Results 5,801-5,820 of 12,033 for speaker:Regina Doherty

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Legislative Process (13 Nov 2018)

Regina Doherty: Yes, we have given it loads of thought. Each of the main elements of this Bill will improve the employment protections for people on if-and-when contracts. The banded hours provision, for example, will apply to somebody on such a contract so that if they have worked an average number of hours over the previous 12-month reference period, they will be entitled to be placed on the band of...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Legislative Process (13 Nov 2018)

Regina Doherty: I have not seen the amendment but I have spoken to the Senator and I will disagree with what he is attempting to do. The Senator Nash wants us to ban if-and-when contracts but there are so many industries in this country, government being one of them, that simply could not live without such contracts. I do not want to make life difficult for industry in carrying on its normal business but...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Child Maintenance Payments (13 Nov 2018)

Regina Doherty: I have to be careful that I do not say something different from what I said ten minutes ago. There is a review going on within our Department. The Deputy will be aware from conversations we have had here previously that I was not happy with some of the aspects that I discovered when I came to this portfolio, particularly in respect of people who are under threat of domestic violence. We...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Pension Provisions (13 Nov 2018)

Regina Doherty: I propose to take Questions Nos. 78, 93, 97, 107 and 116 together. It is hard to believe that is has been nearly a year ago. We are getting old. Pensioners born on or after the 1 September 1946 affected by the 2012 changes in rate bands, can have their contributory state pension entitlement calculated under an interim total contributions approach, TCA. The announced changes also...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Pension Provisions (13 Nov 2018)

Regina Doherty: Peace has broken out.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Pension Provisions (13 Nov 2018)

Regina Doherty: You may well be right on that.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Pension Provisions (13 Nov 2018)

Regina Doherty: As soon as I say it, it will be over. To answer the Deputies' questions, the letter is quite lengthy and it explains exactly what needs to happen and who needs to do what. In the main, people will not have to do anything and I will explain why. I will answer Deputy Curran's questions first. It is 520 contributions because these people have already qualified for the new pension. However,...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Pensions Reform (13 Nov 2018)

Regina Doherty: I would love to be able to say I can but I cannot. The reason is that the amendments we are proposing are particularly technical and complex. The only thing I can guarantee is that I am as frustrated by the delay as the Deputy. Advancing this legislation is on our management board meeting agenda every week. It is near the top of my list and will certainly not go away until we get the date...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Pensions Reform (13 Nov 2018)

Regina Doherty: Deputy Penrose and I are on the same page. I will keep in touch with him.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Social Welfare Appeals Waiting Times (13 Nov 2018)

Regina Doherty: All decisions taken by my Department's deciding officers and designated persons are appealable to the chief appeals officer. Approximately 85% of all claims are awarded in the first instance and just 1% are appealed annually. Nevertheless, my Department is concerned that these cases are dealt with as quickly as possible. Significant efforts and resources have been devoted to reforming...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Social Welfare Appeals Waiting Times (13 Nov 2018)

Regina Doherty: I disagree with the Deputy's comment that they are without a penny. Nobody is forced to wait whatever length of time is involved, be it 17, 19 or 26 weeks, without a penny. That is what the supplementary welfare system is for. I encourage anybody who is waiting a lengthy period for an appeal decision to go to the local office where we will look after him or her financially. That is what...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Social Welfare Appeals Waiting Times (13 Nov 2018)

Regina Doherty: First, the vast majority of schemes that are appealed are allowance schemes, all of which are means tested, so it is not fair to say on the one hand that I am expecting people to live without a penny and when I say that people do not have to wait but have the option of going to their social welfare office to then say they will be means tested. Most of these schemes are means tested anyway....

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: JobPath Data (13 Nov 2018)

Regina Doherty: JobPath is one of our more successful activation services. It supports the long-term unemployed in securing and sustaining full-time paid employment. Jobseekers are referred to the service by means of a selection process. A person who has previously completed a year with JobPath is referred back to an Intreo case officer. This is in-house, so to speak. If after six months, he or she...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: JobPath Data (13 Nov 2018)

Regina Doherty: The Deputy has an ideological problem with JobPath. To answer his question, it is interesting that the vast majority of representations I receive from Deputies ask me to intervene directly with people on community employment schemes for a number of years and who desperately want to stay on them for a number of years. It is one of our successful activation processes. A large number of...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: JobPath Data (13 Nov 2018)

Regina Doherty: I am answering the Deputy's question. If he does not like the answer, that is fine. This is the most successful activation programme we have ever run in the history of this State, yet the Deputy has a problem with people getting a second chance to participate in it. He does not have a problem, however, with people getting a second chance on the community employment scheme or Tús,...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: JobPath Data (13 Nov 2018)

Regina Doherty: We have conducted an econometric review of the JobPath service in collaboration with the OECD so I can have factual data allowing me to have these kinds of conversations. Every time we have oral questions, Deputy Brady brings anecdotal evidence as to how desperately people are treated on JobPath, yet it is undoubtedly one of the most successful activation programmes we have had in the...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: JobPath Data (13 Nov 2018)

Regina Doherty: I have no idea why he feels that way. The people we are supporting are getting full-time jobs. I am thankful that the number unemployed is coming down. With some 198,000 people on the live register, we are far from running out of people to send to JobPath.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Pensions Reform (13 Nov 2018)

Regina Doherty: I propose to take Questions Nos. 75, 113 and 115 together. The general scheme of the social welfare and pensions Bill 2017 - now the Social Welfare, Pensions and Civil Registration Bill 2017 - was published in May 2017 and contained 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...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Illness Benefit Payments (13 Nov 2018)

Regina Doherty: I understood the terms of reference for the independent review were given to the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Employment Affairs and Social Protection. If they were not I will get them for Deputy Brady. There is no problem about sharing them. I am not doing the review to keep it a secret. We can all go back to the committee so that we can all learn effectively together. The most...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Illness Benefit Payments (13 Nov 2018)

Regina Doherty: There is nothing wrong with the new medical certificates.