Results 7,201-7,220 of 12,033 for speaker:Regina Doherty

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals Status (22 May 2018)

Regina Doherty: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that the appeal from the person concerned was referred to an Appeals Officer who has decided to hold an oral hearing in this case on 1 June 2018. The person concerned has been notified of the arrangements for the hearing. The Social Welfare Appeals Office functions independently of the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection and...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals Status (22 May 2018)

Regina Doherty: I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that an oral hearing of the appeal of the person concerned took place on 27 March 2018 and that the Appeals Officer is now considering the appeal in the light of all of the evidence submitted, including that adduced at the oral hearing. It is expected that a decision will issue to the person concerned within the next week. The Social...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Appeals (22 May 2018)

Regina Doherty: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that the appeal from the person concerned was referred to an Appeals Officer who has decided to convene an oral hearing in this case. Every effort will be made to hear the case as quickly as possible and the appellant will be informed when arrangements for the oral hearing have been made. The Social Welfare Appeals Office functions...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Expenditure (22 May 2018)

Regina Doherty: The following table outlines the breakdown of expenditure on training and development and incidental expenses in the year ending 31 December 2017 for my Department. This expenditure is provisional and subject to audit by the Comptroller and Auditor General. Category Expenditure €’000 Bank Charges 1,942 Legal Fees, investigations and awards 1,709 Staff Training...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Expenditure (22 May 2018)

Regina Doherty: The following table outlines the breakdown of expenditure on travel and subsistence in the year ending 31 December 2017 for my Department. This expenditure is provisional and subject to audit by the Comptroller and Auditor General. Travel €000 Subsistence €000 Total €000 Home Travel 2,936 1,407 4,343 EU/Foreign Travel 94 138...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Expenditure (22 May 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: Community Employment Schemes Eligibility (22 May 2018)

Regina Doherty: Community Employment is an employment programme which helps long-term unemployed people to re-enter the active workforce by breaking their experience of unemployment through a return to work routine. The programme assists them to enhance and develop both their technical and personal skills which can then be used in the workplace. The criteria for participating on the Community Employment...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Payments (22 May 2018)

Regina Doherty: Firstly may I take this opportunity to extend my condolences to the person concerned and her family on their recent bereavement. Carer's Allowance (CA) is a means-tested payment, made to a person who is habitually resident in the State and providing full-time care and attention to a child or an adult who has such a disability that they require that level of care. An increased payment can be...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Code (22 May 2018)

Regina Doherty: I propose to take Questions Nos. 566 to 568, inclusive, together. I believe the secondary benefits the Deputy is referring to are the household benefits package (HHB) and the fuel allowance payment. The household benefits package comprises the electricity or gas allowances and the free television licence. The package is generally available to people living in the State, aged 66 years or...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Applications (22 May 2018)

Regina Doherty: Carer's Allowance (CA) is a means-tested payment, made to a person who is habitually resident in the State and providing full-time care and attention to a child or an adult who has such a disability that they require that level of care. An increased payment can be made where full-time care is being provided to two people. I confirm that my department received an application for CA from the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Back to Education Allowance (22 May 2018)

Regina Doherty: The Department of Social Protection provides a wide range of second chance education opportunities for unemployed people, lone parents and people with disabilities under the back to education programme. The objective is to raise education and skills among the long term unemployed to meet the requirements of the modern labour market. The back to education programme provides a comprehensive...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (22 May 2018)

Regina Doherty: The person concerned made a claim for jobseekers allowance at their Intreo Centre on 1 May 2018 and supplied further requested documents on 4 May 2018 and 5 May 2018. The person concerned was asked to apply for a public service card but to date the person concerned has not returned to the Intreo Centre to follow up on this matter. Once this issue has been resolved an application for...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: School Meals Programme (22 May 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. The programme is an important component of policies to encourage school attendance and extra educational achievement. Based on...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Rent Supplement Scheme Data (22 May 2018)

Regina Doherty: I propose to take Questions Nos. 575 and 576 together. Rent supplement plays a vital role in housing families and individuals, with the scheme supporting approximately 31,000 recipients for which the Government has provided €180 million for in 2018. End of year statistics for rent supplement recipients and expenditure for the years 2011 to 2017 and for the four months ending April 2018...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits Eligibility (22 May 2018)

Regina Doherty: The Deputy is referring to the actuarial review of the social insurance fund as at 31 December 2015 and to the cost of extending certain social insurance benefits to the self-employed, an exercise that was carried out as part of the review. It is estimated that 254,000 Class S contributors would gain entitlement to these schemes, subject to the normal qualifying criteria for each scheme....

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Review (22 May 2018)

Regina Doherty: I confirm that my Department received an application for Carer’s Allowance (CA) from the person concerned on 24 November 2017. It is a condition for receipt of a CA that the person being cared for must have a disability whose effect is that they require full-time care and attention. This is defined as requiring from another person, continual supervision and frequent assistance...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Exceptional Needs Payment Applications (22 May 2018)

Regina Doherty: An application form for an exceptional needs payment issued to the person concerned on 17/5/18. I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes Supervisors (22 May 2018)

Regina Doherty: The interim revised retirement arrangements announced recently by the Government affect public servants only and have been introduced to enable those reaching 65 years of age to remain in place, if they so wish, until they reach the age of eligibility for the contributory state pension (age 66 at present). Community Employment (CE) supervisors are employees of private companies, in the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pensions (22 May 2018)

Regina Doherty: On 23 January, the Government agreed to a proposal that will allow pensioners affected by the 2012 changes in rate bands to have their pension entitlement calculated by a new "Total Contributions Approach" (TCA) which will include up to 20 years of a new HomeCaring credit. This approach is expected to significantly benefit many people, particularly women, whose work history includes an...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Bereavement Grant (22 May 2018)

Regina Doherty: During the economic downturn, my Department protected primary social welfare rates and in recent years, as the economy recovered, the Government has concentrated resources in improving the core rates of payments, particularly for pensioners. Abolishing the bereavement grant provided a significant annual saving and allowed my Department to protect other core social welfare payments such as...