Results 81-100 of 16,380 for are speaker:Heather Humphreys

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

Heather Humphreys: I condemn the incursions into Rafah. These people have nowhere to go. I know all of us in the House condemn it. It is wrong that people are left in that awful situation. I have been very clear on the issue of the Control of Economic Activity (Occupied Territories) Bill. It is something we have taken legal advice on. Ireland's opposition to the illegal Israeli settlements is unambiguous...

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

Heather Humphreys: I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. I know it is one on which both he and I are committed to seeing progress. In representing our constituents, we all have had the experience of meeting parents who have been waiting for too long for the assessment of their children's needs - both of us have done that - and unfortunately, then for the therapies they also need. We must do all we can...

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

Heather Humphreys: I know the parent the Deputy is talking about. I have spoke to that lady as well. I know the difficulty she faces and that she has tried approximately four different schools and is having difficulties. I know that and we are doing all we can to support her. We need to explore greater use of the private sector when it comes to the assessment of need. We also need to grow the teams within...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: School Meals Programme (15 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 Eligibility (15 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: Social Welfare Appeals (15 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. Under social welfare legislation, the decision of the Appeals Officer is generally final and conclusive and may only be reviewed...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: School Meals Programme (15 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. As part of this significant expansion plan, all remaining primary schools were contacted last year and requested to submit an expression of interest form if...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Widow's Pension (15 May 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 Benefits (14 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 was registered in that office on 18...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (14 May 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The Carers Support Grant is an annual payment for carers who look after a person in need of full-time care and attention. The payment is made regardless of the carer's means but is subject to certain qualifying conditions. The person claiming the Grant must: Be aged 16 or over and ordinarily resident in this State Care for the person on a full-time basis Care for the person for a...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals (14 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 was registered in that office on 26...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals (14 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 was registered in that office on 16...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Data (14 May 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The annual estimated costs of Maternity Benefit, Paternity Benefit and Parent's Benefit at the time each was introduced and the actual costs now are not directly comparable as there have been many changes to the schemes in the intervening years such as widened eligibility, extended durations and increased payments rates. Maternity Benefit is a payment made for 26 weeks to employed and...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Equality Issues (14 May 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Intersex is understood to be an umbrella term for persons who are born with sex characteristics, such as chromosomes, genitalia, and/or hormonal structure, that do not belong strictly to male or female categories. It falls to the medical practitioner attending the birth to determine the gender of the child. However, where it is not possible for the gender of the child to be medically...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Legislative Measures (14 May 2024)

Heather Humphreys: ...of the claimant and his children. The judgment notes that in order to resolve the issue raised by the judgment, a legislative amendment is required. My officials and the Office of the Attorney General are now considering the very detailed judgment, including the legislative changes required to respond to this decision. This will be done with all expediency. To date, the Department...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Disability Services (14 May 2024)

Heather Humphreys: .... The person works with an Employment Personal Advisor with a view to agreeing a suitable personal progression plan in order to access the full range of employment supports available. There are a number of supports available to help disabled people into employment and self-employment. The Department contracts specialist employment services, called EmployAbility, to provide both...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (14 May 2024)

Heather Humphreys: ...depends on several factors, namely age, experience, and qualifications. The impairment arising from the medical condition(s) is assessed for functional limitations. In turn, the functional limitations are assessed against the person’s age, experience, and qualifications for suitable employment. The person concerned was notified in writing of this decision on 05 April 2024, and...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Data (14 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. My Department is committed to providing a quality service to all its customers, ensuring...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Schemes (14 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. During 2023, the Department received over 28,700 new applications for DA. Over the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Schemes (14 May 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. I can confirm that 10,875 CA applications were disallowed in 2023. To date in 2024, 3,384 CA applications have been...