Results 7,701-7,720 of 12,033 for speaker:Regina Doherty

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Schemes (17 Apr 2018)

Regina Doherty: The fuel allowance scheme, the household benefits scheme and the free travel scheme are non-statutory schemes which are operated by my Department. The schemes were introduced and extended by Ministerial Announcement. Decisions in relation to applications for non-statutory schemes are made by Officers of my Department based on published guidelines setting out the conditions of entitlement in...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Disability Support Services Provision (17 Apr 2018)

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

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pensions (29 Mar 2018)

Regina Doherty: I propose to take Questions Nos. 396 to 399, inclusive, together. Entitlement to state pension (contributory) is assessed on the basis of an applicant’s completed social insurance record and the eligibility conditions applicable on the date they reach pension age. It is not possible to determine a person’s pension entitlement until a pension application is received in the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Staff Training (29 Mar 2018)

Regina Doherty: Details of social media training commissioned by the Department in each year since 2016 are set out in the following table. There has been no social media consultancy during this period. Social Media Training & Consultancy 2016 Date Training Spend Consultancy Spend Total Nil Nil Nil Nil Social Media Training & Consultancy 2017 Date Training Spend Consultancy Spend Total...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Staff Training (29 Mar 2018)

Regina Doherty: Details of social media training commissioned by the Department is set out in the following table. In summary, social media training has been delivered to staff in the Department on three occasions during 2017. There has been no social media training so far in 2018. Social Media Training Date Training Spend Total 08/02/2017 €750.30 €750.30 19/05/2017 €553.50...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals (29 Mar 2018)

Regina Doherty: I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that an Appeals Officer, having fully considered all of the available evidence including that adduced at the oral hearing, has decided to allow the appeal of the person concerned. The person concerned has been notified of the Appeals Officer’s decision The Social Welfare Appeals Office functions independently of the Minister for...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Consultancy Contracts (29 Mar 2018)

Regina Doherty: Our records indicate that no contracts have been awarded to this company by this Department.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes Supervisors (29 Mar 2018)

Regina Doherty: Community Employment (CE) scheme supervisors are employees of private companies in the community and voluntary sector. The State is not responsible for funding pension arrangements for such employees even where the companies in question are reliant on State funding. It is open to individuals to make provision for a pension by way of PRSA which all employers are obliged to facilitate. ...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Overpayments (29 Mar 2018)

Regina Doherty: The person concerned had deductions applied to a Jobseeker’s Allowance payment on foot on an overpayment of €8,303.30. The overpayment arose to means not having been fully disclosed. Deductions were in place from 13/6/2017 to 8/8/2017. The client then found work, leaving a balance of €8063.85 outstanding. There was an additional overpayment of €128 arising from...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Insurance Data (29 Mar 2018)

Regina Doherty: I propose to take Questions Nos. 406 to 408, inclusive, 410, 414, 416, 419, 420, 423 and 428 together. The costings sought by Deputy O’Dea are detailed in the following series of tables. Table 1: Full year cost of varying increases in all weekly social insurance payments - €5 increase €10 increase €15 increase €20 increase €25 increase ...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Telephone Support Allowance (29 Mar 2018)

Regina Doherty: The new weekly Telephone Support Allowance (TSA) of €2.50 will be paid from June 2018. People in receipt of the Living Alone Allowance and also Fuel Allowance will automatically qualify for the TSA. It is expected that approximately 124,176 customers will qualify for the scheme and the estimated full year cost is €16.14 million. The estimated additional cost of increasing...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance Scheme Data (29 Mar 2018)

Regina Doherty: The back to school clothing and footwear allowance (BSCFA) scheme provides a once-off payment to eligible families to assist with the extra costs when children start school each autumn. End of year records show that under the 2017 BSCFA scheme, payments were made to 151,000 families in respect of over 275,000 children at a cost of €49 million. The rate of payment in 2017 was increased...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: One-Parent Family Payment Data (29 Mar 2018)

Regina Doherty: The cost implications of reversing the changes made to the One-Parent Family Payment (OFP) in 2012 would be very complex to estimate and would require significant resources and time to prepare. In addition some of the impacts cannot be quantified. There are three significant barriers to undertaking this costing exercise. Firstly, by reversing the amendments made to the OFP scheme, this...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Insurance Fund Data (29 Mar 2018)

Regina Doherty: The issue of extending additional social insurance benefits to the self-employed paying class S PRSI was considered in the Actuarial Review of the Social Insurance fund (SIF) as at 31 December, 2015, which I published on 18 October 2017. The review, required by legislation, was carried out by independent consultants, KPMG. It examines the projected income and expenditure of the SIF over the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: One-Parent Family Payment Data (29 Mar 2018)

Regina Doherty: The estimated costings provided in tabular form below are based on the existing profile of recipients of the One-Parent Family Payment as of January 2018 and assume that the Budget 2018 increases due from 29 March have taken effect. These estimates do not take into account potential behavioural changes which would arise from the implementation of increases to the earnings disregard, in...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pensions Payments (29 Mar 2018)

Regina Doherty: The Social Welfare and Pensions Act 2011 provided that State pension age will be increased gradually to 68 years. This began in January 2014 with the abolition of the State pension (transition) which was available to people aged 65 who satisfied the qualifying conditions. This measure standardised the State pension age for all at 66 years. This will increase to 67 in 2021 and to 68 in...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Bereavement Grant (29 Mar 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...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Maternity Benefit Data (29 Mar 2018)

Regina Doherty: Maternity Benefit is paid by my Department to employed and self-employed mothers who are on maternity leave and is based on the payment of PRSI contributions while working. The current entitlement to paid maternity leave is 26 weeks. The 2018 estimates for my Department provide for expenditure of nearly €264 million. The estimated additional cost of extending the duration of maternity...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Paternity Benefit (29 Mar 2018)

Regina Doherty: Paternity Benefit is a payment for employed and self-employed people who are on from work and covered by . It is paid for 2 weeks and is available for any child born or adopted on or after 1 September 2016. The 2018 Estimates for my Department provide for expenditure of nearly €16 million. The estimated additional cost of extending the duration of paternity benefit is approximately...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Free Travel Scheme Data (29 Mar 2018)

Regina Doherty: The free travel scheme provides free travel on the main public and private transport services for those eligible under the scheme. These include road, rail and ferry services provided by companies such as Bus Átha Cliath, Bus Éireann and Iarnród Éireann, as well as Luas and services provided by over 80 private transport operators. There are currently approx. 904,000...