Results 5,081-5,100 of 12,033 for speaker:Regina Doherty

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Child Benefit Eligibility (17 Jan 2019)

Regina Doherty: Child benefit is payable to the parents or guardians of children under 16 years of age. Benefit continues to be payable up to 18 years of age if the child is in full-time education, full-time training, or has a disability and is unable to support themselves. Attendance in full-time education must be certified by the relevant institution. The person concerned last received payment in...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Expenditure (17 Jan 2019)

Regina Doherty: My Department has not spent any monies in the past five years on accountancy or consultancy firms in relation to any capital projects. The capital allocation for my Department is primarily used to deliver IT modernisation and carry out refurbishments on the Department’s buildings. The Deputy may wish to note that in relation to refurbishment costs, all accommodation works are...

Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) (Amendment) Bill 2018: Report and Final Stages (16 Jan 2019)

Regina Doherty: I am only here to lend my support to the Bill. I was not present for the debates on any of the other Stages of the Bill. I was interested to hear the comments that have been made. I am quite surprised by them because, with no disrespect to any of our esteemed judges intended, week in and week out cases are raised - either in this House or in the media - and shock, surprise and disgust are...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (16 Jan 2019)

Regina Doherty: The Government decided last week to take the amendments to the 2017 Bill out of that Bill. I hope to publish a stand-alone Bill next week. I hope that with the co-operation of Deputies on all sides of the House, we will get that Bill passed in the next couple of weeks.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (16 Jan 2019)

Regina Doherty: I am not sure what the Deputy means by "research". I have put on the record of the House before and in replies to numerous parliamentary questions the fact that I met Esther McVey last April. We both agreed that our objective was to continue to pay social security payments by way of reciprocal arrangements between the United Kingdom and Ireland in the event either of a deal or no-deal...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (16 Jan 2019)

Regina Doherty: The Deputy is well aware that the Data Protection Commission had particular issues. It wrote to us and specifically told us not to discuss the report with absolutely anybody. That is the reason the freedom of information request was refused, in particular given this is still ongoing. We have replied, as requested by the office of the Data Protection Commissioner, to the concerns it has...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Illness Benefit Data (16 Jan 2019)

Regina Doherty: The Person concerned is currently in receipt of Illness Benefit and two payments have issued to him thus far. The first payment of €1551 issued to him on the 31st December 2018 which included arrears and that weeks payment. A further payment of €231 issued to him on the 11th January 2019 which was for the current medically certified period of up to 7th January 2019. If they...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Partial Capacity Benefit Scheme Appeals (16 Jan 2019)

Regina Doherty: Partial Capacity Benefit (PCB) allows a person who has been in receipt of Illness Benefit for six months and who may not have full capacity for work, to return to employment and continue to receive a partial or full payment from the Department. The Partial Capacity Benefit file and relevant reports in respect of the person concerned was sent to the Social Welfare Appeals Office on the 9th...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Staff Data (16 Jan 2019)

Regina Doherty: My Department, like all Government departments and agencies, is required to operate within a staff ceiling figure and a commensurate administrative staffing budget, which for this Department has involved reductions in staff numbers. At the end of December 2018, there were 75.02 FTE’s (77 people) assigned to the Carers Allowance section. There are two areas within the Carers Allowance...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits Data (16 Jan 2019)

Regina Doherty: The information requested by the Deputy is detailed in the following tabular statement. The number of claims in respect of Carer's Allowance and Carer's Benefit registered, awarded or rejected in 2018 Scheme Registered Awarded Rejected* Carer's Allowance 20,122 17,242 9,291 Carer's Benefit 4,101 2,774 1,026 * The rejected claim total may include claims which were subsequently...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Payments (16 Jan 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. The person concerned has been in receipt of a half-rate CA since 1 March 2018 as her husband has been claiming an...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals (16 Jan 2019)

Regina Doherty: I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that an appeal was registered on the 17th October 2018 and, in accordance with the statutory requirements, the Appeals Office had contacted the appellant and asked her to set out the complete grounds of her appeal. I am informed that these grounds of appeal were received in the Social Welfare Appeals Office on the 7th November 2018. It is...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Rural Social Scheme Eligibility (16 Jan 2019)

Regina Doherty: The Rural Social scheme (RSS) provides part-time employment opportunities in the community and voluntary organisations for low-income farmers and fishermen/women in receipt of certain social welfare payments who are actively farming /fishing and underemployed in their primary occupation. It also gives participants an opportunity to develop new skills. The blind pension is not currently a...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Brexit Issues (16 Jan 2019)

Regina Doherty: The Government and the EU remain committed to securing a negotiated Brexit outcome. We have been planning for all Brexit scenarios but in light of uncertainties in London and the Brexit deadline of 29 March, the Government decided at its meeting of 11 December that immediate priority must now be given to preparations for a no deal Brexit and that Government Departments and state agencies...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Legislative Process (16 Jan 2019)

Regina Doherty: The Social Welfare, Pensions and Civil Registration Bill 2017 proposes a number of amendments to the Social Welfare Acts, the Pensions Act 1990 and the Civil Registration Act 2004. The amendments to the Pensions Act contain a number of key measures relating to Defined Benefit pension schemes. It is intended that these measures will act to support existing provisions in the Pensions Act...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Back to Work Family Dividend Scheme Data (16 Jan 2019)

Regina Doherty: The back to work enterprise allowance (BTWEA) is designed to provide a monetary incentive for people who are in receipt of social welfare payments to enter self-employment and develop a business while allowing them to retain a reducing proportion of their qualifying social welfare payment over two years - 100% in year 1 and 75% in year 2. The BTWEA is generally available to persons who are...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Back to Education Allowance Payments (15 Jan 2019)

Regina Doherty: The back to education allowance scheme (BTEA) is designed to support second chance education. It enables eligible persons to pursue education and to continue to receive income support, in line with their qualifying scheme rates, for the duration of a course of study. The objective of the scheme is to raise the educational and skill levels to enable jobseekers better access to the emerging...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Commencement of Legislation (15 Jan 2019)

Regina Doherty: I am aware of the pressing need to make technical amendments to the Children and Family Relationships Act 2015 including those sections in Part 9 that provide for the registration and re-registration of the birth of a donor-conceived child and, in particular, make possible the registration of details of “Parent”, as well as “Mother” and “Father”,...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Registration of Births (15 Jan 2019)

Regina Doherty: Provisions for registration of births in cases where the parents are not married to each other are set out in section 22 of the Civil Registration Act 2004. In particular, where the mother is still legally married to a person other than the father of the child, the provisions in section 22(3) apply. In these circumstances the father’s name may be registered on foot of: - A...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Back to Education Allowance Payments (15 Jan 2019)

Regina Doherty: The person concerned was in receipt of Jobseekers Allowance from the 23rdJune 2018. They disclosed to the Department on the 5thDecember 2018 that they were attending a full-time course of study since September 2018. Under Section 148(1) of the Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005, as amended, a person shall be disqualified from receipt of Jobseekers Allowance while attending a course of...