Results 301-320 of 7,690 for speaker:Regina Doherty in 'Written Answers'

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Jobseeker's Allowance (20 May 2020)

Regina Doherty: As the Deputy will be aware, my Department has experienced unprecedented demand for income supports including the Covid-19 pandemic unemployment payment and Jobseeker’s payments.  Delays can occur in some cases but please be assured staff are working on processing all applications as quickly as possible. The person concerned submitted an application for jobseeker's allowance from...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Working Family Payment Eligibility (20 May 2020)

Regina Doherty: The Working Family Payment is an in-work support which provides an income top-up for employees on low earnings with children.  Working Family Payment is designed to prevent in-work poverty for low paid workers with child dependents and to offer a financial incentive to take-up employment.  The estimated annual expenditure on Working Family Payment in 2019 is approximately...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Widow's Pension (20 May 2020)

Regina Doherty: There are a number of basic principles which underpin the Irish social insurance system.  Firstly, there is the contributory principle.  Under this principle there is a direct link between the PRSI contributions that a person has paid and entitlement to a varying range of benefits and pensions.  Where a person has sufficient PRSI contributions, then benefits and pensions may be...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits Applications (20 May 2020)

Regina Doherty: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1258 to 1260, inclusive, together. The main purpose of the supplementary welfare allowance scheme (SWA) is to provide immediate and flexible assistance for those in need who do not qualify for payment under other State schemes. Under SWA, my Department can make a single Exceptional Needs Payment (ENP) to help meet essential, once-off expenditure, which a...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (20 May 2020)

Regina Doherty: The COVID-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) is an emergency payment of €350 per week introduced by the Government for a 12 week period and intended to compensate those workers whose employers cannot retain them on their payroll. The payment is also being made to people who are self-employed but whose trade has temporarily ceased. One of the eligibility criteria for the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (20 May 2020)

Regina Doherty: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1262 and 1276 together. Given the need to pay the Covid Pandemic Unemployment Payment as expeditiously as possible, Section 202 of the Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005 was used.  This section allows for the provision of payments in urgent cases by way of Supplementary Welfare Allowance. The Covid-19 pandemic and resultant...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (20 May 2020)

Regina Doherty: The Roadmap for Reopening Society and Business, published by the Government on 1 May 2020 sets out a timetable for the phased reopening of society and the economy and envisages a series of steps which will lead to the resumption of various sectors of the economy.  Decisions around the future of the supports in place will continue to be monitored having regard to...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Wage Subsidy Scheme (20 May 2020)

Regina Doherty: The Temporary Wage Subsidy Scheme, which is operated by Revenue, provides the payment of support to employers in respect of eligible employees where the employer’s business has experienced significant disruption due to the Covid-19 pandemic.  As set out in the legislation underpinning the scheme, employers are required to record PRSI at Class J9 for each employee in respect of...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Jobseeker's Allowance Payments (20 May 2020)

Regina Doherty: All customers making a claim for, or in receipt of, a jobseekers payment must satisfy the deciding officer that they fulfil the conditions for receipt of a payment under that scheme. The genuinely seeking work and availability requirements remain for all jobseekers and the deciding officer is obliged to take into account the individual circumstances of the customer and the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Rates (20 May 2020)

Regina Doherty: The Minimum Essential Standard of Living (MESL) is an assessment, developed by the Vincentian Partnership for Social Justice, of the minimum needed to live and partake in the social and economic norms of everyday life for various household types. The model produces a minimum income standard which is dependent on whether the household is, among other factors: (i)  in a...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Pension Provisions (20 May 2020)

Regina Doherty: My Department introduced a series of measures to maintain social welfare payments while assisting with social distancing measures designed to combat the spread of the Coronavirus.  Fortnightly payments were introduced to minimise the need for people to attend and queue in banks or post offices to collect payments, so helping people restrict their movements to essential activities...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (20 May 2020)

Regina Doherty: The COVID-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) is an emergency payment of €350 per week introduced by the Government for a 12 week period and intended to compensate those workers whose employers cannot retain them on their payroll. The payment is also being made to people who are self-employed but whose trade has temporarily ceased.  It is not a payment to compensate for a...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Jobseeker's Payments (20 May 2020)

Regina Doherty: As part of the Department’s response to the Covid-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic and in particular the social distancing measures introduced by Government all activation appointments were suspended from early March 2020.  The application of activation sanctions was temporarily suspended. There have been no Jobseeker’s Benefit or Jobseeker’s Allowance customers...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Code (20 May 2020)

Regina Doherty: The supplementary welfare allowance (SWA) scheme offers a safety net within the overall social welfare system by providing assistance to those whose means are insufficient to meet their own needs and those of their dependants.  The main purpose of the scheme is to provide immediate and flexible assistance to those in need who do not qualify for payment under other State...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (20 May 2020)

Regina Doherty: Entitlement to a redundancy payment is defined under the Redundancy Payments Act.  It is the employer’s responsibility to pay statutory redundancy payments to eligible employees.  In situations where an employer is unable to pay these entitlements due to financial difficulties or insolvency an application for payment under the Redundancy Payments Scheme may be submitted...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (20 May 2020)

Regina Doherty: The Roadmap for Reopening Society and Business, published by the Government on 1 May 2020 sets out a timetable for the phased reopening of society and the economy and envisages a series of steps which will lead to the resumption of various sectors of the economy.  As this situation continues to evolve, decisions around the future of the emergency income measures will...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (20 May 2020)

Regina Doherty: ‘The Roadmap for Reopening Society and Business’ sets out how the Covid-19 restrictions will gradually be lifted. As different parts of the economy open at different times, the fact that schools and creches have not yet re-opened may cause some obstacles for workers with childcare responsibilities.  Some workers will be able to manage this with their...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Maternity Benefit (20 May 2020)

Regina Doherty: The COVID-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) is an emergency payment of €350 per week introduced by the Government for a 12 week period and intended to compensate those workers whose employers cannot retain them on their payroll.  The payment is also being made to people who are self-employed but whose trade has temporarily ceased. One of the eligibility requirements for...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Maternity Benefit (20 May 2020)

Regina Doherty: Maternity benefit is a payment made for 26 weeks to employed and self-employed pregnant women who satisfy certain pay related social insurance (PRSI) contribution conditions.  In order to qualify for maternity benefit, a person must be in employment immediately before the first day of her maternity leave.  The last day of insurable employment must be within 16 weeks of the end of...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes (20 May 2020)

Regina Doherty: The Community Employment Scheme (CE) is an active labour market programme designed to provide eligible long-term unemployed people and other disadvantaged persons with an opportunity to engage in useful work within their communities on a temporary, fixed term basis. The programme is delivered through independent CE Sponsoring Bodies that receive state funding from the Department to...