Results 81-100 of 16,260 for are speaker:Heather Humphreys

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....

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

Heather Humphreys: Statistical reporting is already provided for. It includes periodic reporting on the performance of these funds and any other matters that are considered to be appropriate to report on.

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

Heather Humphreys: ...is important. It states that the first standard would be drawn up from a date no later than "the beginning of years 7 to 9." That means that the standard for employments to be exempt from AE are to be drawn up by the end of year 6 at the latest. The reason we are leaving it until that time is that we see some of the contributions increase. Initially, we start off with 1.5%. It...

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

Heather Humphreys: No. If a person is in a PRSA, the majority of PRSAs are not done through payroll deduction. That means that a person has that pension himself or herself. However, that person can also have an automatic enrolment as well. They can go into AE because it is based on payroll deduction. If there is no payroll deduction for any other pension, that person can have AE.

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

Heather Humphreys: No. Auto-enrolment is available from day one. Nobody is going to lose out. There is very little in this and what we are talking about because if we substitute years 7 to 9 with 4 to 6, we would have to calculate to the end of year 3 and, therefore, the employees will only have had the benefit of 1.5%. It will not have moved on to the next step. That is why I am saying the end of year 6...

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

Heather Humphreys: ...more money in my pocket or a pension back when I started to work, I would have taken more money in my pocket and forgotten about the pension. However, when you get closer to the pension age, you are glad that you have the pension. It is as simple as that. We want to get people started and get them in the habit of saving for six months. If they opt out after six months, they will get...

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

Heather Humphreys: ...I need to clear up some issues. I asked the same questions that each of the Deputies did when I went through this in detail. Although it seemed like a fit, when you look into it and consider it carefully, we are setting up a new, separate State body that will manage and take participants' money and it will be solely dedicated to looking after that. The NTMA invests State money in the...

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

Heather Humphreys: ...ups. It will have it. The investment managers will only have one account. There will not be individual accounts. It will all be managed through NAERSA. The point I wish to make is that there are economies of scale there because we are pooling all of the contributions. There will be three different pots of low risk, medium risk and high risk so people can decide which pot they...

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

Heather Humphreys: ...and Paris Agreement, which guide the international community on matters such as carbon emissions and investment in unethical assets. The inclusion of these measures ensures that ESG concerns are well represented in the AE system. The inclusion of an additional and highly specific fund would add to the cost of the system which would be borne by the participants. This is because the...

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

Heather Humphreys: ...treatment of the lower paid workers who will benefit from automatic enrolment. I am going to go through the amendments in specific detail but that is why. I do take on board what the Deputies are saying but if it is going to be applied, it has to be applied to everything. It cannot just be applied to automatic enrolment and the investment of the money that comes from the members and the...

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

Heather Humphreys: ...the armaments industry, no more than do any members of the committee. I must look at this context here, though, from the point of view of the contributions of the citizens of this country. These are contributions. Money, of course, goes into the NTMA. While that is garnered by taxation, the money in this case does not come from taxation. These are contributions people are making into...