Results 9,281-9,300 of 12,033 for speaker:Regina Doherty

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

Regina Doherty: The Department’s external website (www.welfare.ie) currently acts as the core information link between the Department and its customers and stakeholders. With some 7.9m visits and 4.3m unique visits during the period from October 2016 to October 2017, it is a central source of up to date information on the schemes, programmes and initiatives provided by the Department. It is...

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

Regina Doherty: I can confirm that the verification code sent to mobile phones as part of the MyGovID two-factor authentication scheme is SMS based. While there are various two-factor authentication methods available, many of these require the person being authenticated to have use of a smart phone. Given that not all persons have access to such a device, the currently used method is regarded as being...

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

Regina Doherty: A PPSN is required to access all income support payments made by my Department. My Department has responsibility for PPSN registration and an appointment can be made to undertake this process. If the Deputy has a particular case where there was a problem in accessing the services of my Department, can she please provide the details for review. If the Deputy’s query relates to the...

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

Regina Doherty: The living alone increase is an additional payment of €9 per week made to people aged 66 years or over who are in receipt of certain social welfare payments, including State pensions, and who are living alone. It is also available to people who are less than 66 years of age, living alone and in receipt of disability allowance, invalidity pension, incapacity supplement or blind pension....

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

Regina Doherty: I was pleased to announce on Budget Day that there will be a €5 increase in the maximum weekly rates of social welfare payments from the end of March 2018, with proportionate increases for qualified adults and those on reduced rates of payment. This builds on a similar €5 increase in Budget 2017, and a €3 increase in the weekly rates of payment for those aged 66 and over...

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

Regina Doherty: The Minister has not had any meetings to date with officials from the Strategic Communications Unit at the Department of An Taoiseach. The Secretary General of the Department met with the person appointed as head of the unit on 17thAugust at the Department’s headquarters at Áras Mhic Dhiarmada, Store Street, Dublin 1. Senior officials from the Department have also met with from...

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

Regina Doherty: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1206 and 1207 The Department’s website www.welfare.ie acts as a core information link between the Department and its customers and stakeholders. With over 7.9 million visits during the period from October 2016 to October 2017, it is used extensively and acts as the central source of information on the schemes and programmes provided by the...

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

Regina Doherty: There are three staff assigned to my Department’s press office. These staff report into an Assistant Principal Officer who, in addition to other duties, is responsible for the operation of the office.

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

Regina Doherty: My Department is committed to the continued learning and development of its staff and has invested heavily in the rollout of tailored training to meet the needs of staff. The provision of this training is an investment by the Department in the continuing development of staff with the aim of ensuring that the Department continues to provide a high quality service to its customers. Given the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Public Relations Contracts Data (7 Nov 2017)

Regina Doherty: No services from public relations companies or public relations agencies have been used for information campaigns since 1 January 2017. As a result, no costs have been incurred.

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

Regina Doherty: The information requested is not immediately available in my Department but is being compiled at present and my officials will write to the Deputy when it is available.

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

Regina Doherty: As the Deputy is aware, funding under the Community Services Programme (CSP) was withdrawn from the company involved in promoting Inishowen tourism at the end of June 2017 following a lack of sufficient progress by the company in addressing governance deficiencies identified in an independent report in 2016. My Department did not wish to withdrawn funding from the service but could not...

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

Regina Doherty: As Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade with special responsibility for Brexit, Minister Coveney has responsibility for coordinating the whole-of-Government response to Brexit. In this capacity, he is working closely with his colleagues across Government to address the many challenges resulting from Brexit. This cooperation also involves the relevant State Agencies. Work at Cabinet...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pension (Contributory) Eligibility (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 based on social insurance contributions rather than a means-test, is paid from the Social Insurance Fund. Accordingly, it is important...

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

Regina Doherty: All companies within the construction and, indeed all other sectors, are obliged in law to ensure that PRSI contributions are duly recorded and remitted for their employees. My Department undertakes a number of specific compliance measures as part of its Compliance and Anti-Fraud Strategy 2014-2018 using our own inspectorate – the Special Investigations Unit (SIU) - as well as joint...

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

Regina Doherty: A MyGovID account is a secure online account for accessing public services. The process for registering and using a MyGovID account proves in the online environment that the person has had their identity verified to the SAFE 2 standard. In the context of the SAFE/PSC/MyGovID infrastructure, my Department utilises three mobile verification processes as follows – (a) when an...

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

Regina Doherty: My Department’s policy in relation to appeals to the Social Welfare Appeals Office (SWAO) and cases being considered for prosecution has not changed. Where my Department’s Prosecution Service is advised of a pending appeal, the State Solicitor conducting the case will advise the Court and agree to an adjournment, if so determined by the Court. In the absence of any notice of...

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

Regina Doherty: According to the Department’s records, the person concerned has a social insurance record of 1822 reckonable contributions and credits. They are in receipt of a reduced rate state pension (contributory) based on an assessed yearly average of 36 contributions, covering the period from August 1966 to December 2015. The person concerned is in receipt of the correct rate of contributory...

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

Regina Doherty: The change in relation to State pension (contributory), introduced with effect from 1st September 2012, sets out a wider graduation of yearly average bands and corresponding pension rates. The aim of this change is to ensure that the rate of pension payment is more closely related to the paid or credited social insurance contribution record a person holds over their working lives. The...

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

Regina Doherty: The fuel allowance is a payment of €22.50 per week from October to April to 376,000 low income households to assist them with their energy costs. The allowance represents a contribution towards the energy costs of a household. It is not intended to meet those costs in full. Only one allowance is paid per household. Participants on Employment Support Schemes (ESS), including...