Results 4,741-4,760 of 12,033 for speaker:Regina Doherty

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: National Carers' Strategy (19 Feb 2019)

Regina Doherty: The Government acknowledges the crucial role that family carers play and is fully committed to supporting carers in that role. This commitment is recognised in both the Programme for a Partnership Government and the National Carers’ Strategy. The Department of Health has responsibility for the National Carers’ Strategy which sets out the strategic direction for future policies,...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes Supervisors (19 Feb 2019)

Regina Doherty: I propose to take Questions Nos. 59 and 63 together. First, I wish to acknowledge the valuable and dedicated service that Community Employment supervisors provide in running Community Employment Schemes all over the country.  We simply could not sustain a lot of our local community services without their work and it is, of course, a concern to me that the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Insurance (19 Feb 2019)

Regina Doherty: I propose to take Questions Nos. 60 and 98 together. I understand the Deputy has provided details of two cases.  Both of these cases concern  public servants who were employed in a permanent and pensionable capacity and who were  determined to be paying the wrong class of PRSI for a period of time.  They were paying the standard rate class A PRSI when they...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes Operation (19 Feb 2019)

Regina Doherty: The Community Employment (CE) placements are categorised into two strands, Social Inclusion and Activation.  The Social Inclusion placements are generally taken up by adults who need additional supports: for example,  people from very disadvantaged backgrounds, people with mental health issues, refugees, those requiring drug rehabilitation and ex-offenders.  CE schemes...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Live Register Data (19 Feb 2019)

Regina Doherty: The latest available CSO figures for January 2019 record 3,409 people on the Live Register in County Carlow, its lowest level since early 2008.  This represents a year-on-year decrease of almost 10% (372 people). Over the longer period, the Live Register in County Carlow has fallen by almost 50% in the five years since January 2014, which is in line with national trends.  This...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Rural Social Scheme Eligibility (19 Feb 2019)

Regina Doherty: The rural social scheme (RSS) provides opportunities for farmers and fishermen / women who are currently in receipt of specified social welfare payments to work to provide certain services of benefit to rural communities.  Communities benefit from the skills and talents of local farmers and fishermen and participants have the opportunity to improve existing skills, or develop new skills,...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pension (Contributory) (19 Feb 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 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 Benefits Eligibility (19 Feb 2019)

Regina Doherty: I propose to take Questions Nos. 66, 67 and 97 together. My Department’s main social welfare supports for people who are unemployed are the jobseeker’s allowance and the jobseekers benefit schemes. Both schemes are based on a day of employment or unemployment as the case may be.  This days based system provides significant income supports to jobseekers who are part-time...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Offices (19 Feb 2019)

Regina Doherty: Jobseeker claims for people living in County Meath are administered by the Intreo Centre in Navan, our Branch Offices in Trim and Kells, the Intreo Centre in Finglas and in Maynooth. Signing-on for the majority of jobseekers usually occurs no more than once in any 4-week period. Customers can refer tofor useful information on all services provided by the Department and they can also...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Child Benefit Payments (19 Feb 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.  The payment continues to be paid in respect of children up to their 18th birthday who are in full-time education, or who have a disability.  Child Benefit is currently paid to almost 623,000 families in respect of nearly 1.2 million children, with...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Arts and Culture Capital Scheme Eligibility (19 Feb 2019)

Regina Doherty: A pilot initiative to exempt self-employed visual artists and writers from my Departments activation measures was introduced under the Creative Ireland Programme which involved collaboration between my Department and the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, with the support and advice of the Arts Council.  It was decided after consultation that the pilot would apply to...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: School Meals Programme (19 Feb 2019)

Regina Doherty: The school meals programme provides funding towards the provision of food to some 1,580 schools and organisations benefitting 250,000 children at a total cost of €57.6 million in 2019 representing an increase of €3.6 million over the previous year.  The objective of the scheme is to provide regular, nutritious food to children who are unable, due to lack of good quality...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Farm Assist Scheme Administration (19 Feb 2019)

Regina Doherty: Farm assist is a means-tested income support scheme for farmers.  To qualify for the payment, a customer must be a farmer, farming land in the State, aged between 18 and 66 and satisfy a means test.  The annual farm assist review form is a necessary part of the normal review process for these customers. Following the Comptroller and Auditor General  examination of the Farm...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Treatment Benefit Scheme Data (19 Feb 2019)

Regina Doherty: Qualification for treatment benefit (TB), which includes dental, optical and medical appliances (hearing aids), is based on the person having paid the required number of PRSI contributions since starting employment and also having the required number of contributions or credits in the relevant tax year. The number of contributions required to qualify varies with...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Rural Social Scheme (19 Feb 2019)

Regina Doherty: The Rural Social scheme (RSS) provides opportunities for farmers and fishermen who are currently in receipt of specified social welfare payments to work to provide certain services of benefit to rural communities.  Communities benefit from the skills and talents of local farmers and fishermen and the participants have the opportunity to improve existing skills, or develop new skills,...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pension (Contributory) (19 Feb 2019)

Regina Doherty: The Government intends to introduce a Total Contributions Approach (TCA) to establishing the level of entitlement for all new state pension contributory claims from 2020 onwards (TCA2020).  I launched a public consultation on the design of the full TCA to be introduced from 2020 on the 28th of May to which a wide variety of stakeholder groups were invited.  A number of...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Parental Leave (19 Feb 2019)

Regina Doherty: In Budget 2019, I announced the introduction of a new social insurance based paid parental benefit scheme which will provide two weeks paid leave to both parents.  The new scheme will be available to parents including those who adopt a child, who are employees or self-employed and who have the required number of PRSI contributions.  This new scheme of...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pension (Contributory) (19 Feb 2019)

Regina Doherty: Since the end of September 2018, my Department has been examining the social insurance records of pensioners born on or after 1 September 1946 who have an entitlement to and are being paid a reduced State pension Contributory under post Budget 2012 rate bands.  Their rate of payment will be reviewed under recently enacted legislation. Last month,...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pension (Contributory) (19 Feb 2019)

Regina Doherty: I propose to take Questions Nos. 78, 100 and 104 together. 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 on post Budget 2012 rate-bands.  These payments are being reviewed under a new Total...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (19 Feb 2019)

Regina Doherty: In order to qualify for a jobseeker’s payment, a person must satisfy certain conditions including being available for and genuinely seeking work. A recently unemployed person would be regarded as available where they are seeking to become re-employed in their usual employment, provided there is a reasonable prospect of this.  However, if it is the case that there...