Results 6,681-6,700 of 12,033 for speaker:Regina Doherty

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Direct Provision Data (12 Jul 2018)

Regina Doherty: Ireland has opted in to the EU (recast) Reception Conditions Directive with effect from 30 June 2018. As a result, direct provision allowance is being renamed daily expenses allowance. The Government has provided over €5.6 million for the allowance in 2018. This payment is administered by my Department on behalf of the Department of Justice and Equality and is paid to applicants for...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: One-Parent Family Payment (12 Jul 2018)

Regina Doherty: The full year cost of reversing changes made to the One-Parent Family Payment (OFP) would be very difficult to estimate with any accuracy. There are three significant barriers to undertaking such an exercise. Firstly, a reversal of the amendments made to the OFP scheme could result in a cohort of lone parents that are currently not in receipt of a social welfare payment becoming eligible...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Weather Events Response (12 Jul 2018)

Regina Doherty: The fuel allowance is a payment of €22.50 per week from October to April, to over 364,000 low income households, at an estimated cost of €227 million in 2018. The purpose of this payment is to assist these households with their energy costs. The allowance represents a contribution towards the energy costs of a household. It is not intended to meet those costs in full. Only...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: School Meals Programme (12 Jul 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: Departmental Staff Data (12 Jul 2018)

Regina Doherty: The following table provides the ratio of men and women at each civil service grade within my Department at 30h June 2018. Grade Male (FTE) Female (FTE) Ratio Service Officer 127.10 18.94 6.71 : 1.00 Clerical Officer 583.14 1921.29 1.00 : 3.29 Executive Officer 446.21 982.90 1.00 : 2.20 Higher Executive Officer 546.84 959.25 1.00 : 1.75 Administrative Officer 17.00 9.55 1.78 : 1.00...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes Data (12 Jul 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 CE Programme has a budget of €350.03m. At the end of June 2018, there were 21,026 CE participants...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pension (Non-Contributory) Applications (12 Jul 2018)

Regina Doherty: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was referred to an Appeals Officer who will consider the appeal in light of all the evidence submitted. It is expected that that a decision will issue to the person concerned within the next week. The Social Welfare Appeals Office functions independently of the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Capital Expenditure Programme (12 Jul 2018)

Regina Doherty: My Department has not provided funding towards capital projects in counties Meath and Louth during the period 2016 to 2018. As a Department our aim is to provide active participation and inclusion in society through the provision of income support, employment services and other services. Department funding is not delivered on a county basis. The Department can however provide the Deputy...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Local Authority Funding (12 Jul 2018)

Regina Doherty: The only applications for funding received by my Department from Meath and Louth County Councils during the period concerned were in respect of wages for participants on the Gateway programme. Details are outlined in the following Table. Gateway - Louth & Meath County Councils 2016 2017 2018 Applications received and approved from Louth CC 1 1 0 Louth County Council number of...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Pensions Reform (12 Jul 2018)

Regina Doherty: The introduction of a total contributions approach, TCA, to pensions calculation was signalled by the then Government in the national pensions framework in 2010, with a target date of 2020 for its implementation. 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 TCA...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes Supervisors (12 Jul 2018)

Regina Doherty: The Labour Court recommended in July 2008 that an agreed pension scheme should be introduced for community employment (CE) scheme supervisors and assistant supervisors, and that such a scheme should be adequately funded by FÁS, the funder of CE at the time. The Deputy should note that Community Employment (CE) scheme supervisors are employees of private companies in the community...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Pensions Reform (12 Jul 2018)

Regina Doherty: The farm assist scheme was introduced in 1999 to provide income support for low income farmers. It replaced the former smallholders’ unemployment assistance payment. In line with the then existing arrangements for unemployment assistance (including smallholders) and pre-retirement allowance, the income of farm assist recipients was exempt from class S PRSI for self-employed workers....

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Working Family Payment Data (12 Jul 2018)

Regina Doherty: Working Family Payment (WFP) formerly Family Income Supplement is a weekly tax-free payment which provides additional income support to employees on low earnings with children. WFP is designed to prevent in-work poverty for low paid workers with child dependants and to offer a financial incentive to take up employment. There are currently over 55,000 families in receipt of WFP. To qualify...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Living Wage (12 Jul 2018)

Regina Doherty: The estimated cost of implementing a living wage of €11.90 for all employees directly employed in my Department and its agencies (including Temporary Clerical Officers) would be €1,718,941 per annum. My Department ensures that all staff are on pre-determined salary scales negotiated at central level.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Websites (12 Jul 2018)

Regina Doherty: The Press Office in my Department was contacted by a journalist last week to point out that the Department’s GDPR privacy statement appeared to contradict the Department’s position that photographs collected as part of the SAFE2 registration process are not biometric. It was pointed out in the press query that my Department’s position is that it does not collect...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Data Protection (12 Jul 2018)

Regina Doherty: The GDPR definition of biometric data is as follows:“‘biometric data’ means personal data resulting from specific technical processing relating to the physical, physiological or behavioural characteristics of a natural person, which allow or confirm the unique identification of that natural person, such as facial images or dactyloscopic data”. The GDPR clarifies...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Medical Card Eligibility (12 Jul 2018)

Regina Doherty: The a medical card scheme is administered by the HSE on behalf of the Minister for Health therefore any question relating to eligibility for medical cards should be addressed to my colleague the Minister for Health.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: One-Parent Family Payment Appeals (12 Jul 2018)

Regina Doherty: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that a one parent family payment appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 3July 2018. It is a statutory requirement of the appeals process that the relevant Departmental papers and comments by the Deciding Officer on the grounds of appeal be sought. When these papers are received from the Department the case in question...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes Supervisors (12 Jul 2018)

Regina Doherty: Community Employment (CE) participants and supervisors are employees of private companies in the community and voluntary sector. My Department is not the employer of CE participants or supervisors and such employees are not public servants but are employees of the sponsoring organisations. Therefore they are not subject to the changes recently introduced for public servants who can now work...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pension (Contributory) Appeals (12 Jul 2018)

Regina Doherty: My Department is carrying out a review of the social insurance contribution record of the person concerned. Once the required information is available, the outcome of the deciding officer’s decision will be notified without delay to the person concerned and the Deputy’s office. I hope this clarifies the position for the Deputy.