Results 5,301-5,320 of 12,033 for speaker:Regina Doherty

Seanad: Social Welfare, Pensions and Civil Registration Bill 2018: Report and Final Stages (18 Dec 2018)

Regina Doherty: I am really glad that we are to finish on a positive note. I ask Senator Higgins to withdraw the amendment because very selfishly I will be unable to complete the passage of the Bill today if she does not. I share her views and concerns in the area. In the coming days I will be able to furnish the Senator with a number of reports containing data of which she may not be already aware. With...

Seanad: Social Welfare, Pensions and Civil Registration Bill 2018: Report and Final Stages (18 Dec 2018)

Regina Doherty: I cannot acquiesce to it. I can certainly look at the options in regard to positively allowing people to continue to engage with their Intreo office, with case managers and so on. However, from a policy perspective, what the Senator is asking me to acquiesce to is that it is okay to maintain lone parents on social welfare until their youngest child is 18. I genuinely cannot acquiesce to...

Seanad: Social Welfare, Pensions and Civil Registration Bill 2018: Report and Final Stages (18 Dec 2018)

Regina Doherty: Can we look at it again when we get the Indecon report in quarter 2? The data might say we do not need to do this. If the data tell me clearly we have a problem, let us work out what that problem is. However, if there is no problem, we should not undermine an entire policy. There will always be a small number of people whom it does not suit and we need to make sure we support them....

Seanad: Social Welfare, Pensions and Civil Registration Bill 2018: Report and Final Stages (18 Dec 2018)

Regina Doherty: Let us look at the data after we get the report in quarter 2.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Assisted Human Reproduction Legislation (18 Dec 2018)

Regina Doherty: I propose to take Questions Nos. 608 and 644 together. 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...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals Data (18 Dec 2018)

Regina Doherty: The Social Welfare Appeals Office functions independently of the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection and of the Department and is responsible for determining appeals against decisions in relation to social welfare entitlements. The tables below provide the details which have been requested by the Deputy for the years 2012 to 2017 and to the end of November 2018. The...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Consultancy Contracts Expenditure (18 Dec 2018)

Regina Doherty: Details of the amount spent on external consultancy reports between May 2016 to date in 2018 is as set out in the table below. External Consultancy Report Amount spent (€) Actuarial Review of the Social Insurance Fund as at 31st December 2015 €281,670 Assessment of Indoor Air Quality - Longford Headquarters €1,913 Back to Education Allowance Qualitative Study...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Funding (18 Dec 2018)

Regina Doherty: The Fund for European Aid to the Most Deprived (FEAD) supports the actions of EU countries to provide material/food assistance to the most deprived. Funding of €3.8 billion is available via the Fund between 2014 and 2020. Each Member State has to match this with a minimum of 15% national funding. The total value of the fund in Ireland for the period 2014 to 2020 is €26.7m,...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Food Poverty (18 Dec 2018)

Regina Doherty: The CSO publishes two items from the Survey of Income and Living Conditions relating specifically to the consumption of food. The first refers to the percentage of the population who were “unable to afford a meal with meat, chicken or fish every second day”. In 2017, the latest year for which data is available and which was released by the CSO earlier this week, this was...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Working Family Payment Applications (18 Dec 2018)

Regina Doherty: Working Family Payment (WFP) is a weekly tax-free payment which provides additional income support to employees on low earnings with children. An application for WFP was received from the person concerned on 12 October 2018. WFP is not payable while an applicant is a Qualified Adult (QA) on their spouse's Jobseeker's Allowance. (JSA) The applicant is a qualified adult on their spouse's...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Working Family Payment Waiting Times (18 Dec 2018)

Regina Doherty: Working Family Income (WFP ) is an in-work payment which provides additional income support to employees on low earnings with children. Once awarded, it is payable for 52 weeks, provided the employee does not lose or change their job. My Department is committed to providing a quality service to all its customers. This includes ensuring that applications are processed and that decisions on...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Illness Benefit Payments (18 Dec 2018)

Regina Doherty: The Illness Benefit claim for the person concerned is paid up to the 15th December 2018, including payment for all qualified children, and all arrears owing to him have been issued. The claim is medically certified up to the 16th December 2018. If the person concerned remains ill and unfit for work, a further medical certificate should be submitted to the Department as soon as possible in...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Working Family Payment Payments (18 Dec 2018)

Regina Doherty: Working Family Payment (WFP) is a weekly tax-free payment which provides additional income support to employees on low earnings with children. An application for WFP was received from the person concerned on 15 November 2018. The applicant has been awarded WFP with effect from 18 October 2018 to 16 October 2019. The first weekly payment and all arrears owing will issue to their nominated bank...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Applications (18 Dec 2018)

Regina Doherty: The person concerned has been in receipt of a half-rate carer's allowance (CA) since 13 August 2009 as her husband had been claiming an increase in his jobseeker allowance (JA) in respect of her. Her husband's JA ceased in 2011 and has been in receipt of a state pension contributory (SPC) since 2015 without claiming an increase in respect of his wife. The person concerned sought an increase...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits Data (18 Dec 2018)

Regina Doherty: The information requested (where available) by the Deputy is detailed in the attached tabular statement. Recipients of Carer's Benefit, Carer's Allowance and Carer's Support Grant (formerly Respite Care Grant) at the end of December in each of the years 2011 to 2017 and at 30 November 2018. Cavan Recipients Carer’s Benefit Carer’s Allowance Carer's Support Grant* (Respite...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Jobseeker's Payments (18 Dec 2018)

Regina Doherty: Retained fire-fighters who are otherwise unemployed are entitled to a jobseeker’s payment in respect of days that they are engaged in fire-fighting or training, subject to the usual qualification conditions in relation to means or social insurance contributions. They are also required to satisfy the statutory conditions for the receipt of a jobseeker’s payment of being...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pension (Contributory) Eligibility (18 Dec 2018)

Regina Doherty: On 23 January last, the Government agreed to allow pensioners, born on or after the 1st September 1946, affected by the 2012 changes in rate bands, to have their state pension (contributory) entitlement calculated under an interim “Total Contributions Approach” (TCA). The changes also provide for up to 20 years of home caring periods in the calculation of that entitlement for...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes Data (18 Dec 2018)

Regina Doherty: Community Employment (CE) schemes are typically sponsored by groups known as CE Sponsors wishing to benefit the local community. Such schemes provide a valuable service to local communities, while at the same time, providing training and educational opportunities to job seekers. The tables attached provide details of the number of persons under 25 years of age participating on CE schemes by...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Treatment Benefit Scheme Eligibility (18 Dec 2018)

Regina Doherty: The person concerned is qualified for optical benefit. Under the scheme a free eye examination can be received once every other year, together with either free or subsidised spectacles, depending on personal choice, and repairs to same. Alternatively contact lenses can be chosen instead of spectacles if preferred. Qualified contributors can obtain the required services from opticians...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Treatment Benefit Scheme Payments (18 Dec 2018)

Regina Doherty: The optical benefits provided by the Department under the treatment benefit scheme are made available to qualifying customers via a network of opticians who hold contracts with the Department. Opticians contracted to provide these services are paid once per month, in line with the terms of their contract. All optical benefit claims submitted to the Department via the WelfarePartners...