Results 8,381-8,400 of 12,033 for speaker:Regina Doherty

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

Regina Doherty: The purpose of PRSI credited contributions (“credits”) is to secure the social welfare benefits and pensions of PRSI contributors by covering gaps in insurance on the occasions where they are not in a position to make contributions such as periods of unemployment, illness etc. The Social Welfare (Contributions) Regulations 1953 (S.I. No. 5 of 1953) (as amended) was the relevant...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Disability Allowance Appeals (25 Jan 2018)

Regina Doherty: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 11thJanuary 2018. It is a statutory requirement of the appeals process that the relevant Departmental papers and comments by the Deciding Officer on the grounds of appeal be sought. When these papers have been received from the Department, the case in question will be...

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

Regina Doherty: The Department currently has 58 Social Welfare 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. The contract for the delivery of contracted Branch Office services in Castlepollard is due to expire on...

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

Regina Doherty: Under social welfare law, decisions on entitlement to payments such as disability allowance are made by a Deciding Officer (DO), based on the evidence and information provided by the person applying for the payment. The decision of a DO can only be revised in certain circumstances. Where a DO decides that a person is not entitled to a payment and further evidence is subsequently submitted...

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

Regina Doherty: The expansion of the department’s activation capacity with the introduction of JobPath and the welcome reduction in the live register has allowed the department over the last two years to develop the activation service provided by the Local Employment Services (LES) across 12 Counties. In 2016, LES providers were asked to increase the frequency with which they engage with activation...

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

Regina Doherty: I propose to take Questions Nos. 210 to 212, inclusive,, 215 and 216 together. JobPath is a payment by results model and all set-up and day-to-day operational costs are borne by the companies. The companies are paid on the basis of performance and with the exception of the initial registration fee; payments are made only when a client has achieved sustained employment. The overall cost of...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Back to Education Allowance Data (25 Jan 2018)

Regina Doherty: The number of persons in receipt of Back to Education Allowance (BTEA) at the end of December in each of the years 2015 to 2017 is shown in Table 1 below: Table 1: BETA recipients 2015 - 2017 Year Number of recipients (at end December) 2015 18,345 2016 14,386 2017 11,336 I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

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

Regina Doherty: The table outlines the position in relation to the number of persons engaged in Community Employment as at the end of December for each year from 2015 to 2017. Year Participants Supervisors Total 2015 22,813 1,405 24,218 2016 22,356 1,377 23,733 2017 21,832 1,357 23,189 I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Child Benefit Payments (25 Jan 2018)

Regina Doherty: The person concerned applied for child benefit for her 2 children on the 17thOctober 2017. The claim has been processed with payment was awarded from November 2017. She was notified of the decision on the 1stof December 2017 and payment, including payment in respect of any arrears due issued to her in January 2018. I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Illness Benefit Eligibility (25 Jan 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 2017 the governing PRSI contribution year is 2015. The rate of payment depends onthe person’s level of earnings in the governing contribution year. Where the average weeklyearnings are €300...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Child Benefit Eligibility (25 Jan 2018)

Regina Doherty: The person concerned was in receipt of child benefit for 2 children until October 2017. Child benefit ceased for her older child from November 2017 as the child had reached his 18thbirthday and this benefit is not payable to a child over age 18. In relation to child dependent allowance, the person concerned was in receipt of full rate child dependant allowance on her disability allowance...

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

Regina Doherty: Pensions legislation provides for the supervision and regulation of occupational pension schemes and, in that context, requires defined benefit schemes to meet the commitments they have made to their members. This method by which this is regulated is set out in the Funding Standard. The Funding Standard provides a benchmark against which the ‘health’ of a scheme can be...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Carer's Benefit Applications (24 Jan 2018)

Regina Doherty: An application for carer’s benefit was received from the person concerned on 12 December 2017. The application was awarded to the person concerned with effect from 22 February 2018 from when her carer’s leave commences. The first payment will issue to her nominated bank account on 22 February 2018. The person concerned was notified on 12 January 2018 of this decision, the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Citizen Information Services (24 Jan 2018)

Regina Doherty: The Citizens Information Board (CIB) under the aegis of my Department is responsible for supporting the provision of information, advice (including money advice and budgeting) and advocacy on a wide range of public and social services. The Citizens Information Board delivers on this remit through direct provision, by supporting a network of delivery partners, and by funding targeted...

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

Regina Doherty: I hope to have the Bill taken at Second Stage on the week commencing the 13th February, subject to the agreement of the House Business Committee. The Bill is an important piece of legislation with a particular focus on low-paid and precariously employed workers. The key objective of the Bill is to improve the security and predictability of working hours for employees on insecure contracts...

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

Regina Doherty: The classification of a worker for PRSI purposes is increasingly complicated by ‘disguised –employment’, such as intermediary employment structures and certain self-employment arrangements. These mechanisms can be used to reduce the amount of PRSI and tax being paid, with a subsequent loss to the exchequer and the social insurance fund. An interdepartmental working...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Paternity Benefit (24 Jan 2018)

Regina Doherty: Paternity benefit provides a payment in respect of two weeks paternity leave to be taken within 26 weeks of the birth of the baby. During the 2017 year, 26,139 people availed of this leave and were awarded paternity benefit.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Citizen Information Services (24 Jan 2018)

Regina Doherty: The Citizens Information Board (CIB) under the aegis of my Department is responsible for supporting the provision of information, advice (including money advice and budgeting) and advocacy on a wide range of public and social services. The Citizens Information Board delivers on this remit through direct provision, by supporting a network of delivery partners, and by funding targeted...

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

Regina Doherty: On the 23rdJanuary, 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: JobPath Programme (24 Jan 2018)

Regina Doherty: All Jobseekers on the live register must be capable of available for and actively seeking full time employment, they are also required to engage with the Department’s activation services. The Social Welfare (Consolidated) Act 2005, as amended, specifies that participation in activation meetings is mandatory. JobPath is provided for long term unemployed jobseekers only and those...