Results 10,001-10,020 of 12,033 for speaker:Regina Doherty

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Jobseeker's Allowance Expenditure (26 Jul 2017)

Regina Doherty: In line with other EU and OECD jurisdictions where such measures feature, reduced rates for younger jobseeker’s allowance recipients were first introduced in 2009 and extended to those under 26 in Budget 2014. These measures were introduced to protect young people from welfare dependency by providing young jobseekers with a strong financial incentive to engage in education or...

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

Regina Doherty: Maternity leave is a matter for my colleague, the Minister for Justice and Equality. Maternity benefit is paid by my Department for the duration of statutory maternity leave and is based on payment of PRSI contributions while working. New regulations were introduced in December 2016 whereby city and county councillors, in their capacity as public representatives, were brought into social...

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

Regina Doherty: The jobseeker's benefit (JB) and jobseeker’s allowance (JA) schemes provide income support for people who have lost work and are unable to find alternative full-time employment. The 2017 Estimates for the Department provide for expenditure this year on the jobseekers’ schemes of €2.5 billion. Both the jobseeker’s benefit and the jobseeker’s allowance...

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

Regina Doherty: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 5 April 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 Social Protection. These papers have been received in the Social...

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

Regina Doherty: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that following an oral hearing of the case in question, the Appeals Officer is now considering the appeal in the light of all of the evidence submitted. The Appeals Officer has advised that a decision will be finalised this week. The Social Welfare Appeals Office functions independently of the Minister for Social Protection and of the...

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

Regina Doherty: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1580 and 1602 together. Overall expenditure by my Department was €9,873 million at end of June 2017. This was €66.9 million or 0.7% below profile. Most of the underspend relates to jobseeker’s payments (€27.2m) due to better than expected labour market performance, Administration (18.2 m.) and €7.9m due to a delayed...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Carer's Benefit Applications (26 Jul 2017)

Regina Doherty: I confirm that my department received an application for carer’s benefit (CARB) from the person concerned on 24 May 2017. The person concerned informed the Department in writing on 20 July 2017 that she no longer wished to proceed with her application and as a result her application has been withdrawn. I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Money Advice and Budgeting Service (26 Jul 2017)

Regina Doherty: As the Deputy is aware, the Citizens Information Board (CIB) has statutory responsibility for the Citizens Information Service (CIS) and Money Advice and Budgeting Service (MABS). CIB has already commenced the cost-benefit analysis of the reorganisation of CIS and MABS companies into 8 regions. It expects to complete it for presentation to the Board of CIB at the end of September 2017. As...

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

Regina Doherty: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1583 and 1584 together. As the Deputy is aware, the Community Services Programme (CSP) provides financial support to community companies that provide revenue generating services of a socially inclusive nature. Many of these companies are also funded from other sources and generate revenue from the public use of their facilities and services. The additional...

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

Regina Doherty: I welcome the recent recommendation by the Low Pay Commission to increase the hourly rate of the Minimum Wage with effect from January 2018. The report of the Commission does not make any mention or recommendations in relation to means tested social welfare entitlements. The Department operates a range of means tested social assistance schemes where, in order to qualify for the...

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

Regina Doherty: My Department commenced issuing Public Services Cards (PSC) on a phased basis from October 2011. Since then it has issued over 2.71 million PSCs. A breakdown of the number of PSCs issued per annum is - PSCs issued from 2012 to 2017 (to date) Year 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017(to date 21/7/17) PSCs issued 4,001 79,773 355,721 689,627 627,943 610,519 347,537 Running total 4,001...

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

Regina Doherty: The Department has established an internal working group and an Inter-Departmental Group of the relevant Government Departments to consider proposals to advance the Programme for Government commitment on delivering a new Working Family Payment. The Department has carried out extensive analysis of its existing supports. The analysis is at an advanced stage and shows the existing in-work...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: One-Parent Family Payment (26 Jul 2017)

Regina Doherty: The review of the changes to the One-Parent Family Payment, which was agreed during the passage of the Social Welfare Act 2016, is currently well underway and is due to be completed in the coming weeks. When I receive the report I will examine and consider its contents, including the detailed analysis, that the changes have had on lone parents from a financial, poverty, social and welfare...

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

Regina Doherty: The Programme for a Partnership Government contains a commitment “to introduce a PRSI scheme for the self-employed and provide a supportive tax regime for entrepreneurs and the self-employed”. Significant progress was made on this commitment in Budget 2017. Self-employed contributors now have access to treatment benefits since last March and, from December next will have...

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

Regina Doherty: The Government's long-term objective is to ensure that the reciprocity of civic rights and social welfare rights and entitlements, which currently exist for Irish and UK citizens moving within Ireland and between Ireland and Britain under the Common Travel Area (CTA), are safeguarded and maintained. The importance of maintaining the CTA has been acknowledged in Prime Minister May’s...

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

Regina Doherty: As a result of more people living to pension age and living longer in retirement the number of State pension recipients is increasing year on year. This has significant implications for the future costs of State pension provision. This demographic change alone is expected to increase spending on pensions by over €220 million this year - not including the impact of rate increases. ...

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

Regina Doherty: €82.8 million was provided for the farm assist scheme in the 2017 Revised Estimates Volume. Expenditure on Farm Assist to the end of June 2017 was €38.6 million. This is €2.4m lower than profiled due to the average weekly numbers of recipients being lower than expected.

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

Regina Doherty: As the Deputy is aware, the rural social scheme (RSS) provides employment opportunities for low income farmers and fishermen who are currently in receipt of specified social welfare payments. While communities benefit from the skills and talents of local farmers and fishermen, participants also have the opportunity to improve existing skills or develop new skills. Expenditure in 2016 on the...

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

Regina Doherty: In line with a commitment in the Programme for Partnership Government, Budget 2017 introduced an enhanced assessment of means for farm assist whereby, since March, 70% of farm income is assessed as means, down from 100%. Additional income disregards were also introduced for claimants with children - €254 of income per annum is disregarded for each of the first two dependent children...