Results 6,761-6,780 of 12,033 for speaker:Regina Doherty

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Constitutional Convention Recommendations (10 Jul 2018)

Regina Doherty: It has not been possible in the time available to respond to this PQ to confirm if the information specified was provided or not. The Department of Justice and Equality was the Department with responsibility for providing the Secretariat to the Constitutional Convention, and I have asked my officials to liaise with officials in that Department to ascertain whether or not such...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Schemes Data (10 Jul 2018)

Regina Doherty: My Department has set measurable targets for the awarding of claims for the majority of schemes under its remit and details of these are in the attached table 1. 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 social welfare...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Jobseeker's Benefit Eligibility (10 Jul 2018)

Regina Doherty: This person submitted a retrospective application for Jobseekers Benefit. While his contribution record has been amended in relation to the matter referred to, further information is required before a decision can be made on his entitlement. This additional information was requested from him in April 2018, but unfortunately has not yet been received. The local Intreo Centre has written to...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: One-Parent Family Payment Data (10 Jul 2018)

Regina Doherty: The estimate cost of increasing the age limit for qualified child for the One-Parent Family Payment (OFP) scheme to 12 and 18 years of age respectively 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...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Child Benefit Payments (10 Jul 2018)

Regina Doherty: Child Benefit is a monthly payment made to families with children in respect of all qualified children up to the age of 16 years. The payment continues to be paid in respect of children up to their 18th birthday who are in full-time education, or who have a disability. Child Benefit is currently paid to more than 631,000 families in respect of over 1.2 million children, with an estimated...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Pension Provisions (10 Jul 2018)

Regina Doherty: The Social Welfare and Pensions Act 2011 provided that State pension age will be increased gradually to 68 years. This began in January 2014 with the abolition of the State pension (transition) which was available to people aged 65 who satisfied the qualifying conditions. This measure standardised the State pension age for all at 66 years. This will increase to 67 in 2021 and to 68 in...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Insurance Payments (10 Jul 2018)

Regina Doherty: In general PRSI is charged on income, including income from self-employment, where the individual is over 16 years and under pensionable age, currently 66 years. Self-employed persons, who earn €5,000 or more in a contribution year, are liable for PRSI at the Class S rate of 4%, subject to a minimum annual payment of €500. The payment of Class S contributions entitles...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes Administration (10 Jul 2018)

Regina Doherty: As the Deputy is aware Community Employment (CE) scheme supervisors are employees of private companies in the community and voluntary sector that receive public funding. They are not employees of my Department or public servants, and as such were not subject to pay reductions under the provisions of the Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (FEMPI) which only applied to public...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits Eligibility (10 Jul 2018)

Regina Doherty: There are a number of basic principles which underpin the Irish social insurance system. Firstly there is the contributory principle. Under this principle there is a direct link between the PRSI contributions that a person has paid and entitlement to a varying range of benefits and pensions. Where a person has sufficient PRSI contributions, then benefits and pensions may be paid as of...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Ministerial Travel (10 Jul 2018)

Regina Doherty: The cost of domestic and foreign travel expenses claimed by myself, my Private Secretary and my Advisers and the cost of foreign travel expenses claimed by civil servants who travelled with me since I became Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection in June 2017 is €49,517.30. Due to the procedures in place in my Department for claiming travel costs and the number of...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Project Ireland 2040 (10 Jul 2018)

Regina Doherty: The key overarching objective included in Project Ireland 2040 which relates to my Department is to bring unemployment rates in all regions down to within 1% of the national average. In the shorter term, the National Development Plan 2018 to 2027 includes two projects that come under my Department's remit. These concern additional ICT modernisation and the refurbishment of my...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Freedom of Information Requests (10 Jul 2018)

Regina Doherty: The number of Freedom of Information (FOI) requests received in my Department from 1 January 2018 to 30 June 2018 is set out in the following table. Total No. of FOIs received 1,404 Refused 284 Appealed 30 Ongoing 111 Appeals that are ongoing 1 In this context, it should be noted that the different categories do not add up to the total number received. This is because some FOI requests...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Vacancies on State Boards (10 Jul 2018)

Regina Doherty: The statutory bodies operating under the aegis of my Department are the Citizens Information Board, the Low Pay Commission, the Pensions Authority, the Pensions Council (which does not have a board) and the Social Welfare Tribunal. The details, as requested by the Deputy, are set out in the following table: State Board No. of vacancies Citizens Information Board 2 Low Pay Commission 0...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Pension Provisions (10 Jul 2018)

Regina Doherty: Earlier this year the Government announced a proposal that will give pensioners affected by the 2012 changes in state pension (contributory) rate bands the option to have their pension entitlement reviewed and entitlement re-examined under an alternative Total Contributions Approach. This proposal also allows for the option to claim for up to 20 years of a new HomeCaring credit. This...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Carer's Support Grant (10 Jul 2018)

Regina Doherty: I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that an Appeals Officer has completed a review of his original decision to disallow the appeal of the person concerned in light of additional medical evidence submitted and as a result, has decided to allow the appeal. The person concerned has been notified of the Appeals Officer’s decision. The Social Welfare Appeals Office functions...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Free Travel Scheme Eligibility (10 Jul 2018)

Regina Doherty: The current 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 approximately...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Exceptional Needs Payment Applications (10 Jul 2018)

Regina Doherty: Further to Parliamentary Questions 23070-18 and 27349-18, the person concerned spoke with a designated officer of the Department where it was established that she was seeking financial assistance with her rent payment. An exceptional needs payment is a single payment provided to help meet essential, once-off, exceptional expenditure, where it is established that a person cannot reasonably be...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Company Closures (10 Jul 2018)

Regina Doherty: My Department received a communication dated 3 July 2018 from the company in question which gave details of its intention to close a section of its operation, with the loss of 24 jobs. The priority for my Department is to ensure that employees receive advice on jobseekers payments and other income supports that may be available to them and to provide support to them in relation to...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Applications (10 Jul 2018)

Regina Doherty: An application for carer's allowance (CA) was received from the person concerned on 20 April 2018. The application was awarded to the person concerned on 26 June 2018 and first payment will issue to their nominated bank account on 27 July 2018. The person concerned was notified on 26 June 2018 of this decision, the reason for it and of her right of review and appeal. I hope this clarifies...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: One-Parent Family Payment Applications (10 Jul 2018)

Regina Doherty: This person made an application for One Parent Family Payment on 31 May 2018. In order to make a decision on her application the deciding officer requested additional information. To date this has not been received. I trust that this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.