Results 9,441-9,460 of 12,033 for speaker:Regina Doherty

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Rural Social Scheme Assessments (17 Oct 2017)

Regina Doherty: The rural social scheme (RSS) provides opportunities for farmers and fishermen/women who are currently in receipt of specified social welfare payments to work to provide certain services of benefit to rural communities. The Government is very aware that communities benefit from the skills and talents of local farmers and fishermen and participants have the opportunity to improve existing...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pension (Contributory) (17 Oct 2017)

Regina Doherty: The budgetary increase to state pension (contributory) payments came into effect on 10 March 2017. The person concerned is in receipt of a reduced rate pension. The weekly increase of €5.00 was payable in full to those in receipt of the maximum rate of state pension contributory), with a proportionate increase paid to all other recipients. When the person concerned requested a...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Payments (17 Oct 2017)

Regina Doherty: Carer’s benefit (CARB) is a payment made to insured people who leave the workforce to care for a person(s) in need of full-time care and attention. A person can be considered to be providing full-time care and attention where they are engaged in employment, self-employment or on training courses outside the home for a maximum of 15 hours per week, provided that they can show to the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Applications (17 Oct 2017)

Regina Doherty: I confirm that my Department received an application for carer’s allowance from the person concerned on 21 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: Maternity Leave (17 Oct 2017)

Regina Doherty: On 3 October 2017 I, together with my colleague the Minister for Justice and Equality, Charlie Flanagan T.D., announced increased maternity leave and maternity benefit for mothers whose babies are born prematurely. Under the new arrangements, in addition to the current 26 weeks of paid maternity leave a mother will be entitled to an additional period of maternity leave and benefit where...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pension (Contributory) (17 Oct 2017)

Regina Doherty: In order to qualify for a State pension (contributory), there are a number of conditions which must be met. A person should have paid social insurance contributions before the age of 56 and, for a person reaching state pension age after 6 April 2012, should have a minimum of 520 paid contributions. To ensure that the individual can maximise their entitlement to a State pension, all...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Rural Social Scheme Data (17 Oct 2017)

Regina Doherty: Table 1outlines the number of participants supported under theRural Social Scheme (RSS) and Community Employment (CE) in County Donegal at the end of September, 2017. Table 1 Scheme Number of participants in County Donegal at end of September 2017 RSS 244 CE 1,093 Table 2 shows a breakdown of the CE participants by Local/Intreo Office: Office Number of CE participants...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Eligibility (17 Oct 2017)

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. It is a condition for receipt of CA that the applicant’s means are less than the statutory limit which in this case is €242.60 weekly. The application for CA was disallowed...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Overpayments (17 Oct 2017)

Regina Doherty: The person concerned does not currently have a debt with the Department. In previous correspondence with the Department the person concerned was advised, in error, that they had repaid in excess of the debt they had incurred. This error was corrected and the person concerned has been advised that they do not have a debt with the Department. I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Family Income Supplement Eligibility (17 Oct 2017)

Regina Doherty: Family Income Supplement (FIS) is weekly tax-free payment available to low-paid employees with one or more qualified children. One of the conditions for receipt of FIS is that an applicant or the applicant and spouse, partner or cohabitant must be engaged in full-time remunerative employment as an employee for not less than 38 hours per fortnight or 19 hours per week. FIS is awarded...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pension (Contributory) Applications (17 Oct 2017)

Regina Doherty: The person concerned applied for the state pension (contributory) on 25 November 2014. A mixed insurance pro ratastate pension (contributory) was awarded, with effect from 26 May 2014, back-dated six months from the date of receipt. A decision letter to that effect issued to the applicant on 2 March 2015. The pension is based on the person’s combined record of full and modified rate...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Youth Employment Initiative (17 Oct 2017)

Regina Doherty: The Youth Employment Support Scheme (YESS) is a new work experience programme targeted at young jobseekers who are long-term unemployed or who face significant barriers to gaining employment – people who even during the Celtic Tiger years would have found it difficult to get a foothold on the career ladder. The programme aims to provide them with the opportunity to learn basic work...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Family Income Supplement Eligibility (17 Oct 2017)

Regina Doherty: The Department’s approach to developing the working family payment was guided by two principles. First, that it should ensure that work pays, and second, that it should have a positive effect on reducing child poverty. To advance the commitment contained in the Programme for Partnership Government, the Department established an internal working group and an Inter-Departmental Group...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: JobsPlus Scheme (17 Oct 2017)

Regina Doherty: As the Deputy is aware, the JobsPlus incentive is designed to encourage employers and businesses to focus their recruitment efforts on those who have been out of work for long periods. It provides employers with two levels of payment - €7,500 or €10,000 - over two years, paid in monthly instalments, provided the employment is maintained. The €7,500 rate is paid to...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Schemes (17 Oct 2017)

Regina Doherty: The new telephone support allowance is targeted at those who are most in need. Accordingly, it is aimed at those living alone and of limited means as an aid to paying for communications and/or a home alert solution. Consequently, customers who qualify for the living alone allowance and who at the same time are in receipt of the fuel allowance (which is means tested allowance) will...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pension (Non-Contributory) Applications (17 Oct 2017)

Regina Doherty: State pension non-contributory is a means tested pension. The person concerned originally applied for this pension on 12 October 2015. Following examination, the claim was disallowed as the person concerned had means in excess of the maximum weekly limit, and the person was notified of this decision. The claim was reviewed in early 2016, and again disallowed due to weekly means still...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Humanitarian Assistance Scheme (17 Oct 2017)

Regina Doherty: My Department immediately activated the humanitarian assistance scheme, administered by the local Community Welfare Service (CWS), to assist householders in County Donegal affected by the flooding experienced towards the end of August. Humanitarian assistance is designed to provide hardship alleviation, as opposed to compensation, to people affected by an emergency event. The scheme...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Community Services Programme (17 Oct 2017)

Regina Doherty: The organisation referred to by the Deputy is a not-for-profit co-operative society working to promote tourism and arts and crafts in the Inishowen peninsula in county Donegal. The company operates from two offices based in Buncrana and Carndonagh, which open five days per week. The company manages the website , develops packages and marketing material, prints brochures, collates visitors...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Pensions Legislation (17 Oct 2017)

Regina Doherty: I propose to take Questions Nos. 584 and 593 together. There are three main pensions paid by my Department to people over 66, the rates of payment of which vary depending on the scheme and the circumstances of the pensioner. Entitlement levels to the State Pension, contributory (SPC), which is financed by PRSI on a pay-as-you-go basis, are calculated by means of a ‘yearly...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes Supervisors (17 Oct 2017)

Regina Doherty: Community Employment (CE) scheme supervisors are employees of private companies in the community and voluntary sector. The State is not responsible for funding pension arrangements for such employees even where the companies in question are reliant on State funding. It is open to individuals to make provision for a pension by way of PRSA which all employers are obliged to facilitate. ...