Results 6,641-6,660 of 12,033 for speaker:Regina Doherty

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Disability Allowance Appeals (7 Sep 2018)

Regina Doherty: I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that an Appeals Officer, having fully considered all of the available evidence, has decided to disallow the appeal of the person concerned by way of a summary decision.  The person concerned has been notified of the Appeals Officer’s decision. The Social Welfare Appeals Office functions independently of the Minister for Employment...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Disability Allowance Appeals (7 Sep 2018)

Regina Doherty: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 21st June 2018. It is a statutory requirement of the appeals process that the relevant papers and comments by or on behalf of the Deciding Officer on the grounds of appeal be sought from the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection. These papers...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals Status (7 Sep 2018)

Regina Doherty: I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that an Appeals Officer, having fully considered all of the available evidence, has decided to allow the appeal of the person concerned by way of a summary decision.  The person concerned has been notified of the Appeals Officer’s decision. The Social Welfare Appeals Office functions independently of the Minister for Employment...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Illness Benefit Payments (7 Sep 2018)

Regina Doherty: The Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection has recently introduced a new claim form (called “IB1”) and a new medical certificate (called “MED1”) to replace the previous MC1 and MC2 forms for certification of the Department’s Illness and Injury Benefit schemes. This change is part of a programme of modernisation in the Department’s...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Communications (7 Sep 2018)

Regina Doherty: Telephone is an important communications channel for many of my Department’s customers and measures aimed at reducing the potential costs for callers have been in operation for many years. Among them is the use of “LoCall” numbers, operated through the “1890” platform.  These numbers, coupled with interactive voice response...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Working Family Payment Applications (7 Sep 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 23rd July 2018. The applicant was awarded WFP with effect from 22nd March 2018 to 6th June 2018. The award period was effective to 06th June 2018 only as...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Media Monitoring (7 Sep 2018)

Regina Doherty: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1285 and 1286 together. The Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection is currently tendering for a number of related media monitoring services. The tender for the provision of “a media monitoring service to the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection” details the Department’s requirements in terms of...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: National Carers' Strategy Funding (7 Sep 2018)

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. My Department provides a range of income support payments that support those who are caring in their communities for family members, friends or...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: JobPath Programme (7 Sep 2018)

Regina Doherty: JobPath is an employment activation initiative designed to support long-term unemployed people and those most at risk of becoming long-term unemployed to secure and sustain full time paid employment or self-employment. The roll-out of JobPath began in 2015 and to date 160,000 participants have entered JobPath since it was first initialised. All Jobseekers on the live register must be...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Child Benefit Eligibility (7 Sep 2018)

Regina Doherty: Child Benefit is a universal payment to help families with the cost of raising children and plays an important role in tackling child poverty. It provides assistance to households with children in recognition of the higher costs incurred in child-raising and child care in a way which allows choice to parents in how this is undertaken. It does not rely on a means test or social insurance...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Exceptional Needs Payment Applications (7 Sep 2018)

Regina Doherty: Under the supplementary welfare allowance (SWA) scheme, the Department may make a single exceptional needs payment (ENP) to help meet essential, once-off expenditure which a person could not reasonably be expected to meet out of their weekly income. The Government has provided over €36 million for exceptional and urgent needs payments in 2018. An application can be made under the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Homemakers Scheme (7 Sep 2018)

Regina Doherty: The Homemaker scheme was introduced to make it easier for those who provide full-time care for children or for an incapacitated person to qualify for a higher rate of payment under the State Pension (Contributory), as calculated under the current Yearly Average system. The scheme came into effect on 6 April 1994 and applies to both men and women. The homemakers scheme allows up to a...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Commencement of Legislation (7 Sep 2018)

Regina Doherty: The Employment (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2017 was published on 7thDecember 2017. The Bill delivers on the commitment in the Programme for a Partnership Government to tackle the problems caused by the increased casualisation of work and to strengthen the regulation of precarious work. The key objective of the Bill is to improve the security and predictability of working hours for...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Reports (7 Sep 2018)

Regina Doherty: My Department commissioned Indecon to conduct a review of the Local Employment and Job Club services. This review is the first significant independent review that has been commissioned since the Local Employment Services (LES) and Job Clubs were established and it will help inform future decisions regarding how the Department contracts, monitors and procures for these services. The final...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits Payments (7 Sep 2018)

Regina Doherty: On Budget Day last year, I was pleased to announce a €5 increase in the maximum rates of all weekly social welfare payments at a cost of €264 million in 2018. This built on a similar increase provided in Budget 2017, which was the first across the board rate increase since 2009. Budget 2018 increases commenced in March. In the context of budgetary parameters, payment...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Pension Provisions (7 Sep 2018)

Regina Doherty: On 23 January last, this Government agreed to a proposal that will allow pensioners affected by the 2012 changes in rate bands to have their pension entitlement calculated on a Total Contributions basis, including provision for up to 20 years of a new home caring credit. Legislation has to be drafted and enacted to enable implementation of these arrangements, and a number of options...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Domiciliary Care Allowance Appeals (7 Sep 2018)

Regina Doherty: I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that an Appeals Officer, having fully considered all of the available evidence, has decided to allow the appeals of the person concerned by way of a summary decision. The person concerned has been notified of the Appeals Officer’s decision. The Social Welfare Appeals Office functions independently of the Minister for Employment Affairs...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Domiciliary Care Allowance Appeals (7 Sep 2018)

Regina Doherty: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that the appeal from the person concerned was referred to an Appeals Officer who has decided to convene an oral hearing in this case. Every effort will be made to hear the case as quickly as possible and the person concerned will be informed when arrangements for the oral hearing have been made. The Social Welfare Appeals Office functions...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Jobseeker's Allowance Data (7 Sep 2018)

Regina Doherty: The rationale for having reduced rates of payment for young jobseekers in receipt of a means-tested jobseeker’s payment is to prevent young people from entering welfare dependency by providing a strong financial incentive to take up a job, or a training or education programme. In this regard, young jobseekers who participate in an education, training or employment programme...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Pensions Reform (7 Sep 2018)

Regina Doherty: On 23 January, the Government agreed to a proposal that will allow pensioners affected by the 2012 changes in rate bands to have their pension entitlement calculated by a new "Total Contributions Approach" (TCA) which will include up to 20 years of a new HomeCaring credit. This approach is expected to significantly benefit many people, particularly women, whose work history includes an...