are planned over the summer months on a number of themes, one of which includes recruitment to the sixteen regional company...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Citizen Information Services (11 Jul 2017)

Regina Doherty: On 3 March 2015, eight vacancies, including that of Chairperson, arose on the Citizens Information Board due to the expiration of existing terms of appointment. In the absence of a quorum, Board meetings scheduled for 25th March 2015 and 20 May 2015 did not take place. The Board held meetings in June, October and December 2015, and in February, Julyand October 2016. Section 13 (1) of the...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Citizen Information Services (11 Jul 2017)

Regina Doherty: As the Deputy is aware, the Citizens Information Board (CIB) has statutory responsibility for the Citizens Information Service (CIS) and Money Advice and Budgeting Service (MABS). A Feasibility Study, commissioned by CIB and carried out the Pathfinder, was presented to the Board of CIB in September 2014. Following the Board meeting, a copy of the report was issued to all boards and...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Citizen Information Services (11 Jul 2017)

Regina Doherty: The Citizens Information Board (CIB) is the statutory body responsible for providing information, advice (including money and budgeting advice service) and advocacy services on a wide range of public and social services. CIB delivers on this remit through a network of delivery partners, which includes 51 local Money Advice and Budgeting Services (MABS) and 42 local Citizens Information...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Citizen Information Services (11 Jul 2017)

Regina Doherty: The legislative provisions governing membership of the Citizens Information Board (CIB) are contained in the Comhairle Act 2000, the Citizens Information Act 2007 and the Social Welfare and Pensions Act 2011. The legislation provides that the Board of CIB shall consist of 15 members appointed by the Minister, one of whom shall be designated by the Minister as chairperson and that the quorum...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Citizen Information Services (11 Jul 2017)

Regina Doherty: The information requested by the Deputy is not available. The management boards of each Citizens Information Service are separate independent legal entities. The Citizens Information Board does not routinely receive copies of local service delivery partner company board meeting agendas or minutes. I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Citizen Information Services (11 Jul 2017)

Regina Doherty: As the Deputy is aware, the Citizens Information Board (CIB) has statutory responsibility for Citizens Information Services (CIS) and Money Advice and Budgeting Service (MABS) services countrywide. In November 2014, the Board of the Citizens Information Board decided to restructure the local CIS and MABS networks. In October 2016, the Board decided that the new structure should be...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes Operation (11 Jul 2017)

Regina Doherty: Following the publication of my Department’s Report - An Analysis of the Community Employment Programme – earlier in the year, the Government approved a number of changes to the terms and conditions around participation on Community Employment (CE). The main purpose of these changes is to broaden the availability of CE to a greater number of people on the live register and to...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes Eligibility (11 Jul 2017)

Regina Doherty: As the Deputy is aware, Community Employment (CE) is a labour market activation programme which helps long-term unemployed people and other disadvantaged groups to re-enter the active workforce by breaking their experience of unemployment through a return to work routine. It is designed to be a temporary fixed-term activation intervention. The programme assists participants to enhance and...