Results 9,261-9,280 of 12,033 for speaker:Regina Doherty

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: JobsPlus Scheme (7 Nov 2017)

Regina Doherty: As the Deputy is aware, JobsPlus provides a direct monthly financial incentive to employers who recruit employees who are long term on the live register and those transitioning into employment. My Department pays an incentive to the employer monthly in arrears over a two-year period. It provides employers with two levels of payment - €7,500 and €10,000. The €7,500 is...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Suicide Prevention (7 Nov 2017)

Regina Doherty: My Department fully recognises the need to support staff and promote awareness of suicide and its prevention. My Department has been proactive in providing training and supports in this area. The Department provides suicide prevention training to staff through the delivery of the ‘safeTalk’ programme, which is designed to help participants identify people with thoughts of...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Applications (7 Nov 2017)

Regina Doherty: I confirm that my Department received an application for carer's allowance from the person concerned on 4 September 2017. The application was awarded to the person concerned on 1 November 2017 and the first payment will issue to her nominated bank account on 9 November 2017. Arrears of allowance due from 7 September 2017 to 8 November 2017 will also issue. The person concerned was notified...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Employment Support Services (7 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: Departmental Staff Data (7 Nov 2017)

Regina Doherty: My Department, like all Government departments and agencies is required to operate within a staff ceiling figure and a commensurate administrative staffing budget, which for this Department has involved reductions in staff. The staffing needs for all areas within the Department are continuously reviewed, taking account of workloads, management priorities and the ongoing need to respond to...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits Waiting Times (7 Nov 2017)

Regina Doherty: The Scope insurability section in my Department makes statutory decisions on the insurability of employment under the Social Welfare Acts. Employers, employees or the self-employed, may apply, where there is doubt, to have an employment or self-employment status investigated and the correct class of pay-related social insurance (PRSI) determined. In 2016, the Department made 1,031...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pension (Contributory) (7 Nov 2017)

Regina Doherty: State pension (contributory) is in payment to the person concerned since 28 September 2006, upon transfer from state pension (transition). All state pension (transition) customers aged over 66 were automatically transferred to state pension (contributory) from this date. The person’s state pension (transition) had been in payment at the maximum rate from 12 February 1998, the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Exceptional Needs Payment Eligibility (7 Nov 2017)

Regina Doherty: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1181, 1278, 1282 and 1290 together. Under the supplementary welfare allowance (SWA) scheme, the 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. The Government has provided €31.5 million for...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Carer's Benefit Applications (7 Nov 2017)

Regina Doherty: I confirm that my Department received an application for carer's benefit from the person concerned on 31 August 2017. The application is currently being processed and once completed, the person concerned will be notified directly of the outcome. I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Employment Rights (7 Nov 2017)

Regina Doherty: No concerns have been raised with my Department in relation to the non-payment of holiday pay or breaches of the Organisation of Working Time Act by the SAR group. SAR Group are obliged under their contract with my Department to comply with all Legislative requirements including the Organisation of Working Time Act. My Department is aware that SAR Group underwent a WRC inspection...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Public Services Card (7 Nov 2017)

Regina Doherty: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1184 and 1225 together. The Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection operates its contract for cash payment services with An Post. The Department and An Post agreed a protocol in 2014 governing the forms of identification which claimants, or their agents, must produce in order to collect payments. There has been no change in this agreed...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Public Services Card (7 Nov 2017)

Regina Doherty: Section 263(2) of the Social Welfare Consolidation Act, as amended, provides that “A person may, on request in that behalf to the Minister, obtain within 28 days of that request, where practicable, information which is electronically encoded on his or her Public Services Card”. Such a request should be sent to: Card Management Section, Department of Employment Affairs and...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Disability Allowance Appeals (7 Nov 2017)

Regina Doherty: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that the disability allowance appeal of the person concerned was assigned to an Appeals Officer for consideration. However, following receipt of additional information the Appeals Officer referred the case to a Social Welfare Inspector for further investigation of the means of the person concerned. Following these investigations the appeal is...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Code (7 Nov 2017)

Regina Doherty: All workers pay PRSI on their earnings from employment or self-employment. In the case of individuals who more than one income source, PRSI is generally paid on all forms of income. Prior to 2013, exemptions from PRSI applied to the self-employed income of specific groups. These exemptions have since been abolished. In 2013, modified rate employees contributors (i.e. civil and...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits Waiting Times (7 Nov 2017)

Regina Doherty: The information requested by the Deputy is detailed in the following table: Number of Claims Pending and Average Time to Award by Scheme at 30 September 2017 Schemes Average time to award (weeks) Jobseeker's Allowance 2 State Pension Contributory (Dom) 4 Widow, Widower’s and Surviving Civil Partners Contributory Pension 1 Widowed Parent Grant 1 State Pension Non-Contributory...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits Data (7 Nov 2017)

Regina Doherty: The jobseeker's benefit and jobseeker’s allowance schemes provide income support for people who have lost work and are unable to find alternative full-time employment. The 2017 Estimates for the Department provide for expenditure this year on the jobseekers’ schemes of €2.5 billion. It is accepted that periods of unemployment are a normal feature of the acting and...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits Data (7 Nov 2017)

Regina Doherty: The information requested by the Deputy is detailed in the following tables: Recipients of Jobseeker’s Allowance and Jobseeker’s Benefit (including casual claimants) by age and sex at the end of September 2017 Jobseeker's Allowance Jobseeker's Benefit Age Male Female Grand Total Male Female Grand Total 18 1,007 792 1,799 19 1,704 1,408 3,112 6 1 7 20 1,945 1,500...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pension (Contributory) (7 Nov 2017)

Regina Doherty: It is my intention to introduce a Total Contributions Approach to the calculation of the State Pension (Contributory) from 2020 onwards and I will be bringing forward proposals in this regard in the near future. Officials in my Department have been working on the introduction of the scheme since 2015. The recent Actuarial Review of the Social Insurance Fund has been used to explore the costs...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pension (Contributory) (7 Nov 2017)

Regina Doherty: The introduction of a Total Contributions Approach to the State Pension (contributory) is being examined by officials in my Department. I expect them to report to me shortly before bringing the matter to Government. Particular attention will be paid to people who have intermittent PRSI records as a result of taking time out of paid employment for caring duties. The Total Contributions...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pensions (7 Nov 2017)

Regina Doherty: The State pension is a valuable benefit and is the bedrock of the pension system. There are two State pensions. Firstly, the State pension non-contributory is a means-tested pension funded from taxation. Secondly, the State pension contributory, which is not means-tested, but is based on social insurance contributions, is paid from the Social Insurance Fund. Accordingly, it is important to...