Results 221-240 of 16,410 for are speaker:Heather Humphreys

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (8 May 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Disability Allowance (DA) is a weekly allowance paid to people with a specified disability who are aged 16 or over and under the age of 66. This disability must be expected to last for at least one year and the allowance is subject to a medical assessment, means test and Habitual Residency conditions. I confirm that my Department received an application for DA from the person concerned...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals (8 May 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The Social Welfare Appeals Office is an Office of the Department of Social Protection which is responsible for determining appeals against decisions in relation to social welfare entitlements. Appeals Officers are independent in their decision making functions. The Social Welfare Appeals system is underpinned by Chapter 2 of Part 10 of the Social Welfare Consolidation Act, 2005 and the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Code (8 May 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The Government acknowledges the valuable role that family carers play and is fully committed to supporting carers in that role. This commitment is recognised in both the Programme for Government and the National Carers’ Strategy. The main income supports to carers provided by my department are Carer’s Allowance, Carer’s Benefit, Domiciliary Care Allowance and the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Educational Disadvantage (8 May 2024)

Heather Humphreys: ...policies to encourage school attendance and extra educational achievement. Following the expansion of the programme in recent years, some 2,600 schools and organisations, covering 443,000 children are now eligible for funding. The Hot School Meal option of the programme was introduced in 2019 and is currently only available in primary schools. My immediate priority has been to bring...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: School Meals Programme (8 May 2024)

Heather Humphreys: ...policies to encourage school attendance and extra educational achievement. Following the expansion of the programme in recent years, some 2,600 schools and organisations, covering 443,000 children are now eligible for funding. Funding under the School Meals Programme can be provided for breakfast, snack, cold lunch, dinner, hot school meals and after-school clubs and is based on a...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (8 May 2024)

Heather Humphreys: As previously advised, officials in my Department are currently reviewing this person's backdated entitlement to Disability Allowance, beyond the current award date. An information request was sent to the person concerned on 30 April 2024, requesting that they provide their partner's last payslip for the year ending 2022 and 2023. They were also requested to provide bank statements for all...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals (8 May 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The Social Welfare Appeals Office is an Office of the Department of Social Protection which is responsible for determining appeals against decisions in relation to social welfare entitlements. Appeals Officers are independent in their decision making functions. I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that an Appeals Officer, having fully considered all of the available...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Community Development Projects (8 May 2024)

Heather Humphreys: ...first responder groups through the CLÁR programme since 2022. The CLÁR Programme provides funding under a number of different measures for small-scale infrastructural projects in designated rural areas that have experienced significant levels of depopulation over a defined period. I launched the CLÁR 2024 programme on 12 April this year. Measure 2 of this years scheme...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Staff (8 May 2024)

Heather Humphreys: There are no employees currently suspended from my Department on full pay pending disciplinary investigations. There are four organisations under the aegis of my Department. These are Pobal, Water Safety Ireland, the Western Development Commission and the Charities Regulator. No employee of any of these organisations are currently suspended on full pay pending disciplinary investigations.

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Rural Schemes (8 May 2024)

Heather Humphreys: ...projects at local level. The process to select Local Actions Groups (LAGs) to deliver the 2023-2027 LEADER programme is nearing completion, with the selection complete in 27 of the 28 sub-regional areas to date. Once a Local Action Group is selected it can commence the delivery of the programme in their area. In October 2022 I announced funding for the 2023 - 2027 LEADER programme of...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Community Development Projects (8 May 2024)

Heather Humphreys: ...To further support communities, I announced a further €50 million in funding under the Community Recognition Fund on March 15th last. The additional funding is specifically targeted at projects that are located in cities, towns and villages that are hosting the Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection and/or International Protection Applicants. This allocation is being targeted at...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Community Development Projects (8 May 2024)

Heather Humphreys: ...bridges along the route of the Western Way walking trail, upgrade of an existing mountain bike trail at Derroura Oughterard, and signage on the Eurovelo cycling route from the Mayo border at Leenane to the Clare border at Kinvara. Last July, it was brought to the attention of my Department that the National Parks and Wildlife Service had concerns regarding the works carried out within...

Select Committee on Social Protection: Automatic Enrolment Retirement Savings System Bill 2024: Committee Stage (8 May 2024)

Heather Humphreys: ...the payment of savings at retirement. The legislation provides for the automatic enrolment of employees aged between 23 and 60 who earn more than €20,000 per year across all employments and who are not already paying into a pension scheme in respect of some or all of those employments. To encourage workers to maintain participation, workers will have their retirement savings...

Select Committee on Social Protection: Automatic Enrolment Retirement Savings System Bill 2024: Committee Stage (8 May 2024)

Heather Humphreys: ...would not be picked up by AE in the first place. In short, I do not propose to accept these amendments. With due respect to ICTU and to trade unions generally, I think the proposed amendments are too limiting and are not in line with the purpose of that section of the Bill.

Select Committee on Social Protection: Automatic Enrolment Retirement Savings System Bill 2024: Committee Stage (8 May 2024)

Heather Humphreys: .... It is very important when choosing a board to set out clearly the various criteria needed because everybody brings a different skill set. I will ensure the interests of employers and workers are included on the board. That is what the legislation proposes and why I cannot accept the amendment.

Select Committee on Social Protection: Automatic Enrolment Retirement Savings System Bill 2024: Committee Stage (8 May 2024)

Heather Humphreys: ...annual report of the authority and covers an overview of its activities and complaints, reviews and appeals. It also provides for the periodic review of the performance of investment funds. These are all appropriate to the authority. However, with regard to occupational pension schemes, there is already a State body charged with overseeing the operation of and coverage provided by them....