Results 61-80 of 16,381 for are speaker:Heather Humphreys

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Community Development Projects (21 May 2024)

Heather Humphreys: ...community gardens. To further support communities, I announced an additional €50 million in funding under the Community Recognition Fund on March 15th last. The details of this round of funding are available on my Department's website, and there are a number of funding tranches in place over the coming months via the local authorities. The CLÁR programme provides...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Funding (21 May 2024)

Heather Humphreys: My Department provides a range of supports which are available to Men's and Women’s Sheds. The table below outlines the specific funding allocated to both Men's and Women's sheds over the last three years. However, both groups of sheds access funding from a variety of other schemes, the details of which can be found below. Since 2018, under the Community Enhancement Programme (CEP),...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Rural Schemes (21 May 2024)

Heather Humphreys: ...dates for the closure of this programme to the LAGs. The final date for completion of works on all approved projects under the 2014-2022 LEADER programme was 31 March 2024, and all claims for payment are required to be submitted to the Department for payment no later than 30 June 2024. These dates were set to ensure the smooth wind up of that programme and ensure that the LAGs could...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (16 May 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Domiciliary Care Allowance (DCA) is a monthly allowance payable in respect a child aged under 16 who has a severe disability requiring continual or continuous care and attention substantially in excess of the care and attention normally required by a child of the same age, and the child must be likely to require this level of care for at least 12 consecutive months. Where an application...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (16 May 2024)

Heather Humphreys: My Department administers more than 90 separate schemes and services, which affect the lives of almost every person in the State. We are fully committed to ensuring that members of the public are aware of the welfare supports and services available, and to promoting social security as an investment. My Department actively works to encourage take up of benefits and entitlements by promoting...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals (16 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 Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned of her Carer’s Benefit claim was...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: School Meals Programme (16 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 afterschool clubs and is based on a...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (16 May 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. The Department received an application for IP from the person concerned on 8 December 2023. Upon examination of his application, the person was refused IP on the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (16 May 2024)

Heather Humphreys: ...personal means from any source does not exceed a means test income limit. Where a qualified adult has weekly means of less than €100, the maximum rate of IQA is payable. Where their weekly means are over €100 and not more than €310, a tapering reduced rate of IQA is payable. If the qualified adult has means of more than €310 per week, this exceeds the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals (16 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 Office has advised me that there is no record of any appeal by the person concerned having been...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (16 May 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. My Department received an application for IP from the person concerned on 29 August 2023. Based on the information supplied, it was refused on the grounds that the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (16 May 2024)

Heather Humphreys: One-Parent Family Payment (OFP) is a payment for parents under 66 years who are parenting without the support of a partner and whose youngest child is under 7 years of age. Following your representation, an OFP application form was posted to the person concerned on 15/05/2024. The fully completed application form can be returned to the Newbridge Intreo Centre, Moorefield Road, Newbridge,...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Rates (16 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. Following a successful appeal, the person concerned was awarded Disability Allowance on...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Funding (16 May 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The Local Improvement Scheme (LIS) supports the improvement of rural roads and laneways that are not normally maintained by local authorities. As part of Our Rural Future, my government is committed to ensuring that LIS is funded into the future. Since the re-introduction of the Scheme in 2017, my department has allocated almost €170 million to local authorities under the scheme....

Ceisteanna Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (15 May 2024)

Heather Humphreys: ...to means tests, people will be either on this side of it or that side of it. There will always be winners and losers. No matter how high the bar goes, there will be losers. From June onwards, a carer can earn €900 per week, for a married couple, and it will not impact on their payment. That has been increased and kicks in in June. Coming up to the budget, I look at all these...

Ceisteanna Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (15 May 2024)

Heather Humphreys: I was here yesterday when Deputy Farrell raised this matter with the Taoiseach. He said he would raise the matter with the Minister and he agreed with what Deputy Farrell was saying. We are investing in apprenticeships to meet skills needs. The apprenticeship narrative in this country has completely changed and that is a good thing. If people are waiting, we will do everything we can to...

Ceisteanna Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (15 May 2024)

Heather Humphreys: I thank the Deputy. As he said, today is Nakba Day. Israel marks its Independence Day and Palestine marks its Nakba Day. Both events are commemorated today. These dates serve as a reminder of the deep historical complexity that surrounds the current conflict. As I said earlier, the Tánaiste said this morning that we are going to recognise the state of Palestine by the end of this...

Ceisteanna Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (15 May 2024)

Heather Humphreys: ...and avoid further escalation. Israel must facilitate safe, unimpeded access of humanitarian aid to the civilian population of Gaza, including by way of the Rafah and Kerem Shalom crossings. We are working with our EU partners. The European Council adopted conclusions on the situation in Israel and Gaza at its meeting in March. The Council urged Israel not to undertake a ground...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (15 May 2024)

Heather Humphreys: ...is one about which he feels very strongly. He has advocated for Scoil Chormaic in Cashel previously. As I said earlier, we all have the experience, in representing our constituents, of meeting parents who are waiting too long for an assessment of their children's needs and for the therapies they need. We have to do all we can to relieve the pressure. The Taoiseach has established a new...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (15 May 2024)

Heather Humphreys: ...right that we need to clear the list and we will do so. The necessary funding has been provided. In terms of special schools, seven new ones have been established in recent years in a number of areas, including Cork and Dublin. In the 2024-25 school year, the focus is on areas outside the larger cities. New special schools will open in counties Meath, Kildare, Wexford and Limerick. My...