Results 6,501-6,520 of 12,033 for speaker:Regina Doherty

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Pension Provisions (25 Sep 2018)

Regina Doherty: Pensions reform is a Government priority and the plans to achieve this are set out in the Roadmap for Pensions Reform 2018-2023, which was published last February. Among the key commitments contained in this plan is to develop, by 2022, a new ‘Automatic Enrolment’ (AE) supplementary retirement savings system for employees without pensions coverage. AE will see a transition...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí (Atógáil) - Leaders' Questions (Resumed) (20 Sep 2018)

Regina Doherty: It is not, supply is.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: School Meals Programme (20 Sep 2018)

Regina Doherty: The school meals programme provides funding towards the provision of food to some 1,580 schools and organisations benefiting 250,000 children at a total cost of €54 million in 2018 representing an increase of €6.5 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 food, to...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Rent Supplement Scheme Expenditure (20 Sep 2018)

Regina Doherty: I propose to take Questions Nos. 211 and 212 together. Rent supplement plays a vital role in housing families and individuals, with the scheme supporting approximately 27,400 recipients for which the Government has provided €180 million for in 2018. End of year statistics for rent supplement recipients and expenditure for the years 2011 to 2017 and for the eight months ending August...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Properties (20 Sep 2018)

Regina Doherty: There is no land owned by my Department or agencies under its remit in County Meath. I trust that this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Employment Support Services (20 Sep 2018)

Regina Doherty: JobPath is an employment service which helps long-term unemployed people and those most at risk of becoming long-term unemployed to secure and sustain paid employment. The service was introduced in 2015 on a "soft launch" basis and was fully operational by mid 2016. In this time, just over 181,000 jobseekers have engaged with the JobPath employment service to date. All customers have...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Overpayments (20 Sep 2018)

Regina Doherty: Overpayments of social welfare assistance and benefit payments arise as a consequence of decisions made under the relevant sections of the Social Welfare (Consolidation) Act, 2005 (as amended). Where an overpayment is raised, the Department is obligated to make every effort to recover sums overpaid. Overpayments which have not been recovered in full at the time of death may be recovered...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits Expenditure (20 Sep 2018)

Regina Doherty: I propose to take Questions Nos. 217 and 219 together. The estimated full year cost of a 1% increase in weekly working age payments (to recipients under the age of 66) is €74.26 million. The estimated full year cost of a 1% increase in weekly payments to pensioners aged 66 and over is €79.39 million. The total cost of a 1% increase in all weekly schemes is €153.66...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Back to Education Allowance Expenditure (20 Sep 2018)

Regina Doherty: The back to school clothing and footwear allowance (BSCFA) scheme provides a once-off payment to eligible families to assist with the extra costs when children start school each autumn. The Government has provided €49.5 million for the scheme in 2018 which operates from June to September. The rate of payment in 2017 was increased by 25% to €125 in respect of children aged 4...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Back to Education Allowance Eligibility (20 Sep 2018)

Regina Doherty: The person concerned submitted an application for a back to education allowance (BTEA) on 6/9/18 as he wished to pursue the leaving certificate commencing 17/9/18. Current scheme guidelines stipulate that a jobseeker between the ages of 18 and 21 must be out of formal education for at least two years before commencement of the proposed course of study. Unfortunately the person concerned does...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Free Travel Scheme Eligibility (20 Sep 2018)

Regina Doherty: The free travel scheme provides free travel on the main public and private transport services for those eligible under the scheme. These include road, rail and ferry services provided by companies such as Bus Átha Cliath, Bus Éireann and Iarnród Éireann, as well as Luas and services provided by over 80 private transport operators. There are currently more than 900,000...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Exceptional Needs Payments (20 Sep 2018)

Regina Doherty: An exceptional needs payment is a single payment to help meet essential, once-off, exceptional expenditure, which a person could not reasonably be expected to meet out of their weekly income. According to the records of the Department the person concerned has not submitted an application for an exceptional needs payment. As a result of this representation an appointment has been scheduled...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pension (Contributory) Eligibility (20 Sep 2018)

Regina Doherty: Entitlement to state pension (contributory) is assessed on the basis of an applicant’s full social insurance record and the eligibility conditions applicable on the date the applicant reaches pension age. Eligibility is examined by a Deciding Officer following receipt of a completed application. Applicants are advised to submit an application form for pension at least 3 months...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (19 Sep 2018)

Regina Doherty: The Deputy might not be aware but what happened this year is exactly the same as that which happened last year and previous years. It is no different-----

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (19 Sep 2018)

Regina Doherty: It would be great if the Deputy would let me speak. He has a terrible habit of interrupting. If he asks me a question, I will give him an answer. If he wants to come back in, that is fine. The scheme opens in July. A total of 140,000 families were automatically included in July. They did not even have to make an application because we know exactly who the people we support in the main...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (19 Sep 2018)

Regina Doherty: I am not up to speed on the operations referred to by the Deputy. There are a number of moving parts and different State agencies involved in this. I will come back to the Deputy today with an update regarding the position and an answer to his question.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (19 Sep 2018)

Regina Doherty: The Deputy is dead right. This is my responsibility and I can answer the question. The target we set for carer's allowance applications from beginning to end is 15 weeks. We are turning around applications in 14 weeks. There are a number of reasons for the length of time it takes, mostly because of medical complications, the complexities of the application and how it must be reviewed by...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (19 Sep 2018)

Regina Doherty: I will not even attempt to answer the Deputy's questions but will commit to come back to him before close of business today.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (19 Sep 2018)

Regina Doherty: I thank the Deputy for acknowledging that the scheme was launched and €1 million allocated to it. As representatives of rural communities, she and I both know it is desperately needed, particularly in areas where we do not have Garda stations. I can only speak for my own neck of the woods, as Deputy Smyth can for her county. In my experience, some of the initial difficulties were...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (19 Sep 2018)

Regina Doherty: I cannot answer that question because, as the Deputy is well aware, the Attorney General gives advice to Cabinet which is not shared. The Deputy will have to take the Minister's word on the matter on this occasion. The Minister is prepared to do the regulations and they will be prepared for inclusion in the Bill. While the legislation is not on the priority list, it is on the programme...