Results 3,581-3,600 of 12,033 for speaker:Regina Doherty

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Bereavement Grant (11 Jun 2019)

Regina Doherty: During the economic downturn, my Department focused on protecting primary social welfare rates.  In recent years, as the economy has been recovering, the Government has concentrated resources in improving the core rates of payments, particularly for pensioners, resulting in considerable increases in these rates. The Bereavement Grant was a payment of €850 made where the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Schemes Expenditure (11 Jun 2019)

Regina Doherty: The introduction of a digital support allowance of €5 per week for all persons in receipt of the State pension as the Deputy has suggested would in practice be an effective increase in weekly rate. The estimated yearly cost of the increase in payment, taking into account there are approximately 512,000 recipients of the State Pension Contributory and the State Pension...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Public Services Card (11 Jun 2019)

Regina Doherty: I propose to take Questions Nos. 892 and 898 together. Social welfare legislation provides that a person who is applying for a Personal Public Services Number (PPSN) or a social welfare payment, or who is already in receipt of a social welfare payment, can be required to authenticate their identity. Where a person has authenticated their identity to a substantial level of assurance, they...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Rates (11 Jun 2019)

Regina Doherty: Section 19 of the Social Welfare, Pensions and Civil Registration Act 2018 provides that "The Minister shall consult with stakeholders on examining ways in which social welfare rates are increased with the aim of ensuring adequacy for all recipients and shall do so in quarter 1 of 2019”. My Department has met with interested stakeholders to hear their views and comments on how the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Applications (11 Jun 2019)

Regina Doherty: An application for carer's allowance (CA) was received from the person concerned on 6 February 2019. It is a condition for receipt of a CA that the person being cared for must have such disability that they require full-time care and attention. This is defined as requiring from another person continual supervision and frequent assistance throughout the day in connection with normal bodily...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Applications (11 Jun 2019)

Regina Doherty: Carer's allowance (CA) is a means-tested social assistance payment made to a person who is habitually resident in the State and who is providing full-time care and attention to a child or an adult who has such a disability that as a result they require that level of care. An application for CA was received from the person concerned on 24 April 2019. The application is currently being...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Appeals (11 Jun 2019)

Regina Doherty: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was referred on 24th May 2019 to an Appeals Officer who will make a summary decision on the appeal based on the documentary evidence presented or, if required, hold an oral hearing. The Social Welfare Appeals Office functions independently of the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection and...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Working Family Payment Applications (11 Jun 2019)

Regina Doherty: Working Family Payment (WFP) is an in-work family payment which provides additional income support to employees on low earnings with children. The average waiting time for processing new WFP applications is currently 7 weeks. An application for WFP was received from the person concerned on 19 March 2019. The person concerned was awarded WFP on 24 May 2019 with effect from 11 April 2019 to 08...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Jobseeker's Benefit Applications (11 Jun 2019)

Regina Doherty: The person concerned made a Jobseekers application at the end of January 2019. A decision to refuse Jobseekers Benefit was made on 10thApril 2019, and the person concerned was notified in writing including his right to appeal the decision. Subsequently, Jobseekers Allowance payment (at a weekly rate of €203.00) was awarded on 25thApril 2019.  In the interim period, the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Legislative Measures (11 Jun 2019)

Regina Doherty: The Payment of Wages Act 1991 sets out that the information supplied on a payslip must clearly specify the gross amount of wages and the nature and amount of any deductions from pay. Section 4(1) of the Act provides as follows: “An employer shall give or cause to be given to an employee a statement in writing specifying clearly the gross amount of the wages payable to the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Paternity Benefit (11 Jun 2019)

Regina Doherty: The information requested in respect of the number of people that have availed of paternity benefit, in counties Galway and Roscommon, from it's introduction on 1st September 2016 to 31st May 2019, is set out in the following table. PATERNITY BENEFIT Claimants by County Breakdown County Awarded 1st September 2016 - 31st December 2016 Awarded 2017 Awarded 2018 Awarded 1st January 2019...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Child Benefit Eligibility (11 Jun 2019)

Regina Doherty: Child Benefit is a monthly payment made to families with children in respect of all qualified children up to the age of 16 years. Between the ages of 16 and 18, payment continues for children who are in full-time education, or who have a disability. Child Benefit is currently paid to almost 632,000 families in respect of over 1.2 million children, with an estimated expenditure of...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pension (Contributory) (11 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: JobPath Data (11 Jun 2019)

Regina Doherty: The Department is committed, under Pathways to Work, to incentivise the take-up of activation opportunities, including implementing sanctions for failure to engage without good cause. The legislation underpinning the application of penalty rates is provided for in the Social Welfare Act, 2010. Penalty rates were introduced as a means of encouraging jobseekers to engage with activation...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pension (Contributory) (11 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: Social Welfare Offices (11 Jun 2019)

Regina Doherty: My Department is constantly looking at ways to improve services and supports. Community Welfare Services in Dundalk are delivered across three locations, including the local Intreo Centre which also provides a one-stop-shop for the full range of income and employment support services. All of the offices are located within a close distance of each other. Local management are currently...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Eligibility (11 Jun 2019)

Regina Doherty: Carer's allowance (CA) is a means-tested social assistance payment made to a person who is habitually resident in the State and who is providing full-time care and attention to a person who has such a disability that they require that level of care. Once claims are in payment, the Department periodically reviews them to ensure that there is continued entitlement. Depending on the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Insurance Payments (11 Jun 2019)

Regina Doherty: Employees who are over the State pension age, currently 66, are insurable at Class J. This provides cover for occupational injuries benefit only. Under Class J employees pay no PRSI contribution at all while their employer pays an employer rate of just 0.5%, compared to the Class A contribution rates of 4% for employees and 10.95% for employers. Taxation policy is a matter for my colleague,...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pension (Contributory) (11 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: Partial Capacity Benefit Scheme Eligibility (11 Jun 2019)

Regina Doherty: The Partial Capacity Benefit scheme allows a person with reduced capacity to work and who is in receipt of Illness Benefit for at least 26 weeks or Invalidity Pension to return to work and to continue to receive a payment from the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection. An official of the Department contacted the person concerned on June 7th with regard to her Partial...