Results 161-180 of 7,690 for speaker:Regina Doherty in 'Written Answers'

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Disability Allowance (3 Jun 2020)

Regina Doherty: Disability Allowance (DA) is a means-tested payment for people with a specified disability who are aged between 16 and 66.  In order to be eligible, the disability must be expected to last for at least one year; the allowance is also subject to a medical assessment, a means test and a habitual residency requirement. DA is structured to support recipients to avail of...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Data Protection (3 Jun 2020)

Regina Doherty: My Department does not have a data sharing arrangement with the Department of Justice and Equality for migrant workers accessing supplementary welfare payments including rent supplement or the pandemic unemployment payment. The Department’s data sharing arrangements comply with both National and EU Data Protection law to ensure that safeguards are in place to protect data...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Direct Provision System (3 Jun 2020)

Regina Doherty: The COVID-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment was introduced as a time-limited, emergency income support measure to meet the dramatic surge in unemployment as a consequence of the pandemic.  Applicants for International Protection accommodated under the system of Direct Provision operated by the International Protection Accommodation Services of the Department of Justice and Equality...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Disability Allowance (3 Jun 2020)

Regina Doherty: The system of social assistance supports, and the means tests associated with these schemes, are used to determine a verifiable income need and ensure that resources are targeted to those who need them most.  By its nature, the means test takes account of the income a person or couple has in terms of cash, property - other than the family home - and...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Jobseeker's Allowance (3 Jun 2020)

Regina Doherty: An 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 to improve their chances of obtaining full time sustainable employment.  If a young jobseeker participates in education or training they can receive the maximum weekly personal rate of up to €203.  The...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments Administration (3 Jun 2020)

Regina Doherty: My Department is very appreciative of all the work done by both An Post and the Postmasters in delivering essential welfare cash payments to the public in these difficult times.  Their efforts have maintained the delivery of social welfare payments while assisting with social distancing measures designed to combat the spread of the Coronavirus. Fortnightly payments were introduced to...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Carer's Allowance (3 Jun 2020)

Regina Doherty: I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that an Appeals Officer, having fully considered all of the available evidence, decided to disallow the appeal of the person concerned by way of a summary decision.  The person concerned was notified on 14 May 2020 of the Appeals Officer’s decision. The Social Welfare Appeals Office functions independently of the Minister for...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals (3 Jun 2020)

Regina Doherty: I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that an Appeals Officer, having fully considered all of the available evidence, decided to disallow the appeal of the person concerned by way of a summary decision.  The person concerned was notified on 20 March 2020 of the Appeals Officer’s decision. The Social Welfare Appeals Office has also advised me that an Appeals Officer...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals (3 Jun 2020)

Regina Doherty: I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that an Appeals Officer, having fully considered all of the available evidence decided to disallow the appeal of the person concerned by way of a summary decision.  The person concerned was notified on 25 March 2020 of the Appeals Officer’s decision. The Social Welfare Appeals Office has also advised me that an Appeals Officer...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (3 Jun 2020)

Regina Doherty: The emergency Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment has been introduced as a time-limited emergency measure so that payments can be made as quickly as possible to the large number of people who have become fully unemployed due to the pandemic. During the month of March, my Department received and processed jobseeker claims equivalent in number to a three year claim-load. These...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Fuel Allowance (3 Jun 2020)

Regina Doherty: The Government has been seeking to implement and operate supports that are targeted where most needed, to ensure continued economic activity and reduce the risk of poverty.  In March, as part of these measures, I was delighted to be able to announce the extension of the Fuel Allowance scheme by four weeks until Friday, 8th May 2020.  At a cost of €36.61 million, the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Citizens Information Services (3 Jun 2020)

Regina Doherty: The Citizens Information Board (CIB) is the statutory body responsible for supporting the provision of information, advice (including money and budgeting advice) and advocacy services to citizens on a wide range of public and social services.  CIB funds 21 independent companies which deliver services to the public, including the network of Citizens Information Services and the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (3 Jun 2020)

Regina Doherty: Under the Health (Preservation and Protection and other Emergency Measures in the Public Interest) Act 2020 (No. 1), and subsequent regulations, the Government, having regard to the manifest and grave risk to human life and public health posed by the spread of Covid-19, made exceptional provision in the public interest and to mitigate the effect of the spread of the disease to amend and...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (3 Jun 2020)

Regina Doherty: The Department, in line with the overall Government response to this public health emergency, moved swiftly to put in place enhanced and new supports for existing customers and new customers who, as a result of COVID-19, are working reduced hours or who have lost their employment entirely – even if on a temporary basis.  A priority from the outset has been to ensure that income...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (3 Jun 2020)

Regina Doherty: The Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) Scheme was put in place to ensure that those people who lost their jobs as a result of the pandemic would receive an income support as quickly as possible. It is individuals who claim PUP, not employers, and it is open to those employed as an employee or on a self-employed basis. The introduction of the PUP scheme was quickly followed by...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Schemes (3 Jun 2020)

Regina Doherty: Universal basic income is a long-standing concept and argues for an unconditional transfer paid to everyone by the state in place of large parts of the existing social protection system.  In terms of taxation, the general concept assumes that the basic income payment would be tax-free and all other income would be taxed.  This would require significant amendment to both the welfare...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Advertising (3 Jun 2020)

Regina Doherty: For the purpose of this response, we have interpreted “social media platforms” as solely these and no other form of digital advertising. My Department administers over 80 separate schemes and services, which affect the lives of almost every person in the State. The Department is committed to ensuring that members of the public are fully aware of the welfare supports and services...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Domestic Violence Services (27 May 2020)

Regina Doherty: I propose to take Questions Nos. 907, 912 to 914, inclusive, 920, 921, 924, 931, 965, 986 and 1015 together. Responsibility for the development and provision of services to support victims of domestic violence rests with the Department of Children and Youth Affairs. The co-ordination of the services addressing the needs of these customers is managed by The Child and Family Agency,...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (27 May 2020)

Regina Doherty: There are a range of supports available from my Department for people following a bereavement. Under the supplementary welfare allowance scheme, the Department may make an exceptional needs payment (ENP) to help meet essential, once-off expenditure which a person could not reasonably be expected to meet from their weekly income. An application can be made under the ENP scheme for...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (27 May 2020)

Regina Doherty: I propose to take Questions Nos. 909 and 919 together. The school meals programme provides funding towards the provision of food to some 1,580 schools and organisations benefiting 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. The...