Results 7,101-7,120 of 12,033 for speaker:Regina Doherty

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Programme for Government Implementation (12 Jun 2018)

Regina Doherty: The Programme for a Partnership Government includes a wide range of commitments which fall directly within the remit of my Department. The updated status of these commitments is set out in the following table. Commitment Status “ [to] increase Rent Supplement ... by up to 15% taking account of geographic variations in market rents.... “ Increased rent limits were introduced...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: JobPath Programme (12 Jun 2018)

Regina Doherty: As the Deputy will know the JobPath activation service is to help long term unemployed jobseekers to find sustainable full time work. Selection for referral to JobPath is by means of system based stratified random sampling; the objective being to ensure equity in selection and also that people referred to JobPath are a representative of the long-term cohort on the Live Register. The...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Supplementary Welfare Allowance Eligibility (12 Jun 2018)

Regina Doherty: The person concerned was awarded an interim payment of supplementary welfare allowance (SWA) following the withdrawal of widow’s pension payment on grounds of cohabitation. The SWA payment was awarded as an interim payment while the person concerned was awaiting a decision on an appeal against the disallowance of her pension and who was advised that a negative decision on the appeal...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Schemes (12 Jun 2018)

Regina Doherty: A pilot initiative to assist self-employed visual artists and writers who apply to my Department for jobseeker’s allowance was launched in June 2017. The initiative, which is a commitment under the Creative Ireland Programme,involved collaboration between my Department and what is now the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, with the support and advice of the Arts...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Employment Rights (12 Jun 2018)

Regina Doherty: An employee’s entitlement to annual leave is set out in section 19 of the Organisation of Working Time Act 1997 (the 1997 Act). Section 19 transposed Article 7 of the original EU Working Time Directive (93/104/EC) – now consolidated by Directive 2003/88/EC. Under section 19 of the 1997 Act, an employee acquires an entitlement to 4 weeks’ annual leave if he or she works...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Public Services Card (12 Jun 2018)

Regina Doherty: The Department has a variety of arrangements in place to ensure that citizens can SAFE register and obtain a Public Services Card (PSC), irrespective of their location or place of residence. As at 30 April 2018, the number of Departmental customers in payment with a PSC was 1.63 million persons. The majority of these SAFE registrations are through attendance in person at the local INTREO...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Eligibility (12 Jun 2018)

Regina Doherty: Carer's allowance (CA) is a means-tested social assistance payment made to a person who is habitually resident in the State and who is providing full-time care and attention to a person who has such a disability that they require that level of care. My department has to date not received an application from the person concerned for CA. If they wish to make an application, they should...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Carer's Benefit Applications (12 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. An application for CARB was received from the person concerned on 10 May 2018. The application was awarded to the person concerned on 6 June 2018 and the first payment will issue to her nominated bank account on 14 June 2018. Arrears of...

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

Regina Doherty: The governance of an individual pension scheme is generally a matter for the scheme trustees. Scheme trustees have duties and responsibilities under trust law, under other relevant legislation and under the Pensions Act 1990, as amended. The duties of pension scheme trustees include administering the trust in accordance with the law and the terms of the trust deed and rules. It is...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Applications (12 Jun 2018)

Regina Doherty: Carer's allowance (CA) is a means-tested social assistance payment made to a person who is habitually resident in the State and who is providing full-time care and attention to a person who has such a disability that they require that level of care. My department has not to date received an application from the person concerned for CA. If they wish to make an application, they should...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: JobPath Programme (12 Jun 2018)

Regina Doherty: The primary goal of the Department’s activation services is to move people from unemployment to full-time and sustained employment. All jobseekers are required to engage with the Department’s activation service and this obligation applies irrespective of whether the service is provided by the Department’s own case officers or those advisors employed by external...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Commencement of Legislation (12 Jun 2018)

Regina Doherty: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1239 and 1240 together. Section 22(3C) of Civil Registration Act 2004 (as inserted by section 6(e) of the Civil Registration Act 2014) provides for registration of a father’s name, other than that of the husband, where the mother is married and has been living apart from her husband during the period of 10 months ending immediately before the birth of...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Offices (12 Jun 2018)

Regina Doherty: This is a public road and there are currently no parking restrictions on that part of the road in question. Notwithstanding this, however, and on foot of concerns expressed by the local residents association who recently met with local management, a notice has issued to all staff highlighting the concerns and requesting that staff only use the Department’s car parking facilities.There...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Pension Provisions (12 Jun 2018)

Regina Doherty: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1242 and 1243 together. The Deputy will appreciate that I cannot intervene in the pension arrangements applying to a particular pension scheme or introduce any measures which would benefit the members of a particular pension scheme to the exclusion of members of similar pension schemes. While I am very conscious that any reduction in benefits can have a...

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

Regina Doherty: Community Employment (CE) scheme supervisors are employees of private companies in the community and voluntary sector that receive public funding. My Department is not the employer of the supervisors and such employees are not public servants. The issue of addressing the entitlement of CE supervisors to an occupational pension is primarily a matter for the Department of Public...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Pension Provisions (12 Jun 2018)

Regina Doherty: The Government intends to introduce a Total Contributions Approach (TCA) to establishing level of entitlement for the contributory state pension from 2020 onwards. However, notwithstanding various inaccurate media reports, 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 launched on 28 May...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Household Benefits Scheme (12 Jun 2018)

Regina Doherty: The Free Fuel allowance is based upon a means-test. Household Benefits may be too, depending on a person’s circumstances. In both cases, the threshold is the rate of the State pension (contributory) plus €100. Currently this amounts to €343.30. As the income limit for the means test is based on the rate of the State pension (contributory), any Budgetary increases in...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Commencement of Legislation (12 Jun 2018)

Regina Doherty: My Department is responsible for the legislation underpinning the social welfare code, occupational and private pensions, civil registration and gender recognition, redundancy and employer’s insolvency, employment rights and the Citizens Information Board / Comhairle. Two provisions from 2014 which amended the Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005 have yet to be commenced. In...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Free Travel Scheme Data (12 Jun 2018)

Regina Doherty: Based on an expenditure of €90 million on the Free Travel Scheme in 2018 the costings sought by the Deputy are detailed in the following table: Increase Cost 10% €9m 12% €10.8m 15% €13.5m These costs are on a full year basis.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Ministerial Meetings (12 Jun 2018)

Regina Doherty: As the Deputy is no doubt aware, the Organisation of Working Time Act 1997 (the OWTA) provides for statutory rights for employees in relation to work breaks and rest, maximum working time and holidays. The Act transposes the EU Working Time Directive – Directive 2003/88/EC. The purpose of the Directive is to establish minimum health and safety requirements for the organisation of...