Results 7,041-7,060 of 12,033 for speaker:Regina Doherty

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Overpayments (19 Jun 2018)

Regina Doherty: I propose to take Questions Nos. 556 and 563 together. My Department is committed to ensuring that the principles of natural justice are followed in allclaim decisions. This applies equally to decisions at initial claim stage and when claims are subsequently reviewed. The Department’s guidelines on are published on the website -. This message is reinforced through guidelines,...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals Data (19 Jun 2018)

Regina Doherty: My Department, like all Government departments and agencies is required to operate within a staff ceiling figure and a commensurate administrative staffing budget, which for this Department has involved reductions in staff. The staffing needs for all areas within the Department, including the Social Welfare Appeals Office and all areas involved in the processing of appeals, are...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Data Protection (19 Jun 2018)

Regina Doherty: My Department receives the vast majority of personal data direct from customers themselves mainly on foot of an application for one of my Department’s schemes or for other supports and services provided. My Department has a firm legal basis for the processing of this personal data in accordance with the Social Welfare Consolidation Act, 2005, as amended. Circumstances where my...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Exceptional Needs Payment Data (19 Jun 2018)

Regina Doherty: I propose to take Questions Nos. 561, 565 and 571 together. 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 Department may make an urgent needs payment (UNP) to a person who may not...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Data (19 Jun 2018)

Regina Doherty: The information requested by the Deputy is shown in the tabular statement. I note that this breakdown is not available for periods prior to July 2013. Carers Allowance Recipients by number of Carers: July 2013 to present Number of Carers July 2013 July 2014 July 2015 July 2016 July 2017 May 2018 1 51,727 53,252 56,848 60,806 67,440 70,104 2 4,553 4,621 4,964 5,427 6,437 6,990 3 5 10 15...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Schemes Data (19 Jun 2018)

Regina Doherty: The numbers of claims on hand pending decision in May 2017 and May 2018 for my Department’s principal schemes are shown in the tabular statement. Pending Figures May-17 May-18 State Pension (Contributory) 3493 4491 Widow(er)'s Contributory Pension 244 543 State Pension (Non-Contributory) 2334 2190 Jobseekers Allowance 5896 4313 Jobseekers Benefit 2088 1599 One-Parent Family...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Code (19 Jun 2018)

Regina Doherty: Self-employed workers, 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. This provides them with access to the following benefits: State pension (contributory), widow’s, widower’s or surviving civil partner’s pension (contributory), guardian’s payment...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Unemployment Levels (19 Jun 2018)

Regina Doherty: Government policy to reduce unemployment is twofold. First, through policies set out in the Action Plan for Jobs, to create an environment in which business can succeed and create jobs; and second, through Pathways to Work to ensure that as many of these new jobs and other vacancies that arise in our economy are filled by people taken from the Live Register, and in particular the long-term...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Code (19 Jun 2018)

Regina Doherty: The Roadmap for Pensions Reform 2018-2023 sets out how the Government intends to introduce and implement a Total Contributions Approach (TCA) to calculating entitlement for all new state pension contributory claims from 2020 onwards. The criteria required for a full pension under that new approach have not yet been determined, and are currently subject to a public consultation which I...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Live Register Data (19 Jun 2018)

Regina Doherty: Live Register Figures by detailed age group for all months from October 2009 to May 2017 are accessible from the CSO Statbank on the CSO Website, (available at ). At the end of May 2018, there were 223,502 people on the Live Register. This is less than half the number of people signing on the Live Register at the crisis peak in mid-2012. While this reduction in Live Register numbers has...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Code (19 Jun 2018)

Regina Doherty: The question of whether a couple is cohabiting as husband and wife or civil partners affects entitlement under the Social Welfare Acts in a number of ways: - A person may be entitled to an increase for a qualified adult for a person who is not a husband, wife or civil partner provided the couple are cohabiting; - A disqualification applies in various schemes where there is cohabitation, for...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Schemes Data (19 Jun 2018)

Regina Doherty: 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 entitlements. The schemes with the highest number of appeals to the Social Welfare Appeals Office in 2017 and 2018 (to the end of May) were - disability allowance...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Community Welfare Services Provision (19 Jun 2018)

Regina Doherty: Community Welfare Services in County Kildare are administered by the Mid-Leinster Division (Naas, Newbridge, Athy and surrounding areas) and the Dublin Central Division (Leixlip, Maynooth, Celbridge, Kilcock and surrounding areas). In the Mid-Leinster Division and Dublin Central Division areas, customers may contact the Community Welfare Service through their local Intreo Centre, by...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Exceptional Needs Payment Applications (14 Jun 2018)

Regina Doherty: Rent supplement plays a vital role in housing families and individuals, with the scheme supporting approximately 30,000 recipients for which the Government has provided €180 million for in 2018. Under the legislative provisions governing rent supplement the Department’s sole relationship is with the tenant; the tenant makes the application to the department and the payment is...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Registration of Marriages (14 Jun 2018)

Regina Doherty: Legislation governing marriage in Ireland is provided for in Part 6 of the Civil Registration Act 2004, as amended. Persons wishing to be married in the State are obliged to give a minimum of three months’ notice of the intention to marry to a registrar [section 46(1)(a)]. In the case where one, or both, of the parties to the marriage are foreign nationals, the notification must...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Freedom of Information Data (14 Jun 2018)

Regina Doherty: The number of freedom of information (FOI) requests received in the Department from 01 January 2018 to 31 May 2018 is set out in the following table. Of the 23 cases that were appealed, 15 of the decisions were affirmed and 4 were varied or annulled. The costs relating to fees and charges that were applied in the same period was €242. Number of Freedom of Information (FOI) Requests...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Wage Subsidy Scheme (14 Jun 2018)

Regina Doherty: The Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection’s supports for people with disabilities have been designed to enable persons with a disability to achieve their employment ambitions by focusing on the individual person’s ability and capacity rather than taking an approach that focuses on a particular type of disability. The key objective of the wage subsidy scheme...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Carer's Benefit Applications (14 Jun 2018)

Regina Doherty: Carer's benefit (CARB) is a payment made to insured people who leave the workforce to care for a person(s) in need of full-time care and attention. I confirm that my department received an application for CARB from the person concerned on the 23 March 2018. The application is currently being processed and once completed, the person concerned will be notified directly of the outcome. I hope...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Applications (14 Jun 2018)

Regina Doherty: My department informs me that there is no application from the person concerned for carer’s allowance (CA) registered. If the person concerned wishes to make an application, she should complete and return the application form (CR1) that I have arranged to issue to her. However, I confirm that my department received an application for carer’s benefit (CARB) from the person...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Low Pay Commission Remit (14 Jun 2018)

Regina Doherty: The Low Pay Commission was established under the National Minimum Wage (Low Pay Commission) Act, 2015. Its remit is to make recommendations regarding the national minimum wage, ensuring that all decisions are evidence based, fair and sustainable, and do not create significant adverse consequences for employment or competitiveness. The National Minimum Wage Act 2015 also allows the...