Results 1,961-1,980 of 12,033 for speaker:Regina Doherty

Seanad: Social Welfare (No. 2) Bill 2019: Second Stage (4 Dec 2019)

Regina Doherty: In response to Senator Devine, we propose to make some changes in respect of those who are under 25, that is, in respect of the 18 to 24 year olds in this particular Bill. It is something that Senator Warfield in particular has been seeking, as well as others in the Dáil, for the last number of years. Just because I am making the changes does not necessarily mean that I have changed...

Seanad: Social Welfare (No. 2) Bill 2019: Second Stage (4 Dec 2019)

Regina Doherty: We have engaged two external drafters for a number of Bills. I have a gender recognition Bill in that category. That is not the issue. It might take a week or two longer to get the permission through for this process but that is not the issue. I probably did not believe them in the beginning when they told how complicated it is but we need to get it right. This is something that people...

Seanad: Social Welfare (No. 2) Bill 2019: Second Stage (4 Dec 2019)

Regina Doherty: It is a pity but I wish to acknowledge what the Senator has raised on the floor of the House. Senator Lawlor is right in that we do have an extra €700 million. I wish I had that money to spend on new initiatives this year but we did not. It goes to show the increasing demographic profile that we have, which belies what Senator Gavan has just said. To be respectful, we have a huge,...

Seanad: Social Welfare (No. 2) Bill 2019: Second Stage (4 Dec 2019)

Regina Doherty: The revisionism that belongs to some parties around this House is quite funny and that is why some people think I am being sarcastic when I hark back to 2007. This measure was first mooted by the then Minister for Social and Family Affairs, Mr. Martin Cullen, in 2007. It was followed on by the then Minister for Social and Family Affairs, Ms Hanafin, in 2010. It was enacted by a Labour...

Seanad: Social Welfare (No. 2) Bill 2019: Second Stage (4 Dec 2019)

Regina Doherty: I do not necessarily agree with the Senator, and that is fine. We probably do not agree on many matters, and that is okay too. There will be a robust defence of the decisions that were made. On the basis of that, when we took over in 2011, the Social Insurance Fund, SIF, had a small surplus. That surplus was devastated within two years and we were massively in deficit. The SIF has now a...

Seanad: Social Welfare (No. 2) Bill 2019: Second Stage (4 Dec 2019)

Regina Doherty: The Senator will have to explain where the gaps will be filled for that populist want.

Seanad: Social Welfare (No. 2) Bill 2019: Second Stage (4 Dec 2019)

Regina Doherty: I genuinely look forward to it. If the Senator can come up with the magic concoction with which I can agree, I have no problem considering it.

Seanad: Social Welfare (No. 2) Bill 2019: Second Stage (4 Dec 2019)

Regina Doherty: At present, the figures before us are stark and they are not only mine. We had econometric reviews done of the Social Insurance Fund. The ESRI has done reviews of it. They are not magic numbers. They are not made up just to suit our purposes. The ageing demographics of our population are well mapped out. The taxing on the Social Insurance Fund is also something that is well mapped out....

Seanad: Social Welfare (No. 2) Bill 2019: Second Stage (4 Dec 2019)

Regina Doherty: I have.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Child Maintenance Payments (4 Dec 2019)

Regina Doherty: A range of measures were put in place by the Government to support children and families, including lone parents, in Budget 2020.  These include:  - Payment of a 100% Christmas Bonus in December 2019 to recipients of a long-term Social Welfare payment, including One-Parent Family Payment. - Extension of the Hot School Meals scheme from September 2020 to 35,000 additional...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Carer's Allowance Waiting Times (4 Dec 2019)

Regina Doherty: My Department is committed to providing a quality service to all its customers, ensuring that applications are processed and that decisions on entitlement are made as quickly as possible. Processing times vary across schemes, depending on the different qualification criteria.  Schemes that require a high level of documentary evidence from the customer, particularly in the case of...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: JobPath Programme (4 Dec 2019)

Regina Doherty: JobPath is an employment activation service which supports jobseekers to secure and sustain full-time paid employment.  Following the completion of a rigorous public procurement process, two companies were selected to provide the JobPath service - Turas Nua and Seetec. The terms of the contracts signed with the companies provide for two consecutive phases: phase one entailed four...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Live Register Data (4 Dec 2019)

Regina Doherty: In the October Live Register published by the Central Statistics Office (CSO), 31,296 people reported that their last held occupation was in the construction sector.  This represented 17.3% of the total Live Register. Over 57% of those who previously worked in the Construction sector are considered short-term unemployed, while just under 43% have been on the Live Register for more than...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals Data (4 Dec 2019)

Regina Doherty: The Social Welfare Appeals Office  is responsible for determining appeals against decisions in relation to social welfare entitlements.  It was established under Statute and  discharges its functions independently of  both me and the Department. I am advised that the total number of appeals waiting to be determined at the end of October 2019 was 9,739.  This...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Low Pay (4 Dec 2019)

Regina Doherty: The Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection role in relation to wage setting is restricted to the setting of the National Minimum Wage on the basis of recommendations from the Low Pay Commission. Legislation in relation to the setting of the National Minimum Wage has existed since 2000.  The Low Pay Commission was established in 2015 and its primary function is, on an...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Pensions Reform (4 Dec 2019)

Regina Doherty: The introduction of a Total Contributions Approach (TCA) to establish the level of entitlement for all new state pension contributory claims was signalled by the then Government in the National Pensions Framework in 2010.  Consultation is a very important part of the development and design of the new pension.  With this in mind, I launched a public consultation on the design of...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits Waiting Times (4 Dec 2019)

Regina Doherty: My Department is committed to providing a quality service to all its customers, ensuring that applications are processed and that decisions on entitlement are made as quickly as possible. Processing times vary across schemes, depending on the different qualification criteria.  Schemes that require a high level of documentary evidence from the customer, particularly in the case of...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: JobPath Programme (4 Dec 2019)

Regina Doherty: As the Deputy is aware, my Department has executed the extension provisions in the existing contracts of both JobPath providers that will enable referrals to the JobPath service until end 2020.  This decision was made partly in relation to the uncertainty caused by the Brexit process and its potential implications for the Irish labour market.  This uncertainty remains and it was...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Fuel Allowance Data (4 Dec 2019)

Regina Doherty: At the end of October 2019 there were 452,317 recipients of the Household Benefits package.  According to the latest figures available to my Department, there has been an increase of almost 3,400 applications for the Household Benefits package in the period from January to October 2019.  This represents an increase of around nine percent (9%) on the number of applications...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Poverty Impact Assessment (4 Dec 2019)

Regina Doherty: The revised estimates volume for my Department contains context and impact indicators including three with a specific poverty focus: the at-risk-of poverty rate before social transfers; the at-risk-of-poverty rate after social transfers and the consistent poverty rates. The most recent poverty data from the 2018 Survey on Income and Living Conditions was published by the CSO on 28...