Results 9,561-9,580 of 12,033 for speaker:Regina Doherty

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Data (3 Oct 2017)

Regina Doherty: To qualify for a carer’s allowance (CA), an applicant must show that they are habitually resident in the State, are providing full-time care and attention to a person who has such a disability that they require full-time care and attention and that their means are less than the statutory limit. An application may be disallowed on the grounds that one or more of these conditions are not...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals (3 Oct 2017)

Regina Doherty: I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that an Appeals Officer, having fully considered all of the available evidence including that adduced at the oral hearing, has decided to allow the appeal of the person concerned. The person concerned has been notified of the Appeals Officer’s decision The Social Welfare Appeals Office functions independently of the Minister for...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Staff Recruitment (3 Oct 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. Within these constraints, my Department is focusing on prioritising the filling of critical posts. The staffing needs for all offices of my Department are continuously reviewed, taking account of workloads, management...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals Status (3 Oct 2017)

Regina Doherty: The person concerned is currently in receipt of a Jobseeker’s Transition payment. An application for Carer’s Allowance was disallowed in May 2017 as the person concerned did not satisfy the qualifying criteria for this payment. She was notified on 2 May 2017 of this decision, the reason for it and of her right of review or appeal. According to the Social Welfare Appeals...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Public Services Card (3 Oct 2017)

Regina Doherty: The purpose of SAFE 2 registration is to verify a person’s identity to a substantial level of assurance. Once identity is verified, a Public Services Card can be issued. This is a physical token which proves that a person has had their identity verified to the SAFE 2 standard and enables them to gain access to public services more efficiently and with a minimum of duplication of...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals Status (3 Oct 2017)

Regina Doherty: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 16 August 2017. It is a statutory requirement of the appeals process that the relevant papers and comments by or on behalf of the deciding officer on the grounds of appeal be sought from the Department for Employment Affairs and Social Protection. These papers have been...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals Status (3 Oct 2017)

Regina Doherty: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 18 July 2017. It is a statutory requirement of the appeals process that the relevant Departmental papers and comments by the deciding officer on the grounds of appeal be sought. When these papers have been received from the Department, the case in question will be...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals Status (3 Oct 2017)

Regina Doherty: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 21 June 2017. It is a statutory requirement of the appeals process that the relevant papers and comments by or on behalf of the deciding officer on the grounds of appeal be sought from the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection. These papers have been...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits Applications (3 Oct 2017)

Regina Doherty: I confirm that my department received an application for carer’s allowance from the person concerned on 23 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: Social Welfare Benefits Applications (3 Oct 2017)

Regina Doherty: I confirm that my department received an application for carer’s allowance from the person concerned on 6 June 2017. The application was awarded to the person concerned on 28 September 2017 and the first payment will issue to her nominated bank account on 12 October 2017. Arrears of allowance due from 8 June 2017 to 11 October 2017 will issue shortly. The person concerned was...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits Applications (3 Oct 2017)

Regina Doherty: An application for carer's allowance (CA) was received from the person concerned on 9 May 2017. It is a condition for receipt of a CA that the person being cared for must have such disability that they require full-time care and attention. This is defined as requiring from another person, continual supervision and frequent assistance throughout the day in connection with normal bodily...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Rural Social Scheme Data (3 Oct 2017)

Regina Doherty: The rural social scheme (RSS) is an income support initiative to provide part-time employment opportunities in the community and voluntary organisations for farmers or fishermen in receipt of certain social welfare payments and underemployed in their primary occupation. As the Deputy is aware, in recognition of the crucial work undertaken in rural communities under the RSS and as part of the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Back to Education Allowance (3 Oct 2017)

Regina Doherty: All Back to Education Allowance (BTEA) participants, with eligibility based on a qualifying payment, must re-establish their entitlement to the qualifying payment at the beginning of each and subsequent academic year. The conditionality attached to the qualifying payment must be examined at the beginning of each academic year in order for BTEA to be approved. BTEA participants who...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection Remit and Legislative Agenda: Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection (28 Sep 2017)

Regina Doherty: I thank the Chairman and members for the invitation to meet with them today. I look forward to working constructively with them in the weeks, months and years ahead. As they have requested, I will outline my priorities in the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection, including those arising from the expansion of the Department's remit into employment affairs. I will also, as...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection Remit and Legislative Agenda: Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection (28 Sep 2017)

Regina Doherty: It was probably remiss of me not to thank the Chairman for the amount of reports that the committee had sent me in recent months. I hope that members will see that I have read them and have taken heed, given my public utterances about my intentions regarding some of them. I must say that I found the reports published by this committee to be very valuable, particularly those on lone parents...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection Remit and Legislative Agenda: Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection (28 Sep 2017)

Regina Doherty: Absolutely. At the end of the day there is a greater reduction in our unemployment figures, which has obviously made some savings. A large chunk of that has however been eaten up by the increase in people of pensionable age. To be clear then: there will be savings at the end of the year but they will go back to central Exchequer funds and will be distributed in accordance with whatever...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection Remit and Legislative Agenda: Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection (28 Sep 2017)

Regina Doherty: I said €198. The Deputy has my figures wrong.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection Remit and Legislative Agenda: Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection (28 Sep 2017)

Regina Doherty: Obviously, we will be looking to keep the moneys we have and I do not anticipate that our budget will be reduced next year. It will be in line with what we had this year. As I said, just because there is a drop in one column does not mean it is not taken up in another column. We anticipate we will have the same amount of money next year. I am not sure we can call the pension issue...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection Remit and Legislative Agenda: Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection (28 Sep 2017)

Regina Doherty: It was not passed without debate.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection Remit and Legislative Agenda: Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection (28 Sep 2017)

Regina Doherty: The legislation went through all Stages of debate, as do all items of legislation, so there was ample debate on its passage. I will try to find employment for older people who want to work. That the legislation was passed is an acknowledgement that people are living longer and healthier and perhaps we must get industry to recognise that 65 is an arbitrary retirement age and people of 65, 66...