Results 4,241-4,260 of 12,033 for speaker:Regina Doherty

Seanad: Protection of Employment (Measures to Counter False Self-Employment) Bill 2018: Committee Stage (27 Mar 2019)

Regina Doherty: To reiterate, there are some issues with regard to the other sections but I will not be pressing them to a vote. It is just to put them on the record. There are an enormous number of subsections in section 2 that are very helpful and clarify certain scenarios that would rule out a determination of employment. I have asked the Department to seriously consider, with the Senator's permission,...

Seanad: Protection of Employment (Measures to Counter False Self-Employment) Bill 2018: Committee Stage (27 Mar 2019)

Regina Doherty: I have some minor issues regarding section 5. In regard to intermediary third parties, the Bill refers to functions which "are matters of form only and not of substance". Those terms are not defined anywhere in legislation and I have been advised by the Attorney General that the wording would lead to considerable debate and possibly a large amount of litigation which, obviously, none of us...

Seanad: Protection of Employment (Measures to Counter False Self-Employment) Bill 2018: Committee Stage (27 Mar 2019)

Regina Doherty: To be clear, obviously, no two cases are the same. Many organisations legally use intermediaries and are perfectly entitled to do so and enjoy the benefits that go with that. However, where the deciding officers in the scope section determine that there is an intermediary, that does not preclude us from determining, in the case of a person working through the intermediary to, perhaps, a...

Seanad: Protection of Employment (Measures to Counter False Self-Employment) Bill 2018: Committee Stage (27 Mar 2019)

Regina Doherty: I point out to the Senator that it is section 5 that relates to intermediaries. I hope I did not miss something in section 4 that-----

Seanad: Protection of Employment (Measures to Counter False Self-Employment) Bill 2018: Committee Stage (27 Mar 2019)

Regina Doherty: That is fine. I wanted to ensure we are talking about the same thing. No two cases are the same. One could have two people working through an intermediary for the same organisation, one of whom may be self-employed and the other an employee. What I am saying is that the power to determine who is the employer already exists in law and within the powers of the deciding officers. We will...

Seanad: Protection of Employment (Measures to Counter False Self-Employment) Bill 2018: Committee Stage (27 Mar 2019)

Regina Doherty: If I gave the Senator that impression, I did not mean to because that it is not the reality. One can have two people doing the same role but one could be self-employed and the other could be an employee. It is determined on the contract of engagement. For example, take two people teaching Irish. One is in control of his or her working arrangements, time and space, as well as how he or she...

Seanad: Protection of Employment (Measures to Counter False Self-Employment) Bill 2018: Committee Stage (27 Mar 2019)

Regina Doherty: The section states the Revenue Commissioners may form an opinion on a particular transaction which constitutes false self-employment as a taxation transaction for the purposes of sections 811, 811A, 811B, 811C and 811D of the Taxes Consolidation Act 1997. The difficulty is that all those applications relate to transactions which only commenced on or prior to 23 October 2014. While the...

Seanad: Protection of Employment (Measures to Counter False Self-Employment) Bill 2018: Committee Stage (27 Mar 2019)

Regina Doherty: In response to Senator Craughwell, this is not a new problem. Sometimes when we have this conversation we talk about it as something that has only arisen in recent years. CSO statistics tell us that there has been no increase in self-employment in generations. We have been a nation of entrepreneurial people forever. The issue is that, as the economy changes, employers are finding other...

Seanad: Protection of Employment (Measures to Counter False Self-Employment) Bill 2018: Committee Stage (27 Mar 2019)

Regina Doherty: On this occasion, I must disagree with the Senator because there is no difference between determining whether somebody is employed or self-employed and determining their classification from a social insurance perspective. It is not a separate matter. It is exactly the same thing. With respect, the WRC has no experience in classifying and we already have a section. There are 200 social...

Seanad: Protection of Employment (Measures to Counter False Self-Employment) Bill 2018: Committee Stage (27 Mar 2019)

Regina Doherty: This is probably not on the section itself, even though the name of the Bill is what it is, but before we wrap up I wish to say the following. I am totally committed to this. As I said to Senators when we were here on that snowy day - with respect, I feel like I have to defend myself somewhat from the toned accusations that have been made against me, and I am being measured when I say that...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Fuel Allowance Eligibility (27 Mar 2019)

Regina Doherty: The fuel allowance is a payment of €22.50 per week for 28 weeks (a total of €630 each year) from October to April, to over 377,000 low income households, at an estimated cost of €240 million in 2019. The purpose of this payment is to assist these households with their energy costs. The allowance represents a contribution towards the energy costs of a household. It is...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Carer's Benefit Appeals (27 Mar 2019)

Regina Doherty: I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that it is envisaged that a decision will be made by an Appeals Officer in this case within the next week. The person concerned will then be notified of the Appeals Officer’s decision. The Social Welfare Appeals Office functions independently of the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection and of the Department and is...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Gender Recognition (27 Mar 2019)

Regina Doherty: The current legislation does not provide for a person under 16 years to apply for a gender recognition certificate (GRC). The overall number of applications for a GRC from the introduction of the provision up to 28 February 2019 is 463, of which 1 application was refused. A review of the Gender Recognition Act 2015 was conducted last year, with a report published in July 2018. The report...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Ministerial Meetings (27 Mar 2019)

Regina Doherty: It should be noted that my Department has no contract for services with Working Links, rather its contract is with Turas Nua for the provision of JobPath services to jobseekers. I have not met with Turas Nua in regard to recent developments concerning Working Links. However, Turas Nua has kept officials from my Department briefed on developments in this area and my officials have sought...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Pensions Data (27 Mar 2019)

Regina Doherty: The transposition of the IORP II Directive will result in significant improvements to the regulation and governance of funded occupational pension schemes in Ireland. Officials in my Department, supported by the Pensions Authority, have conducted detailed analysis on the implementation of the Directive. While the Directive provides for the possibility of derogation from specific...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Carer's Benefit Applications (27 Mar 2019)

Regina Doherty: Carer's benefit (CARB) is a PRSI based payment, made to persons who are providing full-time care and attention to a person who has such a disability that they require that level of care. It is payable for a maximum of 104 weeks for each person being cared for. An application for carer's benefit (CARB) was received from the person concerned on 24 December 2018. CARB was awarded for a period...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Telephone Call Charges (27 Mar 2019)

Regina Doherty: The use of 1890 LoCall numbers by my Department is not a revenue generating operation. My Department is committed to providing a choice of channels to our customers through which they can engage with us and the 1890 service is one of those channels available for customers who wish to contact us by telephone. 1890 numbers are one class of Non-Geographic Numbers (NGN) provided for and regulated...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Appeals (27 Mar 2019)

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 26th March 2019. The person concerned was notified of the arrangements for the 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: State Pensions Payments (27 Mar 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: Community Employment Schemes Funding (27 Mar 2019)

Regina Doherty: Work Schemes such as Community Employment (CE) are labour market programmes that enable long-term unemployed to progress into employment and/or further education and training. Participation limits on these schemes are necessary to allow for the maximum utilisation of places amongst qualifying persons. It is important to note that participation is intended to be for a temporary fixed term and...