Results 61-80 of 7,690 for speaker:Regina Doherty in 'Written Answers'

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Jobseeker's Allowance (16 Jun 2020)

Regina Doherty: The age-related  jobseeker’s allowance rate of €112.70 generally applies to young jobseekers aged 18-24 to incentivise them to engage in education or training which will improve their chances of obtaining full time sustainable employment.  Where a young jobseeker participates in education or training they can receive the maximum weekly personal rate of...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Jobseeker's Allowance (16 Jun 2020)

Regina Doherty: A reduced rate of €112.70 generally applies for younger jobseeker’s allowance recipients aged 18-24 to protect them from welfare dependency by providing them with a strong financial incentive to participate in education or training to improve their chances of obtaining sustainable full time employment. Currently the weekly personal rate for jobseeker’s allowance...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Expenditure (16 Jun 2020)

Regina Doherty: The Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection has not procured a social media monitoring service and therefore, no costs have been incurred in 2018 or 2019.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: School Meals Programme (9 Jun 2020)

Regina Doherty: I propose to take Questions Nos. 629, 667 and 668 together. The school meals programme provides funding towards the provision of food to some 1,580 schools and organisations benefitting 250,000 children. The objective of the scheme is to provide regular, nutritious food to children who are unable, due to lack of good quality food, to take full advantage of the education provided to them....

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Civil Marriages (9 Jun 2020)

Regina Doherty: I propose to take Questions Nos. 630, 633 and 634 together. Due to current restrictions to support public health initiatives, access to the Civil Registration Service offices is greatly restricted and civil marriage ceremonies cannot proceed, other than in exceptional circumstances such as those involving the risk of death to one of the parties to a marriage. The Health Service...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (9 Jun 2020)

Regina Doherty: I propose to take Questions Nos. 631, 645, 647, 672, 674, 675, 677 and 687 together. The COVID-19 pandemic unemployment payment was introduced as a time limited emergency measure in response to the pandemic for an initial 12 week period. The Government has, as of last Friday, approved the extension of this payment until 10th August. Changes were also announced to the structure of this...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Employment Rights (9 Jun 2020)

Regina Doherty: I am somewhat unclear as to the particulars of the case referred to by the Deputy, however, it is important to note a number of key points. Firstly, let me set out the current legislation as it pertains to annual leave. The Organisation of Working Time Act 1997 sets out the key parameters for the taking of annual leave and payment for same. The times at which annual leave is granted is...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (9 Jun 2020)

Regina Doherty: I propose to take Questions Nos. 635, 669 and 671 together. The enhanced illness benefit payment is available where a registered medical practitioner or a HSE medical officer of health diagnoses a person with COVID 19 or identifies him or her as a probable source of infection. The payment is for a limited period and at a rate of €350 to ensure that the person can comply with medical...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (9 Jun 2020)

Regina Doherty: The Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) was introduced by my Department in response to the Covid-19 pandemic emergency. As stipulated in the scheme guidelines both employees and self-employed people can apply for the payment if they satisfy a number of qualifying conditions as set out below. In order to qualify for the payment, the applicant must: - be aged between 18 and 66 years...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pension (Contributory) (9 Jun 2020)

Regina Doherty: I propose to take Questions Nos. 637 and 638 together. In January 2018, I announced an interim total contributions approach (TCA) to the calculation of pension entitlement for those State pension (contributory) customers born on or after 1 September 1946 and in receipt of pension on post-2012 rates. This TCA provides for up to 20 years of HomeCaring Periods in the pension entitlement...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pension (Contributory) (9 Jun 2020)

Regina Doherty: The Total Contributions Approach (TCA), when it is introduced, is intended to be a fairer and more transparent system where the person’s lifetime contribution will be more closely reflected in the benefit received. Consultation is a very important part of the development and design of such a new approach. With this in mind, a public consultation on the design of the TCA was...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes (9 Jun 2020)

Regina Doherty: Firstly, I wish to acknowledge the valuable and dedicated service that the supervisor in question has provided throughout her tenure, and that of the CE sponsoring bodies in running CE schemes throughout the country along with the wide range of employment opportunities offered. CE is an active labour market programme designed to provide eligible long-term unemployed people and others with...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (9 Jun 2020)

Regina Doherty: The COVID 19 pandemic unemployment payment was introduced as an emergency measure to meet the surge in unemployment which resulted from the effects of the Coronavirus pandemic. For self-employed people, they must have experienced a collapse of income and be available to take up other full-time work if it was available to them in order to qualify. If the person's sole source of income...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic (9 Jun 2020)

Regina Doherty: I can confirm that the Government has extended the suspension of redundancy provisions relating to temporary lay-off and short-time work which arose as a result of Covid-19 until 10th August 2020. A temporary suspension of these provisions was introduced on 13th March under new emergency measures as the existing provisions were not considered adequate to deal with the Covid-19 crisis....

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Respite Care Grant (9 Jun 2020)

Regina Doherty: The Carer's Support Grant is an annual payment made to carers by my Department. I can confirm that my department received an application for the Carer’s Support Grant (CSG) for 2018 from the person concerned on 13 March 2020. It is a condition of the Carers Support Grant that a person may apply for the grant in any given year from 8 weeks before the date on which the grant is...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (9 Jun 2020)

Regina Doherty: The Roadmap for Reopening Society and Business sets out how COVID 19 restrictions will gradually be lifted. However, I am aware of the issues for workers with childcare responsibilities, particularly for those working on the front line. The Government has requested employers to be as flexible as possible in allowing staff, which could include partners of frontline workers, time off to...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Carer's Allowance (9 Jun 2020)

Regina Doherty: Carer's allowance (CA) is a means-tested social assistance payment, made to persons who are providing full-time care and attention to a person who has such a disability that they require that level of care. An increased payment can be made where full-time care is being provided to two people. Two applications for CA were received from the person concerned on 27 March 2019 in respect of two...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Disability Allowance (9 Jun 2020)

Regina Doherty: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 28 May 2020. It is a statutory requirement of the appeals process that the relevant Departmental papers and comments by the Deciding Officer on the grounds of appeal be sought. When these papers have been received from the Department, the case in question will be referred...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (9 Jun 2020)

Regina Doherty: The COVID-19 unemployment payment was introduced as a time limited emergency measure to meet the surge in unemployment which resulted from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. This payment was introduced at a time of limited travel restrictions in the interest of necessary public health measures. The payment is payable to people while in the State and there is no provision to pay this...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals (9 Jun 2020)

Regina Doherty: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 12 May 2020. The Office is aware that the person concerned stated that she sent in her appeal at the end of February but, unfortunately, there is no record of the appeal being received at that time. It is a statutory requirement of the appeals process that the...