Results 8,361-8,380 of 12,033 for speaker:Regina Doherty

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Job Assist Scheme (30 Jan 2018)

Regina Doherty: I propose to take Questions Nos. 603, 607 and 608 together. JobBridge, the National Internship Scheme, was closed to new applications on Friday 21 October 2016 and the last participant finished on Friday 18August 2017.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Customer Charters (30 Jan 2018)

Regina Doherty: The Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection is committed to delivering high quality customer service. Our Customer Charter and Customer Action Plan 2016-2018sets out the commitments and standard of service that customers can expect in their dealings with the Department. Among them, customers should be served in a fair, courteous and timely manner, be informed of their rights...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Overpayments (30 Jan 2018)

Regina Doherty: The person concerned is aware that maternity benefit and one parent family payment are not fully payable together and consequently she has an overpayment due for recovery by the Department. She was informed that 15% of her weekly payment (the Departmental standard rate that can apply to the repayment of debt without a person’s consent) would be deducted for this purpose. She was also...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Contracts (30 Jan 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...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Public Private Partnerships Data (30 Jan 2018)

Regina Doherty: My Department is currently not engaged in any Public Private Partnership arrangement and has no plans to engage in any such arrangements at this time.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Pensions Reform (30 Jan 2018)

Regina Doherty: There were 46,677 people affected by the rate band changes in September 2012. It is estimated that two-thirds of these will see their rate of payment increased by the Total Contributions Approach (TCA) introduced on 23 January. The precise number cannot be known at this time as there may be inflows from other schemes, such as the State Pension (non-contributory). Equally, it is not...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Pensions Reform (30 Jan 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...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Pensions Reform (30 Jan 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...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Jobseeker's Payments (30 Jan 2018)

Regina Doherty: The numbers of persons in each county who had a Penalty Rate applied to them in the years 2012 to 2017 are set out in the following table. Figures to date in 2018 are not yet available. The figures are based on the location of Intreo Centres within each county. An Intreo Centre may cover part or all of a county. Its catchment area may also include parts of more than one county. Number...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Working Family Payment Data (30 Jan 2018)

Regina Doherty: Please see the following table for the number of recipients of Working Family Payment (formerly known as Family Income supplement) in Longford and Westmeath in 2016 and 2017, by month. # Longford Westmeath Recipients 2016 2017 2016 2017 January 706 788 1,212 1,250 February 731 772 1,211 1,251 March 736 764 1,218 1,242 April 745 757 1,224 1,229 May 754 771 1,210 1,243 June 746...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Exceptional Needs Payment Data (30 Jan 2018)

Regina Doherty: I propose to take Questions Nos. 617 and 618 together. Under the supplementary welfare allowance (SWA) scheme, my Department may make a single exceptional needs payment (ENP) to help meet essential, once-off expenditure which a person could not reasonably be expected to meet out of their weekly income. The Government has provided €36.4 million for the ENP scheme in 2018. Over...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Appeals (30 Jan 2018)

Regina Doherty: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was referred to an Appeals Officer on 20 December 2017, who will make a summary decision on the appeal based on the documentary evidence presented or, if required, hold an oral hearing. The Social Welfare Appeals Office functions independently of the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Humanitarian Assistance Scheme (30 Jan 2018)

Regina Doherty: The Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government is the lead Department for severe weather emergencies and the Office of Public Works has responsibility for capital flood relief activities. My Department has an important role to play in assisting households in the immediate aftermath of emergency events such as flooding through the humanitarian assistance scheme. The purpose of...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Staff Retirements (30 Jan 2018)

Regina Doherty: There are no persons at Assistant Principal level in the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection that are due to retire in the next six months due to age in counties Galway, Mayo, Roscommon and Clare.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Reports (25 Jan 2018)

Regina Doherty: Fifteen clinical protocols for use by Medical Assessors (MAs) of the Medical Review and Assessment Service (MRAS) were developed as part of the Medical Review and Case Management (MRCM) Project, 2010. This was part of the requirement to redefine the clinical work processes of the MAs and develop medical protocols taking into account evidence-based best practice in order to increase the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Data Sharing Arrangements (25 Jan 2018)

Regina Doherty: The Social Welfare Appeals Office is an Office of my Department which, under social welfare legislation, is independent in its decision-making. Under social welfare law, decisions on entitlement to payments are made by a Deciding Officer (DO), based on the evidence and information provided by the person applying for the payment. Where a DO decides that a person is not entitled to a payment...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Humanitarian Assistance Scheme (25 Jan 2018)

Regina Doherty: The Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government is the lead Department for severe weather emergencies and the Office of Public Works has responsibility for capital flood relief activities. My Department has an important role to play in assisting households in the immediate aftermath of emergency events such as flooding. The purpose of the humanitarian assistance scheme is to...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Insurance Fund (25 Jan 2018)

Regina Doherty: The Government is committed to encouraging self-employment and entrepreneurship and this includes improving the level of PRSI based benefits available to self-employed people while ensuring the sustainability of the social insurance fund. Self-employed contributors have been eligible for the invalidity pension from December 2017. For the first time, this has given the self-employed...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pension (Contributory) Eligibility (25 Jan 2018)

Regina Doherty: Entitlement to state pension (contributory) is assessed on the basis of an applicant’s social insurance record and satisfaction of the eligibility conditions applicable on the date they reach pension age. Current social welfare legislation provides that, in order to qualify for state pension (contributory), an applicant must have entered insurable employment before attaining the age of...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Schemes Data (25 Jan 2018)

Regina Doherty: The distinction between ‘self-employed’ and ‘employed’ does not form part of the eligibility criteria for most social welfare payments. Five schemes where self-employment status is directly relevant to payment eligibility are: 1. People with a previous or continuing self-employed status on Jobseeker’s Allowance; 2. Farm Assist, where it is a condition of...