Results 8,441-8,460 of 12,033 for speaker:Regina Doherty

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Pension Provisions (18 Jan 2018)

Regina Doherty: The person concerned is in receipt of the maximum rate of widow(er)’s or surviving civil partner’s contributory pension payable under 66 years of age. The person concerned is also in receipt of a fuel allowance. The Department of Work and Pensions in the UK is responsible for the assessment of a person’s entitlement to benefits from the UK and all enquiries in relation...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Overpayments (18 Jan 2018)

Regina Doherty: The person concerned is aware that she has an overpayment due for recovery by the Department and 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 advised to supply any further relevant information in relation to the debt and its repayment when...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Appeals (18 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 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 Social Protection and of the Department and is responsible for...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Eligibility (18 Jan 2018)

Regina Doherty: Carer's allowance (CA) is a means-tested social assistance payment, made to persons who are providing full-time care and attention to a person who has such a disability that they require that level of care. I confirm that my Department received an application for CA from the person concerned on the 2 October 2017. The application is currently being processed and once completed, the person...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Appeals (18 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 28thNovember 2017. 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: Carer's Allowance Appeals (18 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 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 Social Protection and of the Department and is responsible...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Expenditure (18 Jan 2018)

Regina Doherty: The Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection had a capital budget of €10m in 2017. Over the past number of years, the Department’s role and the demand for the services it provides has changed significantly. In 2017 the Department continued to make significant investment in the upgrading and replacement of DEASP’s IT infrastructure and in carrying out works...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Schemes Data (18 Jan 2018)

Regina Doherty: I wish to assure the Deputy that prompt processing of claims remains a priority for me. Each scheme area is continuously monitored and reviewed to ensure customers are responded to as quickly as possible, and their claims are processed as expeditiously as possible. The Table provides details (where available) of processing times for each of the Department’s schemes in December 2017....

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Guardian's Payment (18 Jan 2018)

Regina Doherty: Guardians’ payments are made to a person caring for a child, where that child is defined as “an orphan” under social welfare legislation. This occurs where the child has lost both parents through bereavement, or has been abandoned by both parents or by a surviving parent and is not living with a parent, adoptive parent or step-parent. The children in respect of who the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Registration Certificate (18 Jan 2018)

Regina Doherty: This is a matter for my colleague in the Department of Justice and Equality.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Exceptional Needs Payment Applications (18 Jan 2018)

Regina Doherty: According to the records of this Department the person concerned has not submitted an application for an exceptional needs payment. An officer of this Department sent an exceptional needs payment application form to the person concerned on 17/1/18. If the person concerned is at risk of losing their home, Kildare County Council can be contacted at 1800 804307/045-980705 for advice. I...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Applications (18 Jan 2018)

Regina Doherty: Carer's allowance (CA) is a means-tested social assistance payment, made to persons who are 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 14 July 2017. The matter was referred to a local social welfare inspector (SWI) on 18 October 2017 to assess the level of...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Employment Data (18 Jan 2018)

Regina Doherty: This a matter for the Central Statistics Office.

Questions on Promised Legislation (17 Jan 2018)

Regina Doherty: I am having déjà vu. This is probably the fourth time I have said this today in the House as I took oral questions from 10.30 a.m. An extensive report has been compiled by my officials over the last couple of months. It is absolutely nowhere near six months since this conversation came up in the House; it was just before Christmas, after the budget. I gave a commitment then to...

Questions on Promised Legislation (17 Jan 2018)

Regina Doherty: The Deputy stated that the Bill was published before Christmas and it is on the list to be dealt with this session. As soon as we are given a scheduled date by the Business Committee, we will be in like Flynn.

Questions on Promised Legislation (17 Jan 2018)

Regina Doherty: There was extensive consultation with unions to develop the Bill and I am sure amendments will be made on the five Stages of the Bill, which we will discuss in this House and in committee. There is a separate report, done by the Department of Finance and the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection, on bogus self-employment which will go to Cabinet shortly and will give key...

Other Questions: Exceptional Needs Payment Data (17 Jan 2018)

Regina Doherty: Under the supplementary welfare allowance, SWA, scheme, my Department may make a single exceptional needs payment to help meet essential, once off expenditure which a person could not reasonably be expected to meet out of his or her weekly income. The Government provided €36 million for exceptional payments last year. The exceptional needs payment scheme is demand led and payments...

Other Questions: Poverty Data (17 Jan 2018)

Regina Doherty: I will reply to Question No. 10, and to Question No. 36. The CSO Survey on Income and Living Conditions, SILC, for 2016 shows that for lone parent households, the consistent poverty rate is 24.6%, down from 26.2% in 2015 and the deprivation rate fell from 57.9% in 2015 to 50.1% in 2016. However, the Deputy is right; the at-risk-of-poverty rate increased from 36.2% in 2015 to 40.2% in...

Other Questions: Poverty Data (17 Jan 2018)

Regina Doherty: As I referred to in response to a previous question, there are barriers, not just to lone parents gaining employment. There are barriers to everybody who is unemployed - be they long or short-term unemployed - and the job of my Department, my officials and I is to break down those barriers and assist people. We have a specific plan that has been enacted that the Indecon report shows is...

Other Questions: Poverty Data (17 Jan 2018)

Regina Doherty: What is interesting is that both Deputies would criticise me for not highlighting a particular negative result in the report and just focusing on the positives of it yet neither of them are willing to acknowledge the very positive contributions of Budget 2018 for lone parents. I think that is a pity and says a lot about the Deputies. In response to Deputy O'Dea, we are not willing to...