Results 9,981-10,000 of 12,033 for speaker:Regina Doherty

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Family Income Supplement Data (26 Jul 2017)

Regina Doherty: At the end of June 2017, there were 57,050 families in receipt of Family Income Supplement (FIS). The estimated expenditure for FIS for 2017 is €422.5m. The expenditure to the end of June 2017 was €232.1m. The following table sets out the number of beneficiaries and the spending on the family income supplement scheme in each of the years 2012 to 2016 and to date in 2017:...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Labour Activation Programmes (26 Jul 2017)

Regina Doherty: My Department offers a wide range of employment initiatives including Community Employment (CE), Tús and the Rural Social Scheme (RSS) which provide income support and activation supports catering for long-term unemployed jobseekers and those most distant from the labour market. As the economic recovery takes hold and the overall level of unemployment continues to fall, the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Household Benefits Scheme (26 Jul 2017)

Regina Doherty: The household benefits package (HHB) comprises the electricity or gas allowance, and the free television licence. There are currently 428,611customers in receipt of the free television licence as of June 2017. The amounts paid each year from 2008 to date are: Year € 2008 53,700,925 2009 55,703,654 2010 57,184,565 2011 57,184,560 2012 57,184,560 2013 57,184,560 2014...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Household Benefits Scheme (26 Jul 2017)

Regina Doherty: The free television licence is received as part of the household benefits package (HHB) which also comprises of the electricity or gas allowance. The package is generally available to people living in the State, aged 66 years or over who are in receipt of a social welfare type payment or who satisfy a means test. The package is also available to carers and people with disabilities under the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Funding (26 Jul 2017)

Regina Doherty: I understand that the Deputy when contacted by my officials indicated that he is seeking data on payments of €1 million or more made to bodies under the aegis of the Department. One agency is relevant in this regard, namely the Citizens Information Board (CIB). The 2017 REV Estimates provide for a grant of €54.05m to the CIB. The CIB is responsible for supporting the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Supplementary Welfare Allowance Payments (26 Jul 2017)

Regina Doherty: The person concerned submitted an application for Supplementary Welfare Allowance (SWA) with effect from12/7/17. During the application process the person concerned, enquired with the Designated Officer, if his application could be back-dated to the date of his accident. The Designated Officer advised the person concerned that applications for SWA are processed from date of application...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Insurance (26 Jul 2017)

Regina Doherty: The Social Welfare (Agreement With the Republic of Korea on Social Security) Order 2008 (S.I. No. 552/2008) provides that periods of social insurance in Ireland and in the Republic of Korea may be taken into account, where necessary, by either State in order to qualify for certain benefits and pensions. In effect, it protects the pension rights of people who have worked and paid reckonable...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pension (Contributory) Eligibility (26 Jul 2017)

Regina Doherty: The National Pensions Framework (2010) proposed that a “Total Contributions Approach” (TCA) should replace the yearly average approach, for new pensioners from 2020. The aim of this approach is to make the rate of contributory pension more closely match contributions made by a person. Officials of my Department are currently working on the detailed development of the TCA with...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Insurance Fund (26 Jul 2017)

Regina Doherty: The Actuarial Review of Social Insurance Fund (SIF) is currently being finalised by independent consultants. The Review generally will project the income and expenditure of the Fund over a 55 year period, taking into account policy, economic and demographic changes since the previous review was undertaken. The Review is also examining a range of policy options relating to pensions and...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Housing Assistance Payments Data (26 Jul 2017)

Regina Doherty: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1557, 1558 and 1573 together. The rent supplement scheme plays a vital role in housing families and individuals, with the scheme currently supporting approximately 41,200 tenants for which the Government has provided €253 million for in 2017. Rent supplement is a demand led scheme. Details of rent supplement recipients and expenditure under the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits Expenditure (26 Jul 2017)

Regina Doherty: The information sought by the Deputy is detailed in the following table: Measure Cost €m Increase the duration of the fuel season by two weeks (from 26 to 28) 17.6 Increase social welfare payments to 2008 levels (costing relates to weekly payments made to people aged under 66 – pension rates are currently in excess of 2008 levels) 349 Introduce a €250 per week...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pensions Payments (26 Jul 2017)

Regina Doherty: There are two State pensions related to reaching State pension age. The State pension (non-contributory) is a means tested pension and is funded by general taxation, whereas the State pension (contributory) is not means tested and is paid from the Social Insurance Fund, with contributions to that fund generally improving a person’s entitlements under that pension. It is important...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Labour Activation Programmes Expenditure (26 Jul 2017)

Regina Doherty: The Back to Education Allowance (BTEA) and Community Employment (CE) schemes are not targeted at the newly unemployed. My Department provide a range of activation supports to newly unemployed individuals through the Intreo network to assist them in finding employment. The current rules are designed to ensure that a person who becomes unemployed is, in the first instance, provided with the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits Expenditure (26 Jul 2017)

Regina Doherty: The cost of increasing the One Parent Family Payment and the Jobseeker’s Transitional Payment earnings disregard from €110 per week to €146.50 per week is set out in the following table: Scheme Increase income disregard to: Approximate cost to the Exchequer in a full year One Parent Family Payment €146.50 a week €11.1 million Jobseeker’s...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits Expenditure (26 Jul 2017)

Regina Doherty: Increases for a Qualified Child (IQCs) are paid as child-related supplements to most weekly social welfare payments in recognition of the need for greater incomes among benefit-dependent households with dependent children. The current full rate of payment is €29.80 per week per dependent child. The estimated expenditure on qualified child increase in 2018 is €569.1million. ...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits Expenditure (26 Jul 2017)

Regina Doherty: Increases for a Qualified Child (IQCs) are paid as child-related supplements to most weekly social welfare payments in recognition of the need for greater incomes among benefit-dependent households with dependent children. The current full rate of payment is €29.80 per week per dependent child. The estimated expenditure on qualified child increase in 2018 is €569.1million. ...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Child Benefit Expenditure (26 Jul 2017)

Regina Doherty: Child Benefit is a monthly payment made to families with children in respect of all qualified children up to the age of 16 years. The payment continues to be paid in respect of children up to their 18th birthday who are in full-time education, or who have a disability. Child Benefit is currently paid to around 626,362 families in respect of over 1.2 million children, with an estimated...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Child Benefit Expenditure (26 Jul 2017)

Regina Doherty: Child Benefit is a monthly payment made to families with children in respect of all qualified children up to the age of 16 years. The payment continues to be paid in respect of children up to their 18th birthday who are in full-time education, or who have a disability. Child Benefit is currently paid to around 626,362 families in respect of over 1.2 million children, with an estimated...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits Expenditure (26 Jul 2017)

Regina Doherty: Where a social welfare claimant is in receipt of maintenance payments from a spouse/partner, housing costs incurred by the social welfare claimant (e.g. rent or mortgage payments and/or home improvement loan) up to a maximum of €95.23 per week may be offset against the maintenance payment, with half the balance of the maintenance being assessed as means. These arrangements ensure that...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits Expenditure (26 Jul 2017)

Regina Doherty: The Department provides a range of income support payments for people with disabilities and to carers who provide full-time care and attention to those with a disability that require that level of care. Applicants who do not have the necessary social insurance contributions can apply for means tested social assistance payments, namely carer's allowance (CA) and disability allowance (DA)....