Results 7,921-7,940 of 12,033 for speaker:Regina Doherty

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pension (Contributory) Eligibility (8 Mar 2018)

Regina Doherty: Currently the State pension (contributory) entitlement is calculated by the ‘yearly average’ system, where the total number of contributions paid or credited is divided by the number of years of the person’s insurance record. The maximum rate of pension is payable where a person has a yearly average of at least 48, and there are banded entitlements below that. In...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Fuel Allowance Payments (8 Mar 2018)

Regina Doherty: The fuel allowance is a payment of €22.50 per week for 27 weeks from October to April, to over 338,000 low income households, at an estimated cost of €227 million in 2018. The purpose of this payment is to assist these households with their energy costs. The allowance represents a contribution towards the energy costs of a household. It is not intended to meet those costs in...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Back to Work Enterprise Allowance Scheme (8 Mar 2018)

Regina Doherty: Following clarification with the Deputy’s Office, the requested statistics as at the 28thof Feb 2018 are as follows: - 9,188 recipients currently on the Back to Work Enterprise Allowance; - 11,160 recipients currently on the Back to Education Allowance and - 39,432 recipients currently on the One-Parent Family Allowance.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Working Family Payment Data (8 Mar 2018)

Regina Doherty: The Working Family Payment is an in-work support which provides an income top-up for employees on low earnings with children and offers a financial incentive to take-up employment. Currently there are almost 57,700 families with more than 129,000 children in receipt of the WFP. The estimated spend on WFP this year is approximately €431 million.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Live Register Data (8 Mar 2018)

Regina Doherty: There are two reasons why it is not possible to provide data at the level of individual employers: one is technical, and the other concerns statistical confidentiality. At a technical level, reliably identifying a single employer, regardless of the details of corporate structures, requires the existence of an agreed ‘unique business identifier’ (UBI). However, a UBI does not...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Jobseeker's Allowance Applications (8 Mar 2018)

Regina Doherty: The person concerned applied for Job Seekers Allowance on 14thDecember 2017. Jobseekers Allowance is means tested payment, and regretfully the person concerned did not submit the required information to allow their means to be assessed and for a deciding officer to determine their entitlement to a payment. The person’s claim was disallowed on 5thFebruary 2018 as they had not shown that...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Jobseeker's Allowance Payments (8 Mar 2018)

Regina Doherty: I refer the Deputy to Parliamentary Question No. 214 of 22ndFebruary 2018. As the person concerned has not submitted the documentation requested by the Department their claim was subsequently closed. It is open to the person concerned to make contact with their local Intreo Centre if they wish to pursue their claim. I trust this clarifies the matter for the deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Pension Provisions (8 Mar 2018)

Regina Doherty: To qualify for a widow’s, widower’s or surviving civil partner’s (contributory) pension, the surviving spouse must be deemed, under Irish State Law, to be the legal widow of the deceased. The late husband of the person concerned was previously divorced in the United Kingdom. The legislative provisions pertaining to the recognition of divorces outside the State are set...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (8 Mar 2018)

Regina Doherty: To qualify for a widow(er)’s or surviving civil partner’s (contributory) pension, the surviving spouse must be deemed, under Irish State Law, to be the legal widower of the deceased. The person concerned was divorced in Northern Ireland. The legislative provisions pertaining to the recognition of divorces outside the State are set out in Section 5 of the Domicile and...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Humanitarian Assistance Scheme (8 Mar 2018)

Regina Doherty: I propose to take Questions Nos. 598 and 599 together. The Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government is the lead Department for severe weather emergencies and the Office of Public Works (OPW) has responsibility for capital flood relief activities. However, my Department has an important role to play in assisting households in the immediate aftermath of emergency events such as...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Severe Weather Events Response (8 Mar 2018)

Regina Doherty: The provision of payments is a critical function of the Department for Employment Affairs and Social Protection. My Department has robust contingency plans in place to ensure the minimisation of any disruption which would impact on our ability to make payments to our customers.My Department is also represented on the National Emergency Coordination Group with a view to ensuring a whole of...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Fuel Allowance Eligibility (8 Mar 2018)

Regina Doherty: The fuel allowance is a payment of €22.50 per week for 27 weeks (a total of €607.50 each year) from October to April, to over 338,000 low income households, at an estimated cost of €227 million in 2018. The purpose of this payment is to assist these households with their energy costs. The allowance represents a contribution towards the energy costs of a household. It...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pension (Non-Contributory) (8 Mar 2018)

Regina Doherty: My Department has a duty to ensure that it pays the right person the right amount of money at the right time. It is important that all schemes operated by my Department, including State Pension (non-contributory), are subject to ongoing control reviews and continuing eligibility checks. This includes conducting fraud and error surveys which serve to reaffirm the entitlement of randomly...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Schemes Data (8 Mar 2018)

Regina Doherty: I propose to take Questions Nos. 603 to 607, inclusive, and 617 together. The costings sought by the Deputy are detailed in the following series of tables. The Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices used in the tables below are sourced from the Department of Finance’s 2018 Budget Day book. This provides forecasts for inflation for the four years 2018 to 2021 inclusive, and these are the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Pensions Reform (8 Mar 2018)

Regina Doherty: The Roadmap for Pensions Reform 2018-2023 confirms Government’s position that the State pension will be reformed and will remain as the fundamental basis of the pension system in Ireland. To do this, the Government will introduce from 2020 ‘Total Contributions Approach’ (TCA) for the State Pension (Contributory). The TCA is advanced as a more logical and transparent...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Pensions Reform (8 Mar 2018)

Regina Doherty: The Roadmap for Pensions Reform commits the Government to examine and develop proposals this year, to set a formal benchmark of 34% of average earnings for the State pension (contributory). These proposals when developed later this year will also set out what this will mean, in practical terms, for those in receipt of the State pension (non-contributory). I can assure the Deputy, however,...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Pensions Reform (8 Mar 2018)

Regina Doherty: The Roadmap for Pensions Reform 2018-2023 sets out how we intend to implement the Total Contributions Approach (TCA) to calculating entitlement to the State pension (contributory) from 2020 onwards. Subject to finalisation of the scheme design following a public consultation, it is intended that the TCA will offer a full State pension to all people with a full record of 40 years social...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Pensions Reform (8 Mar 2018)

Regina Doherty: Let me begin by clarifying that policy with regard to tax relief on private pensions is a matter for the Minister for Finance. However, I can say that I am in favour of financially incentivising retirement savings to help address a situation where the proportion of employees in Ireland with supplementary pension cover is far too low at just 35% of the private sector workforce. This suggests...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Pensions Reform (8 Mar 2018)

Regina Doherty: The Government believes that as we live longer and healthier lives many people wish to, and can, continue to work to an older age and make a positive contribution through their work to our society. Accordingly The Roadmap for Pensions Reform details a range of measures intended to support a positive ageing environment, where older people are, to the greatest extent possible, encouraged, and...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Public Sector Pay (8 Mar 2018)

Regina Doherty: As Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection I have responsibility for State pension policy. However, my colleague the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform has responsibility for public service pay and pensions.