Results 8,641-8,660 of 12,033 for speaker:Regina Doherty

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Information and Communications Technology (16 Jan 2018)

Regina Doherty: My Department invests on an ongoing basis in traditional, defence-in-depth deployments of preventative controls like firewalls, email gateways, endpoint protection and advanced threat detection tools. My Department employs security technology that, together with a dedicated ICT security team and well defined processes, continually monitors the Department’s network and services. My...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Government Information Service (16 Jan 2018)

Regina Doherty: Details of the Department’s expenditure on public awareness campaigns in 2017 are set out in the following table. Public Awareness Campaign Costs 2017 (Includes Design) Date Campaign Name Cost (VAT Inclusive) March MyGovID €83,674 April Welfare Cheats €201,625 April Treatment Benefit: Open to self employed €107,889 July Back to School Clothing &...

Domestic Violence Bill 2017 [Seanad]: Second Stage (15 Dec 2017)

Regina Doherty: I want to speak in support of the Domestic Violence Bill, introduced by the Minister, Deputy Flanagan. I thank him for getting the Bill to this point. Having listened to proceedings up to now, I am looking forward to everybody's co-operation and what, hopefully, will be a very helpful and informative debate at the end of which we will have we will have legislation on which we can all agree....

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2017: Report and Final Stages (14 Dec 2017)

Regina Doherty: I am grateful to the Senator for not pressing the amendment because I cannot accept it, not because I disagree with anything she has said because I do not, as she knows, but because I do not have the responsibility, although I wish I did, to establish a maintenance recovery section because that matter falls within the remit of the Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy Charles Flanagan....

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Employment Data (14 Dec 2017)

Regina Doherty: The University of Limerick (UL), in their study on zero hour contracts and low hour contracts, were not able to quantify the numbers of people on zero hour contracts or “if and when” contracts. However, based on their stakeholder interviews, UL found that zero hour contracts within the meaning of Section 18 of the Organisation of Working Time Act 1997 are not extensively used...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Code (14 Dec 2017)

Regina Doherty: The farm/fish assist schemes provide support for farmers and fishermen on low incomes and are similar to jobseeker’s allowance. Recipients retain the advantages of the jobseeker’s allowance scheme such as the retention of secondary benefits and access to activation programmes. The 2017 Revised Estimates for my Department provide for expenditure of €82.8 million on the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Insurance Payments (14 Dec 2017)

Regina Doherty: In general PRSI is payable on income which is subject to income tax. One of the exceptions to this is that PRSI is not chargeable on any social welfare payment. Farm assist is a means tested social assistance payment available to farmers on low income. Accordingly it is not subject to PRSI. Farmers on low income may be required to pay PRSI on their self-employed income from farming....

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Staff Data (14 Dec 2017)

Regina Doherty: The total number of Departmental staff, by premises and grade, working for my Department in Drogheda are summarised in the table as follows: Department Premises Assistant Principal Higher Executive Officer Executive Officer Clerical  Officer Temporary Clerical  Officer Service  Officer TOTAL Intreo Custom House Quay, Drogheda 1 9.8 14.1 21.2 1 1 48.1 Intreo Dyer St,...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Invalidity Pension Eligibility (14 Dec 2017)

Regina Doherty: Self-employed people who earn €5,000 or more in a contribution year, are liable for PRSI at the class S rate of 4%, subject to a minimum annual payment of €500. This provides them with access to the following benefits: State pension (contributory), widow’s, widower’s or surviving civil partner’s pension (contributory), guardian’s payment...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Long-Term Illness Scheme Eligibility (14 Dec 2017)

Regina Doherty: This Government recognises the importance of increasing participation in employment for persons with a disability and is committed to removing any barriers that remain which prevent those persons with disabilities from participating in activation programmes and employment. The long term illness (LTI) scheme is a Health Service Executive (HSE) scheme that allows people with certain...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Commencement of Legislation (14 Dec 2017)

Regina Doherty: My Department is responsible for the legislation underpinning the social welfare code and for a number of other areas of legislation. These are occupational and private pensions, civil registration and gender recognition, redundancy and employer’s insolvency, employment rightsand Citizens Information Board/Comhairle legislation. A number of provisions of the Social Welfare...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Unemployment Levels (14 Dec 2017)

Regina Doherty: The target was to move 50,000 people, who were long-term unemployed at the beginning of 2016, into employment by the end of 2020. The number of people who were long-term unemployed at the beginning of 2016 was approximately 144,000. By the end of September 2017, almost 42,000 of these people had moved into employment. The rate of exit to employment is therefore running some way ahead of the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pension (Contributory) Applications (14 Dec 2017)

Regina Doherty: The person concerned was awarded a mixed rate insurance pro rata state pension (contributory) from 2 May 2017, their 66th birthday. Written notification of this decision issued on 10 April 2017. Following a requested review of the person’s pension entitlement, it was ascertained that all of the person’s social insurance contributions had not been included in the initial...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Youth Unemployment Measures (14 Dec 2017)

Regina Doherty: The average values for overall unemployment, youth unemployment, and the ratio between them for the years 2012 to 2016 are as follows: - Unemployment rate (%) Year Total Aged <25 Ratio of youth to total 2012 14.7 30.4 2.07 2013 13.1 26.7 2.05 2014 11.3 23.9 2.13 2015 9.4 20.9 2.21 2016 7.9 17.2 2.17 Full-year and end of year unemployment figures for 2017...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Exceptional Needs Payment Applications (14 Dec 2017)

Regina Doherty: The person concerned made an application for an Exceptional Needs Payment (ENP) to assist with the cost of a replacement cooker. As a payment of €310.00 was awarded in September 2015 to purchase this item, the Designated Person adjudged that this particular need had been recently met and given the general durability of such items it was reasonable to expect that this item would be in...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Jobseeker's Allowance Applications (14 Dec 2017)

Regina Doherty: An application for jobseeker’s allowance is currently pending as documentation requested from the person concerned remains outstanding. When the requested outstanding documentation is received by the Department the application will be processed and the person concerned will be advised of the decision. I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Exceptional Needs Payment Applications (14 Dec 2017)

Regina Doherty: According to the records of this Department the person concerned has not submitted an application for an exceptional needs payment. It is open to the person concerned to submit an application for financial assistance if she does not have sufficient means to meet her needs. A community welfare officer will phone her regarding her situation. I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Insurance Fund (14 Dec 2017)

Regina Doherty: The Department deals with employers who owe a debt to the Social Insurance Fund in line with its debt management policy and procedures. I would urge the person in question to engage with the Department’s employer debt management unit to discuss their financial situation and capacity to repay their debt. They can contact the unit on (01) 673 4549 or at .

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Applications (14 Dec 2017)

Regina Doherty: I confirm that my department received an application for carer’s allowance (CA) from the person concerned on 4 August 2017. CA is a means-tested social assistance payment made to a person who is habitually resident in the State and who is providing full-time care and attention to a person who has such a disability that they require that level of care. The matter was referred to a...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes Operation (14 Dec 2017)

Regina Doherty: The aim of Community Employment (CE) is to enhance the employability and mobility of disadvantaged and unemployed persons by providing work experience and training opportunities for them within their communities. In addition, it helps long-term unemployed people to re-enter the active workforce by breaking their experience of unemployment through a return to work routine. CE projects are...