Results 7,581-7,600 of 12,033 for speaker:Regina Doherty

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Applications (24 Apr 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. An application for CA was received from the person concerned on 20 July 2017. The evidence submitted in support of this application was...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: JobPath Programme (24 Apr 2018)

Regina Doherty: My Department provides a range of activation supports catering for long-term unemployed jobseekers and those most distant from the labour market to secure and sustain full-time paid employment. These supports include the JobPath service. Certain groups of people are excluded from referral to JobPath, one such group being Education Sector Workers. As a lollipop person the customer in question...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Parental Leave (24 Apr 2018)

Regina Doherty: The Programme for Partnership Government commits the Government to increase paid parental leave in the first year of a child's life. An inter-departmental working group, chaired by the Department of Justice and Equality, has been established to examine options for delivering on this commitment. It is expected that the working group will report next month. Paid parental leave including...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Public Services Card (24 Apr 2018)

Regina Doherty: SAFE Level 2 (SAFE2) registration allows a person to verify their identity once not just for access to services provided by the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection but also for an increasing number of public services provided by other State agencies – for example the Passport office. Once a person is registered to SAFE2 they can be issued with a Public Services Card...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pension (Contributory) Eligibility (24 Apr 2018)

Regina Doherty: The person concerned is in receipt of a reduced state pension (contributory) under EU regulations with effect from their 66th birthday, based on their combined Irish full-rate and modified contributions together with their UK contributions. The person concerned has also been awarded a reduced state pension (transition) from their 65th birthday until the date they reached age 66, based on the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Partial Capacity Benefit Scheme Eligibility (24 Apr 2018)

Regina Doherty: Partial Capacity Benefit (PCB) allows a person who has been in receipt of Illness Benefit for six months and who may not have full capacity for work, to return to employment and continue to receive a partial or full payment from my Department. An Illness Benefit customer who applies for PCB will, in the first instance, be assessed by a Medical Assessor who will review the restriction, if...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Labour Activation Programmes (24 Apr 2018)

Regina Doherty: The primary goal of my Department’s activation services is to move people from full time and part time unemployment to full-time and sustained employment. A jobseeker who already has an offer of a placement on a Community Employment Scheme (CE) or Tús when they are referred to the JobPath service will be facilitated to take up the offer. I also announced last week that customers...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: National Reform Programme (24 Apr 2018)

Regina Doherty: My Department is responsible for the management and monitoring of the National Action Plan for Social Inclusion 2007-2016 (NAPinclusion) and the update which covers the period 2015-2017. The Plan identifies a wide range of targeted actions and interventions to achieve the overall objective of reducing consistent poverty. The headline target, Ireland’s National Social Target for...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Property Tax Exemptions (24 Apr 2018)

Regina Doherty: Policy with regard to the household charge is primarily the responsibility of the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government. In 2012, a Household Charge of €100 was charged on residential property in order to fund local services. This charge was an interim measure. It was separate from, and in addition to, the Non-Principal Private Residence (NPPR) charge. The Local...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Respite Care Grant Data (24 Apr 2018)

Regina Doherty: At the end of March there were 76,097 persons in receipt of a carer’s allowance payment. The carer’s support grant (formerly the respite care grant) is paid annually on the first Tuesday in June. Some 113,500 such payments were made in 2017.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Jobs Initiative (24 Apr 2018)

Regina Doherty: As part of Budget 2018 my Department increased the grant aid to Job Initiative participants by €10 per week, effective from 26 March 2018. This brings the participants personal payment rate to €441.00 per week. I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Pension Provisions (24 Apr 2018)

Regina Doherty: I propose to take Questions Nos. 579 to 581, inclusive, together. The cost of increasing the State Pension Non Contributory to the maximum rate of the State Pension Contributory is estimated to be €57 million in 2019. With regard to the costs in 2021, 2028 and 2046, it is not possible to provide costs for these years as specified by the Deputy as the number of recipients of the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Pension Provisions (24 Apr 2018)

Regina Doherty: The following table provides an early estimate of the additional costs of each State Pension scheme in 2019 over that published in the 2018 Revised Estimates on a no policy change basis. These estimates will change over the coming months as a more detailed analysis of trends is carried out in the run up to 2019 Budget in October 2018. - 2018 REV estimate 2019 estimate on a no policy change...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pension (Non-Contributory) (24 Apr 2018)

Regina Doherty: The Vincentian Partnership for Social Justice (VPSJ) developed a model of a minimum income standard (MIS). The MIS is defined by the VPSJ as “the gross income a household needs in order to reach their minimum essential standard of living”. The VPSJ’s Minimum Essential Standard of Living 2017 (MESL) is derived from a negotiated consensus, based on focus groups with...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Expenditure (24 Apr 2018)

Regina Doherty: There were no payments made by my Department to Heneghan PR in each of the years 2007 to 2017.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Waiting Times (24 Apr 2018)

Regina Doherty: Like all Government departments and agencies, my Department 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 are continuously reviewed, taking account of workloads, management priorities and the ongoing need to respond...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Illness Benefit Payments (24 Apr 2018)

Regina Doherty: Illness Benefit is a payment for people who cannot work due to illness and who satisfy the pay-related social insurance (PRSI) contribution conditions. For illness benefit claims made in 2018, the governing PRSI contribution year is 2016. The rate of payment depends onthe person’s level of earnings in the governing contribution year. Where the average weeklyearnings are €300 or...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Reviews (24 Apr 2018)

Regina Doherty: I propose to take Questions Nos. 587 and 588 together. My Department’s main social welfare schemes for people who are unemployed are the jobseeker’s allowance and the jobseekers benefit schemes. Both schemes provide significant support to individuals so that they can work up to 3 days a week and still retain access to a reduced jobseeker’s payment. The 2018 Estimates...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Offices (24 Apr 2018)

Regina Doherty: The Department currently has 58 Branch Offices at various locations throughout the country. Each Branch Office is operated and managed, under a contract for services, by a Branch Manager who is required to act as an agent for the Department in the area served by the office. Branch Office managers operate on a contract for service and are independent contractors. Services are provided...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Public Services Card (24 Apr 2018)

Regina Doherty: At present, a Public Services Card (PSC) cannot be requested by any public or private body or person not included as a specified body in Schedule 5 of the Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005 (as amended). The Central Bank is not prescribed as a Specified Body under Schedule 5 of the Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005, so therefore cannot ask for or accept the Public Services Card as a...