Results 9,521-9,540 of 12,033 for speaker:Regina Doherty

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Maternity Benefit (10 Oct 2017)

Regina Doherty: PRSI credited contributions (“credits”) are an integral part of the social insurance system. For the most part they are linked to having an underlying entitlement to a social welfare payment while temporarily detached from the labour force or having entitlement to certain statutory periods of leave. The primary purpose of PRSI credits is to secure social welfare benefits and...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Youth Guarantee (10 Oct 2017)

Regina Doherty: The report by the Court of Auditors relates to the overall implementation at the European Union level of the EU Recommendation on a Youth Guarantee, rather than making findings about individual Member States. The Court did however visit seven Member States, including Ireland, to assemble material for its assessment. The report concludes that the “Member States visited had made...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: National Internship Scheme (10 Oct 2017)

Regina Doherty: JobBridge was introduced in July 2011 in response to the sharp and dramatic increase in unemployment. A robust external evaluation of the scheme conducted by Indecon Economic Consultants in 2016 found that it is one of the most effective labour market programmes – increasing participants’ employment outcomes by 32%. It also found that while participants rated the scheme...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pension (Non-Contributory) Appeals (10 Oct 2017)

Regina Doherty: A request for a review of State pension non-contributory was received from the person concerned on 27 February 2017. A Deciding Officer reviewed the case and awarded an increase in the person’s pension to the maximum weekly rate payable, with effect from 11 August 2017. I have asked my officials to review the decision in this case as a matter of urgency and to contact the person...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes Operation (10 Oct 2017)

Regina Doherty: Community Employment (CE) is an active labour market programme whose aim is to enhance the employability and mobility of disadvantaged and unemployed persons by providing work experience and training opportunities for them within their communities. It helps participants to re-enter the active workforce by breaking their experience of unemployment through a return to work routine. All CE...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Respite Care Grant Eligibility (10 Oct 2017)

Regina Doherty: It is a condition for receipt of carer’s benefit and carer’s allowance and the carer’s support grant, that the carer must be providing full-time care and attention to a person who requires it because of a specified illness or disability. This condition is moderated by legislation allowing the carer to work or engage in training outside the home for an aggregate total of...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes Eligibility (10 Oct 2017)

Regina Doherty: Community Employment, (CE) schemes are designed to provide eligible long-term unemployed and other disadvantaged people with an opportunity to engage in part-time work and training within their communities on a temporary, fixed-term basis. CE scheme participants are obliged to notify their employer immediately of any change in their family circumstances. This change could relate directly to...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Rural Social Scheme Administration (10 Oct 2017)

Regina Doherty: The purpose of the rural social scheme (RSS) is to provide income support to farmers and fishermen and women who have an entitlement to specified social welfare payments. As the Deputy is aware, in recognition of the crucial work undertaken in rural communities under the RSS and as part of the social welfare budget package for 2017, an additional 500 places were made available with effect...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Maternity Leave (10 Oct 2017)

Regina Doherty: Maternity Benefit is a payment made for 26 weeks to employed and self-employed pregnant women who satisfy certain pay related social insurance (PRSI) contribution conditions in order to avoid the need for them to work pre and post-delivery of their baby. The rate of payment was increased to €235 per week from March 2017. In 2017 it is estimated that my Department will spend...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Farm Assist Scheme Data (10 Oct 2017)

Regina Doherty: At the end of August there were 7,346 recipients of a farm assist payment. Data on applications pending and the average time to award for Farm Assist is only available in my Department’s information systems aggregated together with the corresponding data for Jobseeker’s Allowance claims, so that it is not possible to provide the requested disaggregated information for Farm Assist.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Reports (10 Oct 2017)

Regina Doherty: The Social Welfare Act 2016, enacted on 19 December 2016, included a commitment that a review of the changes to the One-Parent Family Payment (OFP) scheme since January 2012 would be laid before the Houses of Oireachtas within 9 months of the enactment of the Act. The report was to assess the financial and social effects of the OFP changes taking into account the effects on welfare...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Lobbying Data (10 Oct 2017)

Regina Doherty: The Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection has had no meetings with lobbying groups or bodies in respect of the Public Health (Alcohol) Bill.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Commencement of Legislation (10 Oct 2017)

Regina Doherty: The Civil Registration (Amendment) Act 2014 provides for a wide range of matters relating to the registration of life events in the State. Certain provisions, such as those relating to marriages of convenience, were commenced in August of 2015. However, it has not been possible to commence all sections of the Act due to ongoing industrial relations issues with staff of the Civil...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Money Advice and Budgeting Service Reports (10 Oct 2017)

Regina Doherty: In February 2017, the Board of the Citizens Information Board (CIB) decided to restructure its governance arrangements to a regional model comprising sixteen companies, 8 CIS and8 MABS companies. The aim of the change is to improve the effectiveness of the control environment, financial management and governance of CIS and MABS service networks and service delivery standards and consistency....

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: School Meals Programme (10 Oct 2017)

Regina Doherty: I propose to take Questions Nos. 700 and 701 together. 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 will benefit over 50,000 additional children from September...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Farm Assist Scheme Payments (10 Oct 2017)

Regina Doherty: The farm assist scheme provides support for farmers on low incomes and is similar to jobseeker’s allowance. Farm assist 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 farm...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Jobseeker's Allowance Payments (10 Oct 2017)

Regina Doherty: Payment of Jobseeker’s Allowance in the case of the person concerned has been suspended as information requested relating to spousal means has not been provided by the person concerned. It is not possible to progress a review of entitlement in the absence of the requested information. The person concerned has submitted an appeal to the Intreo Centre and a submission is currently...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Jobseeker's Allowance Payments (10 Oct 2017)

Regina Doherty: A jobseeker’s allowance claim for the person concerned is currently under review as he failed to establish his residency at the stated address. The person concerned was interviewed by an Officer of the Department on 3/10/17 and has been requested to provide documentary evidence of his address within seven days. According to our records no claim for Supplementary Welfare Allowance has...

Social Welfare, Pensions and Civil Registrations Bill 2017: Referral to Select Committee (4 Oct 2017)

Regina Doherty: I move:That the Bill be referred to the Select Committee on Employment and Social Protection pursuant to Standing Orders 84A(3)(a) and 149(1) of the Standing Orders relative to Public Business.

Social Welfare, Pensions and Civil Registration Bill 2017: Second Stage (Resumed) (4 Oct 2017)

Regina Doherty: The Government's point is not to bring in a national identity card. The public services card does not have the characteristics of a national identity card that may exist in other countries. It is absolutely not a requirement to have a public services card on one's person. A member of the Garda Síochána cannot ask to see a person's PSC as it would be against the law. The card...