Results 7,361-7,380 of 12,033 for speaker:Regina Doherty

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pensions (10 May 2018)

Regina Doherty: The information requested (where available) by the Deputy is detailed in the following tabular statement. I note that all Invalidity Pension recipients are transferred to State Pension (Contributory) on reaching the age of 66. Tabular statement Pension Number of Recipients under the age of 66 Average weekly payment (all claimants) Approximate weekly expenditure (claimants under 66) State...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Local Employment Service (10 May 2018)

Regina Doherty: My Department commissioned Indecon to conduct a review of the Local Employment and Jobclub services. This review is the first significant independent review that has been commissioned since the Local Employment Services (LES) was established in 1995 and it will help inform future decisions regarding how the Department contracts, monitors and procures for LES. My officials are currently...

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

Regina Doherty: My department received an application for carer's allowance (CA) from the person concerned on the 20 February 2018. 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. A person can be considered to be providing...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments Administration (10 May 2018)

Regina Doherty: The information requested (where available) by the Deputy is detailed in the following tabular statement. Tabular statement Average time to Award for principal DEASP schemes, March 2018 Schemes Average time to award (weeks) Jobseeker's Benefit 1 Jobseeker's Allowance 2 One-Parent Family Payment 5 State Pension Contributory 4 Widow, Widower’s and Surviving Civil Partners...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals (10 May 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. All claim decisions taken by the Department’s deciding officers are appealable to the Chief Appeals Officer. In any year about 85% of all...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals (10 May 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. I understand the Deputy’s question relates to outcomes of appeals dealt with by Appeals Officers by reference to whether the appeal was...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals Waiting Times (10 May 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. Article 10 of the Social Welfare (Appeals) Regulations 1998, provides that the Minister shall furnish to the Chief Appeals Officer a statement from...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals (10 May 2018)

Regina Doherty: The person concerned appealed the decision to refuse her claim for Carer’s Support Grant. Unfortunately, the notice of appeal was sent to the wrong office of my Department. It has now been received by the Deciding Officer who refused the claim. Talking account of all details of the claim, including the issues raised by the person concerned in her letter of appeal, the Deciding Officer...

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

Regina Doherty: Penalty Rates are a legal provision within the Jobseeker schemes to ensure that the Department can achieve compliance with Government Activation Policy as stated in Pathways to Work. Activation measures include the requirement to attend group or individual meetings, and/or avail of suitable education, training or development opportunities, or specified employment programmes, which are...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Community Employment Schemes Review (9 May 2018)

Regina Doherty: I thank the Senator. He already knows that the retirement arrangements announced last year by Government that affected public service employees have only been introduced to increase the compulsory retirement age from 65 years for certain categories of public servants. The Government also agreed that in advance of the legislation coming into effect, interim arrangements could be introduced...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Community Employment Schemes Review (9 May 2018)

Regina Doherty: I recognise the difficulty that community employment, CE, schemes are having in filling places, which is why I made the announcement a couple of weeks ago to allow participants of JobPath to participate in CE and Tús. From 1 June, anybody who is currently engaged with JobPath can also apply for CE places or Tús places. I do not think that will solve the problem, however, because I...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (9 May 2018)

Regina Doherty: The Department operates a network of some 120 Intreo centres and Branch offices throughout the country. These offices provide information on the wide range of schemes and services provided by the Department. Frontline staff are available to give timely and accurate advice to people who contact any of the Department’s offices on the various supports and services available including...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Back to Work Family Dividend Scheme (9 May 2018)

Regina Doherty: The back to work family dividend (BTWFD) scheme is an in-work support payment. As an in-work support, payment by electronic fund transfer (EFT) into a bank account was chosen as the most convenient and appropriate payment method for the scheme whose recipients are at work. There is no provision for it to be paid into a post office account. More generally, the Deputy should note...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Applications (9 May 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. CA was awarded on 19 April 2018 in respect of care provided by the person concerned to both of her parents and the first payment was issued to...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Disability Allowance Eligibility (9 May 2018)

Regina Doherty: I am assuming that the Deputy is referring to a national consultation process undertaken by my Department in relation to a number of recommendations made in the Make Work Pay (MWP) for people with disabilities report. The MWP report itself was published in April 2017 following a commitment in the Comprehensive Employment Strategy 2015 -2024 and was undertaken in order to better identify how...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Consultancy Contracts Data (9 May 2018)

Regina Doherty: Details of the contracts awarded to the company referred to by the Deputy are outlined in tabular form: Year contract awarded Details of contract Value of contract 2015 Eircode Database – quarterly update. (Includes an annual data access fee of €500 p.a.) €30,000 p.a. (excl. VAT) The statutory bodies operating under the aegis of my Department are the Citizens...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Applications (9 May 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. Disability allowance (DA) is a means-tested allowance paid to a person with a disability who is substantially restricted from employment. It is a...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Carer's Benefit Eligibility (9 May 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. It is not means tested and is paid for a maximum of 104 weeks per care recipient. Recipients of CARB get €215 per week when caring for one care recipient and receive an additional €107.50 a week if proving full-time care to a second...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Working Family Payment Applications (9 May 2018)

Regina Doherty: Working Family Payment (formerly Family Income Supplement) is a weekly tax free payment which provides additional income support to employees on low earnings with children. An application for Working Family Payment (WFP) was received from the person concerned on 26 April 2018. The applicant has been awarded WFP from 26 April 2018 to 24 April 2019. Payment is due to issue to the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Capital Expenditure Programme (9 May 2018)

Regina Doherty: I propose to take Question Nos. 271 to 273, inclusive, 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. Table 1 below outlines the capital allocation for 2018 to 2022, however, this is subject to ongoing review in the context of the...