Results 9,021-9,040 of 12,033 for speaker:Regina Doherty

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Rent Supplement Scheme Payments (23 Nov 2017)

Regina Doherty: I refer to the replies to the Deputy’s previous PQs about this matter. Reference Numbers 42721-17 and 47178-17 refer. The review of the case has been completed and communicated to the Deputy. Arrangements have been proposed for an amount of unpaid Rent Supplement to be paid directly to the landlord. I trust that this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Free Travel Scheme (23 Nov 2017)

Regina Doherty: The current free travel scheme provides free travel on the main public and private transport services for those eligible under the scheme. These include road, rail and ferry services provided by companies such as Bus Átha Cliath, Bus Éireann and Iarnród Éireann, as well as Luas and services provided by almost 80 private transport operators. There are currently...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Exceptional Needs Payment Applications (23 Nov 2017)

Regina Doherty: There is no record of an application having been received in this matter. However, an application form for Supplementary Welfare Allowance has been posted to the person concerned. If she wishes to apply for an exceptional needs payment she should complete the application form and return it to the welfare service in Maynooth, where it will be considered. I hope this clarifies the matter for...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Schemes (23 Nov 2017)

Regina Doherty: In order to hold a contract under the Department’s treatment benefit scheme, a practitioner must be entitled to operate in their own right. Dental hygienists cannot currently operate independently. Under the Irish Dental Council’s code of practice, “Dental work carried out by a dental hygienist may only be carried out under the supervision of a registered dentist, who...

Questions on Promised Legislation (22 Nov 2017)

Regina Doherty: The report is currently being looked at by my Department and I hope to have it published very soon.

Questions on Promised Legislation (22 Nov 2017)

Regina Doherty: I genuinely hope so. It is being worked on at the moment with a view to deciding what the next steps are between my Department and the Revenue Commissioners to address the issues outlined by the Deputy. There is a section dealing with this area in my Department, known as Scope, and there will be a campaign around its activities in the new year to let people know exactly what their...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Community Services Programme (22 Nov 2017)

Regina Doherty: As the Deputy is aware, the Community Services Programme (CSP) provides financial support to community companies that provide revenue generating services of a socially inclusive nature. The CSP works on a social-enterprise model which means that it does not fully fund contract holders but requires that they generate revenue by charging fees or raising funds. All CSP recipients are obliged...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: School Meals Programme (22 Nov 2017)

Regina Doherty: The school meals programme provides funding towards the provision of food to schools and organisations at a total cost of some €47.5 million in 2017. As part of Budget 2017, the funding for the scheme was substantially increased by an additional €5.5 million which is benefitting up to 50,000 additional children from September 2017 bringing the total number of schools in the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Code (22 Nov 2017)

Regina Doherty: I propose to take Questions Nos. 231 and 232 together. Once a person has been granted status, they may apply for payments from my Department which are appropriate to their circumstances, on the same basis as Irish citizens. Such payments could include basic supplementary welfare allowance, jobseekers allowance or one-parent family payment and child benefit. Entitlement is assessed on the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Supplementary Welfare Allowance Eligibility (22 Nov 2017)

Regina Doherty: Under the supplementary welfare allowance (SWA) scheme, my Department may make a single exceptional needs payment (ENP) to help meet essential, once-off and unforeseen expenditure which a person could not reasonably be expected to meet out of their weekly income. ENPs made to persons in the direct provision system are largely towards clothing costs, transport costs and the purchase of...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Widow's Pension Eligibility (22 Nov 2017)

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 widow of the deceased. The late husband of the person concerned was previously married in Ireland and subsequently divorced in the United Kingdom. In order for a foreign divorce to be recognised in this State, one of...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: JobPath Programme (22 Nov 2017)

Regina Doherty: As the Deputy will be aware, JobPath is a service that supports people who are long-term unemployed to secure and sustain paid employment. My Department has contracted two companies, Turas Nua Limited and Seetec Limited, to deliver JobPath services. The contracts are for six years, comprising two consecutive phases: phase one entails four years of client referrals while phase two entails a...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Jobseeker's Benefit (22 Nov 2017)

Regina Doherty: The jobseeker's benefit and jobseeker’s allowance schemes provide income support for people who have lost work and who are available for and genuinely seeking full-time employment. Jobseeker’s allowance is a means tested social assistance payment whereas jobseeker’s benefit is a contribution based insurance scheme. The 2017 Estimates for the Department provide for...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: JobPath Programme (22 Nov 2017)

Regina Doherty: It is planned to carry out a full econometric review of JobPath commencing end 2017 when participant numbers will have reached a level to support such an evaluation. The Department has recently published the JobPath Performance Data Report for the period July – March 2016, the results of which have been very positive. The report is available on the Departments website at . The...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals (22 Nov 2017)

Regina Doherty: I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that in light of additional evidence submitted, the Appeals Officer has completed a review of his original decision to disallow the appeal of the person concerned. Regrettably, the Appeals Officer did not find any new facts or fresh evidence which warranted a revision of his earlier decision. A detailed letter outlining the result of the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Jobseeker's Allowance Payments (22 Nov 2017)

Regina Doherty: The jobseeker's benefit and jobseeker’s allowance schemes provide income support for people who have lost work and who are available for and genuinely seeking full-time employment. Jobseeker’s allowance is a means tested social assistance payment whereas jobseeker’s benefit is a contribution based insurance scheme. The 2017 Estimates for the Department provide for...

Topical Issue Debate: Pensions Legislation (21 Nov 2017)

Regina Doherty: It is not about shirking my responsibility. The two Acts which need to be changed do not come under my Department but rather the Department of Finance, and that is why I will refer the matter to the Minister for Finance. In my reply I mentioned that exceptions are made in exceptional circumstances. That does not appear to happen in reality because the Deputy knows the exceptional...

Topical Issue Debate: Pensions Legislation (21 Nov 2017)

Regina Doherty: I will ask the Deputy to humour me because I must read this bit out before I can get to the part for which she is waiting. I thank her for raising this matter. I know why she has done so. Scheme trustees have duties and responsibilities under trust law, other relevant legislation and the Pensions Act 1990, as amended. The duties of a pension scheme trustee include administering a scheme...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Disablement Benefit (21 Nov 2017)

Regina Doherty: I thank the Senator for raising this topic, which I know is particularly important to people in his neck of the woods. Any person, including a former miner, who has suffered an occupational injury or prescribed occupational disease, is entitled to apply for disablement benefit under the occupational injuries scheme, which was introduced with effect from 1 May 1967. In order to qualify for a...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Disablement Benefit (21 Nov 2017)

Regina Doherty: We will redouble our efforts to ensure that the outstanding and pending claims are expedited as quickly as possible. I commend Deputy Eamon Ó Cuív and other politicians at the time on the work they did in respect of this matter. These men were working in particular conditions - these were not unique and others were working in similar conditions - and we did not quite recognise the...