Results 281-300 of 16,410 for are speaker:Heather Humphreys

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Schemes (30 Apr 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The Free Travel scheme provides free travel on the main public and private transport services for those eligible under the scheme. There are over one million customers with direct eligibility. The estimated expenditure on free travel in 2024 is €104 million. It is important to note that, in general, access to a free travel pass for those aged under 66 is linked to a person being in...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Widow's Pension (30 Apr 2024)

Heather Humphreys: ...pension. The Supreme Court judgment overruled a previous High Court decision and found in favour of the claimant and his children. In simple terms, the Court found that section 124 of the Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005 (as amended) is inconsistent with the Constitution insofar as it excluded the claimant from the category of persons entitled to benefit from it. The Court...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Data (30 Apr 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. During 2023, the Department received over 28,700 new applications for DA. Over the course...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Data (30 Apr 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Carer's Allowance (CA) is a means-tested social assistance payment made to a person who is habitually resident in the State and who is providing full-time care and attention to a child or an adult who has such a disability that, as a result, they require that level of care. Please find below the number of CA applications submitted in each of the years 2020 to 2023 and to date in 2024 ...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Data (30 Apr 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Invalidity Pension (IP) is a payment for people who are permanently incapable of work because of illness or incapacity and for no other reason and who satisfy the pay-related social insurance (PRSI) contribution conditions. Where an applicant's Invalidity Allowance claim is initially disallowed based on medical suitability, they have the option to request a review of this decision. This...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (30 Apr 2024)

Heather Humphreys: ...satisfy all conditions including the requirement to genuinely seek employment. To satisfy this condition, it is necessary for the person to demonstrate that they have taken some positive action and are making genuine efforts to secure employment. While in receipt of a Jobseeker’s payment, engagement with Intreo Employment Service is mandatory. Intreo Employment Service provide...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (30 Apr 2024)

Heather Humphreys: ...Climate and Communications that there is no national waiver scheme for household waste collection. The waste management market in Ireland is now serviced by private companies, where prices charged are matters between those companies and their customers, subject to compliance with all applicable environmental and other relevant legislation, including contract and consumer legislation. ...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (30 Apr 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Blind Pension is a means-tested payment for people aged 18 years to 66 years who are habitually residing in the State. Income, including pensions, capital and property (excluding your own home) is assessable as means. A person is obliged to declare all their income and notify the Department in writing of any change in their circumstances. The person concerned was previously in receipt of...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: School Meals Programme (30 Apr 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The Hot School Meals Programme aims to provide regular, nutritious food to children who are unable, by reason of lack of good quality food, to take full advantage of the education provided for them. It is an important component of policies to encourage school attendance and extra educational achievement by children, particularly those from the most disadvantaged background. While the Hot...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (30 Apr 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Child Benefit is a monthly payment to the parents or guardians of children under 16 years of age. Child Benefit can also be claimed for children aged 16,17 and 18, if they are in full-time education or full-time training or have a disability and cannot support themselves. The person concerned and her family returned to Ireland on 23 December 2023 and an application for Child Benefit was...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: EU Directives (30 Apr 2024)

Heather Humphreys: My Department is responsible for the legislation underpinning the social welfare code, occupational and private pensions, civil registration and gender recognition and the Citizens Information Board / Comhairle. The Acts and Statutory Instruments sponsored by my Department which gave effect to EU Directives since 2020 are listed below: S.I. No. 374 of 2020 - The European Union (Posting of...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Widow's Pension (30 Apr 2024)

Heather Humphreys: ...pension. The Supreme Court judgment overruled a previous High Court decision and found in favour of the claimant and his children. In simple terms, the Court found that section 124 of the Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005 (as amended) is inconsistent with the Constitution insofar as it excluded the claimant from the category of persons entitled to benefit from it. The Court...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (30 Apr 2024)

Heather Humphreys: ...proposals for a new Jobseeker's Pay Related Benefit scheme and approval for the draft Heads of Bill on 9th January this year. The Heads of Bill containing the General Scheme for the new scheme are published on my Department's website. The Committee on Social Protection, Community and Rural Development and the islands completed the pre-legislative scrutiny of the draft Bill in March and...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (30 Apr 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Under the Supplementary Welfare Allowance scheme, my Department may make Additional Needs Payments to help meet essential expenses that a person cannot pay from their weekly income or other personal and household resources. This is an overarching term used to refer to exceptional and urgent needs payments, and certain supplements. Additional Needs Payments are demand led and made at the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Expenditure (30 Apr 2024)

Heather Humphreys: ...and advice) through delivering reports, studies, assessments, recommendations, proposals, etc. that contribute to decision making or policy development. Details as requested by the Deputy are set out as follows. 2023 Consultant Spend Social Finance Limited €18,750 Economic and Social Research Institute ...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (30 Apr 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Under the supplementary welfare allowance scheme, my Department may make Additional Needs Payments to help meet essential expenses that a person cannot pay from their weekly income or other personal and household resources. This is an overarching term used to refer to exceptional and urgent needs payments, and certain supplements. Additional Needs Payments are demand led and made at the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (30 Apr 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The Free Travel scheme provides free travel on the main public and private transport services for those eligible under the scheme. There are over one million customers with direct eligibility. The estimated expenditure on free travel in 2024 is €104 million. It is important to note that, in general, access to a free travel pass for those aged under 66 is linked to a person being in...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (30 Apr 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The supplementary welfare allowance scheme is the safety net within the overall social welfare system in that it provides assistance to eligible people in the State whose means are insufficient to meet their needs and those of their dependents. Under the supplementary welfare allowance scheme, my Department may make Additional Needs Payments to help meet essential expenses that a person...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (30 Apr 2024)

Heather Humphreys: ...information of 19 February 2024 was received by the Department on 29 February 2024. Based on the information provided, the person concerned was determined to not qualify for the allowance as they are not living alone. Their household includes another individual who is not in a qualifying fuel allowance category. A letter notifying the person concerned of this decision issued on 21 March...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: School Meals Programme (30 Apr 2024)

Heather Humphreys: ...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. I am committed to continuing to expand the School Meals Programme and building further on the significant extension of the Programme that has taken place in recent...