Results 10,021-10,040 of 12,033 for speaker:Regina Doherty

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

Regina Doherty: The farm assist scheme was introduced in 1999 to provide income support for low income farmers. It replaced the former smallholders’ unemployment assistance payment. In line with the then existing arrangements for unemployment assistance (including smallholders) and pre-retirement allowance, the income of farm assist recipients was exempt from class S PRSI for self-employed workers....

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

Regina Doherty: Currently, Class A employers pay PRSI at the rate of 8.5% where weekly earnings are between €38 and €376. Once weekly earning exceed €376, the rate of employer PRSI is 10.75% The cost to social insurance fund of raising the weekly 8.5% threshold to €380, €385, €390, €395 and €400 is provided in the table below. Higher rate threshold...

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

Regina Doherty: Currently Class A employers pay PRSI at the rate of 8.5% where weekly earnings are between €38 and €376. Once weekly earnings exceed €376, the rate of employer PRSI is 10.75% It is estimated introducing a new permanent employer’s rate of 4.25% for workers earning less than €380 per week would reduce income to the Social Insurance Fund by €157.4...

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

Regina Doherty: The national social target for poverty reduction agreed by Government in 2012 is to reduce consistent poverty to 4% by 2016 and to 2% or less by 2020. The child poverty target is to lift over 70,000 children out of consistent poverty by 2020. Ireland’s contribution to the Europe 2020 poverty target is to lift a minimum of 200,000 people out of ‘combined poverty’ (i.e....

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

Regina Doherty: My Department currently has four staff members suspended from work pending the completion of investigations under the Civil Service Disciplinary Code. - Grade Suspended From Reason for Suspension 1. HEO August 2012 Alleged Fraud 2. EO June 2015 Alleged Inappropriate Behaviour 3. HEO September 2015 Alleged Inappropriate Behaviour 4. EO November 2015 Alleged Inappropriate Behaviour In...

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

Regina Doherty: The Department is committed to fostering an appropriate environment for addressing concerns relating to potential wrongdoing in the workplace and to providing the necessary support for staff that raise genuine concerns. The Act requires public bodies to establish and maintain procedures for dealing with protected disclosures, and to provide written information relating to these procedures to...

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 an appeal by the person concerned was referred to an Appeals Officer on 24 July 2017, who will make a summary decision on the appeal based on the documentary evidence presented or, if required, hold an oral hearing. The Social Welfare Appeals Office functions independently of the Minister for Social Protection and of the Department and...

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

Regina Doherty: The Department of Social Protection does not directly employ any actuaries. However, there is one actuary employed in the Pension Authority which operates under the aegis of this Department.

Social Welfare, Pensions and Civil Registration Bill 2017: Second Stage (14 Jul 2017)

Regina Doherty: Yes, they should.

Social Welfare, Pensions and Civil Registration Bill 2017: Second Stage (14 Jul 2017)

Regina Doherty: I beg to differ.

Social Welfare, Pensions and Civil Registration Bill 2017: Second Stage (14 Jul 2017)

Regina Doherty: That did not last long.

Social Welfare, Pensions and Civil Registration Bill 2017: Order for Second Stage (14 Jul 2017)

Regina Doherty: I move: "That Second Stage be taken now."

Social Welfare, Pensions and Civil Registration Bill 2017: Second Stage (14 Jul 2017)

Regina Doherty: I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time." I am very pleased to have the opportunity today to introduce the Bill to the House. As the rather unwieldy Title indicates, the Bill contains measures which will amend the Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005, the Pensions Act 1990 and the Civil Registration Act 2004. The Long Title of the Bill also reflects the breadth of issues...

Questions on Promised Legislation (13 Jul 2017)

Regina Doherty: I assure the Deputy that her report is certainly not gathering dust. Work is being done in the Department on the issue of bogus self-employed people.

Questions on Promised Legislation (13 Jul 2017)

Regina Doherty: When we are ready.

Questions on Promised Legislation (13 Jul 2017)

Regina Doherty: We cannot publish it until it is right.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes Eligibility (13 Jul 2017)

Regina Doherty: Following the publication of my Department’s Report - An Analysis of the Community Employment Programme -earlier in the year,the Government approved a number of changes to the terms and conditions around participation on Community Employment (CE). The main purpose of these changes is to broaden the availability of CE to a greater number of people on the live register, to standardise...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Child Poverty (13 Jul 2017)

Regina Doherty: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1175 and 1176 together.It is proposed to take Questions 1175 & 1176 together The latest CSO Survey on Income and Living Conditions (SILC) results for 2015 show that the consistent poverty rate for children was 11.5% in 2015, or 139,000 children. This compared to a rate of 12.7%, or 152,000 children, the year before. The 2015 results show that...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Back to Education Allowance Eligibility (13 Jul 2017)

Regina Doherty: The Back to Education Allowance (BTEA) is an educational opportunities scheme for persons in receipt of certain qualifying social welfare payments wishing to pursue second or third-level courses of education in order to improve their employment prospects. Entitlement to BTEA is conditional on having on-going entitlement to the qualifying scheme payment. The BTEA scheme has been amended...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Job Creation (13 Jul 2017)

Regina Doherty: Government policy to reduce unemployment is twofold. First, through policies set out in the Action Plan for Jobs, to create an environment in which business can succeed and create jobs; and second, through Pathways to Work to ensure that as many of these new jobs and other vacancies that arise in our economy are filled by people taken from the Live Register. The Pathways to Work 2016-2020...