Results 9,581-9,600 of 12,033 for speaker:Regina Doherty

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 is not just my ambition to extend the same employment rights and social insurance rights to the self-employed as enjoyed by those who are employed. Senator Butler has been talking about this for years and work on this was started by the previous Minister. It will not all happen in this budget and I am sorry if I gave Senator Ardagh that impression. Last year, hearing, eye and dental...

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 practice has been embedded in people's minds for donkey's years and we need to change that. The only way to change that is to lead by example. If we can do something as a State to change people's mindset and, for example, encourage them to put off their retirement by incentivising them, a separate body of work will need to be done. The State will have to lead by example because it is...

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: That is no problem. The Senator also raised the old age pension increase and the increase in hours for social welfare recipients. Changes to the schemes we operate or payments we make will be considered in the context of the budgetary negotiations we are having and input is very much welcome from people. She will see the fruits of those negotiations in the next ten days. Fingers crossed...

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: If Senator Butler does not mind, I will respond to the questions in reverse order. I will also talk about self-employed people in the context of what Senator Butler raised, if Deputy Carey does not mind, starting with the Christmas bonus. As I think I said to other Deputies, that will be discussed in the context of the overall budget. Those deliberations will not be concluded for the next...

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. I will go backwards again and address Deputy Kenny's points first. I know last year's campaign was new, but the practice employed by the Department to seek out people who are claiming benefits to which they are not entitled is not. We have always had officers and inspectors to spot check or follow up referrals made to the Department from people in communities. They...

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 already know I will not agree with what Deputy Kenny thinks, but I will watch it and come back to him. In reply to Deputy O'Dea, my advice is that the legislation would not overarch any current contract law, but I will ask again. I am not opposed to doing it and I do not think anyone else is either. It would be easier than the method I would have to employ in my head, which is to lead...

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 Deputy because that is not the will of the Department. The reason it is there is to ensure that we support the people who are receiving a welfare payment while working. The whole ethos of the Department is activation for people who can work part-time or full-time. It is certainly not to see people stuck for a few weeks. That makes no sense. We empower our Intreo offices and...

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 Deputy might let me know. The contract that exists between this taxpayers' money and those who need help at certain times is there to support them, not to make their situations any more difficult than they are already. Without answering the question Deputy O'Dea asked on the specific legislation, the best thing for me to tell him is that I am currently seeking advice on the...

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 will deal with that issue first, and I know other people raised it. There were five years of consultation before the decision was made. People are stating that it was rushed through or they were not consulted. For five years the boards of MABS and CIB consulted with their members and volunteers over changing the process. With regard to the consultation that is going ahead now, and which...

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: Not at all. I accept what the Chairman says but I do not agree with it, if that makes sense to him.

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 am not being disrespectful to the Chairman, but there are a small number of representatives who are upset with the changes. Given the large numbers of volunteers and people who work in the two organisations, the overwhelming majority of people accept the process changes that are being made. They recognise the reasons those changes are being recommended by the board, having spent five...

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: If I am allowed to answer the question without Deputy Brady jumping down my throat-----

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 direct members to the organisation, which will tell them that, in their consultations since May 2017, hundreds of people have sat down and consulted and are overwhelmingly in support of the changes that are being made.

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: That is the report that has been issued on the consultation on the process they have issued.

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: On the basis of what was asked of me a number of months ago, which was to interfere in the operations of CIB and MABS, I do not have the authority to interfere in the operations of CIB or MABS. The reason this process was undertaken was because of the concern about their governance and accountability issues in the form of their annual reports, which must be satisfactory to the Department...

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 answer would be "No".

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 answer would be "No". I am quite satisfied that the reasons they are changing the processes and the structures-----

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: -----are for good reasons.

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: Most of my time in the Dáil the other day was spent answering 16 questions, one of which was on this particular issue. I have given Deputy O'Dea the response and-----

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 gave him the response as it currently stands.