Results 3,481-3,500 of 12,033 for speaker:Regina Doherty

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Carer's Benefit Eligibility (18 Jun 2019)

Regina Doherty: The Government acknowledges the important role that family carers play and is fully committed to supporting carers in that role through a range of supports and services. This commitment is recognised in both the Programme for Government and the National Carers’ Strategy. The main income supports provided by my Department are Carer’s Allowance, Carer’s Benefit and the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: JobPath Data (18 Jun 2019)

Regina Doherty: I propose to take Questions Nos. 596 to 600, inclusive together. The Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection provides a range of activation supports catering for long-term unemployed jobseekers and those most distant from the labour market to secure and sustain full-time paid employment. These supports include the JobPath service, the Local Employment Service, Job Clubs,...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pension (Contributory) Data (18 Jun 2019)

Regina Doherty: Since late September 2018, my Department has been examining the social insurance records of approximately 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 for...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pension (Contributory) Appeals (18 Jun 2019)

Regina Doherty: Since late September 2018, my Department has been examining the social insurance records of approximately 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) pension calculation which includes provision for...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Disability Allowance Payments (18 Jun 2019)

Regina Doherty: People receiving Disability Allowance who have rental costs may also qualify for Rent Supplement. Rent Supplement is a statutory means-tested scheme, payable at differentiated rates of payment according to the applicant’s means and accommodation requirements. It is normally calculated to ensure that a person, after the payment of rent, has an income equal to the rate of supplementary...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Local Employment Service (18 Jun 2019)

Regina Doherty: The Local Employment Services and Job Clubs contracts are reviewed on an annual basis to ensure they are fit-for-purpose in the context of a greatly improved Irish labour market, while providing value for money for taxpayers. Indecon, in its reviews of LES and Job Clubs published in January, recommended that my Department consider the introduction of multiannual contracts and a competitive...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Carer's Support Grant (18 Jun 2019)

Regina Doherty: The Carer’s Support Grant is an annual payment made to full-time carers. A person in receipt of Domiciliary Care Allowance automatically receives the Grant on the 1st Thursday in June. When entitlement to Domiciliary Care Allowance ceases, a person may qualify for the ‘stand-alone’ Carer’s Support Grant, if he/she meets certain conditions. An application form and...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Household Benefits Scheme (18 Jun 2019)

Regina Doherty: The household benefits package (HHB) comprises the electricity or gas allowance, and the free television licence. My Department will spend approximately €248 million this year on HHB for over 446,000 customers. The package is generally available to people living in the State aged 66 years or over who are in receipt of a social welfare type payment or who satisfy a means test. The...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Widow's Pension (18 Jun 2019)

Regina Doherty: The person concerned was awarded a widower's or surviving civil partner's contributory pension at the maximum rate for a person aged under 66, of €191.30 per week with effect from 6 April 2007. The rate of pension increased in line with annual budgetary increases in 2008 and again in 2009. Subsequent Government budget decisions introduced a range of welfare expenditure reduction...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes Review (18 Jun 2019)

Regina Doherty: Community Employment (CE) is the largest employment programme administered by the Department. It aims to enhance employability and mobility by providing work experience and training opportunities for unemployed persons within their own communities. A key function of CE is supporting social inclusion and counteracting the drift into structural unemployment. All CE placements are...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits Data (18 Jun 2019)

Regina Doherty: I propose to take Questions Nos. 613, 615 to 617, inclusive, 621 to 623, inclusive, 625, 628 and 639 together. The Costings sought by the Deputy are presented in the tables below: Daily Expenses Allowance New Rate Cost (€m) €40 0.23 €41 0.42 €42 0.61 €43 0.8 €44 0.99 €45 1.18 Disability and Carers Scheme €5 Increase...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Household Benefits Scheme (18 Jun 2019)

Regina Doherty: The Household Benefits Package is a package of allowances to assist with the costs of running a household. The package is available to everyone aged over 70 years of age and to people under 70 years of age in certain circumstances. The Household Benefits packages comprises a choice of either Electricity or Gas Allowance, and Free Television Licence, providing a contribution towards...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Rent Supplement Scheme Data (18 Jun 2019)

Regina Doherty: Rent supplement continues its important role in housing families and individuals, with the scheme supporting some 20,600 recipients for which the Government has provided €132.4 million for 2019. Based on customer volumes and the inter county recipients mix at the end of May, the forecast full year cost of increasing rent limits by 10% for those receiving rent supplement would be in the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Free Travel Scheme Data (18 Jun 2019)

Regina Doherty: Budget 2019 increased funding for the Free Travel Scheme by €5 million, from €90 million to €95 million. The Budget measures was provided to meet increased numbers eligible for the scheme and consequent increased claims from service providers, and to encourage new operators into the scheme to give better coverage in remote parts of rural Ireland. The cost of increasing...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Low Pay Commission Funding (18 Jun 2019)

Regina Doherty: The Low Pay Commission was launched on the 26th of February 2015 with a budget of €500,000 (per calendar year). This is broken down on a pay (€270,000) and a non-pay basis (€230,000). The budget for the Commission is provided by the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection. The Commission’s annual expenditure has ranged between €250,000 and...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Maternity Benefit Data (18 Jun 2019)

Regina Doherty: The Department of Justice and Equality has policy responsibility for maternity leave which is provided for in the 1994 and 2004 Maternity Acts. Any decision to extend the duration of maternity leave, including that for families with multiple births, would be the responsibility of my colleague the Minister for Justice and Equality. My Department has responsibility for the payment of maternity...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Child Benefit Data (18 Jun 2019)

Regina Doherty: Child benefit is paid to almost 632,000 qualifying adults in respect of over 1.2 Million children with an annual cost in 2018 of €2.1 Billion. Given the universality of Child Benefit, introducing a double entitlement to parents on the birth of a child would not be a sufficiently targeted approach. Furthermore, the introduction of such a proposal would have significant cost...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: National Advocacy Service (18 Jun 2019)

Regina Doherty: The National Advocacy Service for People with Disabilities (NAS) provides an independent, confidential and free, issues-based representative advocacy service that works exclusively for the person using the service and adheres to the highest professional standards. NAS has a particular remit for people with disabilities who are isolated from their community and services, have communication...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Bereavement Leave (18 Jun 2019)

Regina Doherty: The death of a child is a tragic event for any parent. According to the CSO data for deaths of those aged less than 19 years in 2016, there were 354 deaths in the year. The statistics also indicate that the majority of these child deaths, 194, occurred during the first year. My Department continues to pay Maternity Benefit for the 26 weeks for stillborn babies born after 24 weeks of...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Working Family Payment Data (18 Jun 2019)

Regina Doherty: The Working Family Payment (WFP) is an in-work support which provides an income top-up for employees on low earnings with children. WFP is designed to prevent in-work poverty for low paid workers with child dependants and to offer a financial incentive to take-up employment. Estimated expenditure on WFP in 2018 is approximately €430 million and it is currently paid to 53,327 families...