Results 161-180 of 20,384 for speaker:Heather Humphreys in 'Written Answers'

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Funding (30 Apr 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The Community Recognition Fund was first introduced in 2023 to recognise the huge efforts made by communities in welcoming and supporting people coming to Ireland. The 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 including towns identified for...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Data (30 Apr 2024)

Heather Humphreys: I can confirm to the Deputy that my Department did not have any Acts or Statutory Instruments over the period of time referenced, necessitated to give effect to regulations, directives or other measures passed at European Union level.

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Funding (30 Apr 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The Town and Village Renewal Scheme (TVRS) was introduced in 2016 and is one of a number of measures designed to rejuvenate rural towns and villages throughout Ireland. Since the launch of the scheme over €177 million has been allocated to almost 1,800 projects across Ireland. Indeed I have just announced the successful projects under the 2023 scheme, with a further 82 projects set...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Local Authorities (30 Apr 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Local Authorities are key delivery partners for many of the schemes operated by my Department, and funding of €210,458,015 and €245,528,487 was made available to local authorities in 2022 and 2023 respectively. On occasion funds are returned to the Department for a number of reasons. For example, projects which have been pre-funded may return funds where the project is...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Projects (30 Apr 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Under the range of capital investment schemes impIemented by my Department, I have prioritised in recent years the development and enhancement of community centres across the country to improve access and provide suitable social spaces. This has been achieved through various schemes administered by my Department, which may be of relevance to the project referenced by the Deputy. These...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Flood Relief Schemes (25 Apr 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage is the lead Department for severe weather emergencies. My Department provides assistance to eligible households in the immediate aftermath of emergency weather events under the Humanitarian Assistance Scheme. The purpose of the scheme is to provide income- tested financial support to people whose homes are damaged and because of lack...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (25 Apr 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The Carer’s Allowance scheme is the main scheme by which the Department provides income support to carers in the community. In 2024 the expenditure on the Carer’s Allowance scheme is estimated to be over €1.1 billion. Means tests are an essential components of our social welfare system - they help to direct scarce reroutes to where they are needed most. In the absence...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Reports (25 Apr 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Officials in my Department have been compiling material related to all areas of the organisation to draft the Annual Report for 2023. This information is currently being collated. The content and design will be finalised in the coming weeks. It is intended that the 2023 Annual Report will be submitted to Government by the end of June 2024. The aim is to lay it before the Houses and...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Equal Opportunities Employment (25 Apr 2024)

Heather Humphreys: My Department provides a wide range of income and employment supports to assist jobseekers and employees with disabilities, and their employers. These supports include the Reasonable Accommodation Fund and the Disability Awareness Support Scheme. The Reasonable Accommodation Fund provides financial support for people with disabilities and for employers to help make their workplaces more...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (25 Apr 2024)

Heather Humphreys: I am committed to improving outcomes for people with a disability. In budget 2024 for example I provided for: A €400 once-off payment for Disability Allowance, Blind Pension, Invalidity Pension and Carer’s Support Grant recipients in November 2023 to address the high cost of living. A €200 lump sum Living Alone Allowance payment. A €300 lump sum Fuel Allowance...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Raidió Teilifís Éireann (25 Apr 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The function of Scope Section in my Department is to make decisions and provide information and advice on PRSI insurability in accordance with the Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005. In conducting insurability investigations, the Department's fundamental objective is first, to ensure that workers do not suffer a loss of entitlement to social insurance benefits as a consequence of...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (25 Apr 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The Department is committed to providing a quality service to all its customers. This includes ensuring that applications are processed and that decisions on entitlement are made as quickly as possible. The average number of weeks to award a Disability Allowance claim is currently 12 weeks. My Department understands the many pressures faced by people and always seeks to ensure that claims...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Pension Provisions (25 Apr 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Under the law as currently enacted, entitlement to a Widows, Widowers or Surviving Civil Partner’s Contributory pension is only available to a surviving partner who was party to a marriage or civil partnership. On Monday 22nd January the Supreme Court delivered its judgment in relation to the entitlement of an unmarried co-habitant to a Widows, Widowers or Surviving Civil...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Pension Provisions (25 Apr 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The introduction of an automatic enrolment (AE) retirement savings system is a Programme for Government commitment and a key priority for me as Minister for Social Protection. Implementation of the AE system is well underway, with the Automatic Enrolment Retirement Savings System Bill 2024 now having completed Second Stage in the Dáil and a tender process to contract for administration...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (25 Apr 2024)

Heather Humphreys: My Department is committed to supporting kinship carers in the valuable role they play in our society. A Guardians payment is made to a person caring for a child who satisfies the definition of an “orphan” under social welfare legislation. A child is considered an orphan if they are under 18 (or 22 if in full time education) and both parents are deceased; or one parent is...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pensions (25 Apr 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The Department of Social Protection provides income supports through a mixture of contributory payments (which are based on a person's social insurance record) and means-tested social assistance payments. To receive either a contributory or social assistance payment a person currently in receipt of an increase for a qualified adult under their partner's payment must qualify for that payment...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Pension Provisions (25 Apr 2024)

Heather Humphreys: This Government acknowledges the vital role that family carers play and is fully committed to supporting them in that role. Accordingly, the current State Pension (Contributory) system provides measures including PRSI credits, Homemaking Disregards and HomeCaring Periods to recognise caring periods of up to 20 years outside of paid employment in the calculation of a payment rate. Despite...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pensions (25 Apr 2024)

Heather Humphreys: This Government acknowledges the important role that family carers play and is fully committed to supporting them in that role. Accordingly, the State Pension system currently gives significant recognition to those whose work history includes an extended period outside of paid employment, often to raise families or in a full-time caring role. Despite these measures, some long-term carers of...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Employment Rights (25 Apr 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. Anyone who has received a decision from my Department regarding a scheme they have applied for, which is appealable, or who had...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Poverty Data (25 Apr 2024)

Heather Humphreys: In the 2022 Survey on Income and Living Conditions, the consistent poverty rates for persons unable to work due to long-standing health problems, was at 19.7%. However, in the recent published Survey on Income and Living Conditions data, that figure has now reduced to 16.5%, a reduction of 3.2 percentage points. While I am pleased that this rate is coming down, it is still higher than the...