Results 6,721-6,740 of 12,033 for speaker:Regina Doherty

Employment (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2017: Report Stage (Resumed) (11 Jul 2018)

Regina Doherty: After Committee Stage, where this amendment was introduced, I instructed my officials to seek the advice of the Attorney General on the three amendments carried on Committee Stage. My officials and I thought that could create legal uncertainty and be problematic in practice. The advice was clear that the amendments should be deleted from the Bill. I also instructed my officials to seek the...

Employment (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2017: Report Stage (Resumed) (11 Jul 2018)

Regina Doherty: I move amendment No. 4:In page 10, to delete lines 7 to 10.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: School Meals Programme (11 Jul 2018)

Regina Doherty: The school meals programme provides funding towards the provision of food to some 1,580 schools and organisations benefitting 250,000 children at a total cost of €54 million in 2018 representing an increase of €6.5 million over the previous year. €1.7m of the additional funding will go towards including additional schools in the scheme and supporting some 16,000...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Pensions Reform (11 Jul 2018)

Regina Doherty: The Roadmap for Pensions Reform, which was published by the Government earlier this year, details specific measures that will modernise our pension system. It sets out under Strand 4, ‘Measures to Support the Operation of Defined Benefit Schemes’, that the Government is committed to advancing the Social Welfare, Pensions and Civil Registration Bill 2017 to respond to the ongoing...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Income Data (11 Jul 2018)

Regina Doherty: The latest Eurostat European Statistics on Income and Living Conditions data show that the severe material deprivation rate for lone parent households was 23.2% in Ireland in 2016. The Irish rate compares to the EU average of 15.7% in 2016 (see Table 1). The full impact of the recovery is not reflected in these figures, which relate to 2016. Macro-economic and labour market indicators have...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Consultancy Contracts Data (11 Jul 2018)

Regina Doherty: The information requested is currently being compiled by my Department and will be provided to the Deputy as soon as possible.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals Data (11 Jul 2018)

Regina Doherty: The tables below provide the details which have been requested by the Deputy for the years 2012 to 2017 and to the end of June 2018. The figures provided in the tables for appeals which had a favourable outcome for the appellant relate to appeals which were either allowed in full or in part by an Appeals Officer, or which were resolved by way of a revised decision in favour of the appellant...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Child Poverty (11 Jul 2018)

Regina Doherty: The National Policy Framework for Children and Young People (Better Outcomes, Brighter Futures), published by the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs in 2014, includes a target to reduce by two-thirds the number of children in consistent poverty in 2011 by 2020. Meeting this target means lifting almost 95,000 children out of poverty by that date. Under the BOBF Framework, the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals Data (11 Jul 2018)

Regina Doherty: The table provides the details which have been requested by the Deputy to the end of June 2018. It only includes the appeal processing times for schemes paid on a weekly basis. 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...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Public Services Card (11 Jul 2018)

Regina Doherty: The Office of the Data Protection Commissioner (ODPC) formally advised my Department, on 21st February 2018, that their first preliminary report on the PSC would be sent the Department in mid-March for comment. No further communication has been received from the ODPC since this notification was received. The Department’s schemes and services are subject to investigation or audit...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Advertising Campaigns (11 Jul 2018)

Regina Doherty: My Department administers over 70 separate schemes and services, which affect the lives of almost every person in the State, with each week almost 1.6m people receive a social welfare payment. The Department is fully committed to ensuring that members of the general public are fully aware of the many and varied welfare supports and services available to them, as well as to ensuring key...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Income Data (11 Jul 2018)

Regina Doherty: The most recent Eurostat data shows that some 6.5% of the population in Ireland were severely materially deprived in 2016, as compared to the EU28 average rate of 7.5% (see Table 1). This is an improvement on 2015 where the rates were 7.5% and 8.1% respectively. The continuing improvement in the economy, together with welfare measures introduced in Budgets 2017 and 2018, are likely to have...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Household Benefits Scheme (11 Jul 2018)

Regina Doherty: The household benefits package (HHB) comprises the electricity or gas allowance, and the free television licence. There are currently 437,769 customers in receipt of the free television licence as part of the household benefits package. Total expenditure on the TV licence element of the HHB package in 2017 was €53,184,556. Payment for the TV licence element of the HHB package by My...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Ministerial Advisers Data (11 Jul 2018)

Regina Doherty: There is one full-time Special Adviser responsible for media employed in my Department. The position is paid at the Principal Officer (Standard) scale. The full year cost of employing the adviser is €84,973.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: National Development Plan (11 Jul 2018)

Regina Doherty: I propose to take Questions Nos. 548 and 549 together. My Department’s capital allocation is split across three subheads i.e. A.2.v Office Equipment and External IT Services, A.2.vi Office Premises Expenses and A.2.ix eGovernment Related Projects. In relation to 2019 it is intended that the allocation will primarily assist the Department in delivering additional IT modernisation...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Expenditure (11 Jul 2018)

Regina Doherty: The Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection has a capital budget of €11m in 2018 (including €1m carryover from 2017). The projected capital underspend outlined in Appendix V of the June 2018 Fiscal Monitor relates to the A.2.(v) Office Equipment and External IT Services and A.2.(vi) Office Premises Expenses Subheads. However, the actual capital underspend at end...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes Administration (11 Jul 2018)

Regina Doherty: I refer the Deputy to the answer given to this question yesterday, Tuesday 10 July. I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Exceptional Needs Payments (11 Jul 2018)

Regina Doherty: I propose to take Questions Nos. 552 and 553 together. Under the supplementary welfare allowance (SWA) scheme, my 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...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Exceptional Needs Payment Appeals (11 Jul 2018)

Regina Doherty: There are two separate arrangements whereby the Department can assist with the burials costs of a deceased person. The first is an arrangement under Section 206 of the Social Welfare Consolidation Act. Under this Section of the Act the Department may make arrangements for and provide assistance towards the burial of a person, where that person has died in the State and suitable arrangements...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: JobPath Programme (11 Jul 2018)

Regina Doherty: I propose to take Questions Nos. 555 to 557, inclusive, together. As the Deputy will know the primary purpose of the activation services provided by my Department, including the JobPath service is to assist and support jobseekers to look for and sustain full time employment. People who have been long term unemployed are referred to the JobPath service to receive one-to one intensive support...