Results 4,261-4,280 of 12,033 for speaker:Regina Doherty

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

Regina Doherty: The rate of state pension (contributory) awarded to an individual is based solely on their social insurance record. There is no means / income test for that pension, and therefore pensioners have no limit on earnings that will effect their SPC rate of payment. The State Pension (non-contributory) (SPNC) is a means tested payment. Wages from employment of up to €200 per week are...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Supplementary Welfare Allowance Payments (27 Mar 2019)

Regina Doherty: The issue has arisen as a result of the manner in which earnings from employment were assessed in this case. In the SWA assessment, earnings are calculated on an yearly average and so the means were as stated. In view of the working arrangement that the person concerned has entered into with her employer and the reduction in the hours worked, as outlined by the Deputy, I would advise that she...

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

Regina Doherty: I am aware of the judgement of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) in Case 266/14 generally referred to as the 'Tyco case'. The decision made in the Tyco case was based on a set of facts relating to the particular circumstances of mobile workers in the context of a pre-existing arrangement in respect of those journeys. The Tyco case was referred to the CJEU in relation to...

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2019
Vote 37 - Employment Affairs and Social Protection (Revised) (27 Mar 2019)

Regina Doherty: I thank the Chairman for the opportunity to come and discuss with the committee the Revised Estimates for the Department. Our officials have provided committee members with detailed briefing material for use at the meeting, which includes comprehensive financial and recipient data. This briefing also provides updates on the Department's performance on its output targets for 2018. On foot...

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2019
Vote 37 - Employment Affairs and Social Protection (Revised) (27 Mar 2019)

Regina Doherty: I am all for providing certainty and stability, as evidenced by what I am attempting to do with social welfare payments. I have said on a number of occasions that once the legislation is passed and the regulations are signed, we will start the review process for the 80,000 or so people involved, each of whom has received a letter. They have all been invited to come forward. Where there are...

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2019
Vote 37 - Employment Affairs and Social Protection (Revised) (27 Mar 2019)

Regina Doherty: Everybody has to have a review completed. Whether it is conducted with information held within the Department, it still has to take place. For example, an operative in Sligo has to check the record and if he or she can find all of the gaps, he or she can conduct the review without the intervention of the claimant and it will be completed more quickly than if he or she has to invite the...

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2019
Vote 37 - Employment Affairs and Social Protection (Revised) (27 Mar 2019)

Regina Doherty: Yes.

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2019
Vote 37 - Employment Affairs and Social Protection (Revised) (27 Mar 2019)

Regina Doherty: We were recruiting staff and getting the IT systems ready before the regulations were signed. When they were signed, our team was ready to push buttons and send letters. That is exactly what happened.

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2019
Vote 37 - Employment Affairs and Social Protection (Revised) (27 Mar 2019)

Regina Doherty: What are the schemes?

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2019
Vote 37 - Employment Affairs and Social Protection (Revised) (27 Mar 2019)

Regina Doherty: Okay.

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2019
Vote 37 - Employment Affairs and Social Protection (Revised) (27 Mar 2019)

Regina Doherty: I do not think so.

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2019
Vote 37 - Employment Affairs and Social Protection (Revised) (27 Mar 2019)

Regina Doherty: Yes.

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2019
Vote 37 - Employment Affairs and Social Protection (Revised) (27 Mar 2019)

Regina Doherty: On the Deputy's final comment, not to be disrespectful to the survivors from the Magdalen laundries - I think I have had this conversation here before - I hate the term "customers". We do not have customers but we also do not only serve citizens because there are many people who are not Irish citizens that we do not serve. Perhaps we can collectively come up with an appropriate term. I...

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2019
Vote 37 - Employment Affairs and Social Protection (Revised) (27 Mar 2019)

Regina Doherty: I will also answer Deputy Collins's other question before she leaves. I cannot understand why the data is two years behind. I do not have any idea why that is the case. The next time I expect to receive data is in December 2019. Taking into account the report we received a couple of months ago that showed a devastating picture of the impact of policy changes and cuts on, in particular,...

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2019
Vote 37 - Employment Affairs and Social Protection (Revised) (27 Mar 2019)

Regina Doherty: I will now respond to Deputy O'Dea's questions. The vast majority of our schemes are demand-led. I do not know who would have said to the Deputy anecdotally that we have run out of money. Funds for emergency needs payments and exceptional needs payments never run out. It is easy for me to say that because it is not my money that we are spending. These payments exist to help people at...

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2019
Vote 37 - Employment Affairs and Social Protection (Revised) (27 Mar 2019)

Regina Doherty: The combined total for the three schemes in this year's Estimates is €688.4 million. The back to work family dividend scheme is not ending. On control measures, we had overpayments in 2018 of €107 million, of which suspected fraud amounted to €29.7 million. The figure for recoveries is €86.3 million. The Deputy asked how many recipients of the invalidity...

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2019
Vote 37 - Employment Affairs and Social Protection (Revised) (27 Mar 2019)

Regina Doherty: No.

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2019
Vote 37 - Employment Affairs and Social Protection (Revised) (27 Mar 2019)

Regina Doherty: How long is a piece of string? I do not want to tell the Deputy that the reviews will be completed by the summer because if we do not get the information from people we will have to keep asking until they provide us with it. I do not want to say that the reviews will close on 1 July. People get envelopes and they put them in drawers and sometimes they forget. They may have good intentions...

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2019
Vote 37 - Employment Affairs and Social Protection (Revised) (27 Mar 2019)

Regina Doherty: I am probably guilty of giving the Deputy the impression that because there were people on whom we already had the information that somehow some computer would magically zap it together. Everybody must have a review. It must go through a human's hands. Even if I know that someone had a baby in 1972 and another in 1989 and I can see that information, I must still physically go through that...

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2019
Vote 37 - Employment Affairs and Social Protection (Revised) (27 Mar 2019)

Regina Doherty: Some 80% of the people who have applied so far have had an uplift and about 20% have had no change. The vast majority are going to either a full pension or a 95% pension. Once the process is complete, I will be able to give an exact breakdown of how many are involved, how quickly the decisions are being made and so on. My intention is not to close it. I would like to think that in the...