Results 301-320 of 22,123 for speaker:Heather Humphreys in 'Written Answers'

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Schemes (22 Oct 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The Household Benefits Package comprises the electricity or gas allowance, and the free television licence. The Department of Social Protection will spend approximately €294 million this year on the Household Benefits Package. People over the age of 70 receive the Household Benefits Package, with one package provided per household. The package is also available to people living in...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Schemes (22 Oct 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The primary objective of the Carer’s Allowance payment is to provide an income support to carers whose earning capacity is substantially reduced as a consequence of their caring responsibilities and in so doing to support the ongoing care of the person or people in respect of whom care is being provided. It is important to note that the Carer’s Allowance is not intended to be a...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Schemes (22 Oct 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Persons in receipt of certain social welfare payments who are providing full time care and attention to another person may continue to receive their main payment, and an additional payment of 50% of their rate of Carer's Allowance. This is known as the Half-Rate Carer's Allowance. At the end of September 2024 there were 14,889 recipients of State Pension Contributory or State Pension...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Schemes (22 Oct 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The school meals programme currently solely operates for 36 weeks of the school year in respect of primary schools and 33 weeks of the school year in respect of post primary schools. As announced in Budget 2025, it is planned to commence in Summer 2025, a Holiday Hunger pilot project which will be implemented by utilising my Department's School Meals Programme and the Department of...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Employment Schemes (22 Oct 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The Irish labour market continues to perform well. According to data made available by the CSO, the seasonally adjusted monthly unemployment rate is 4.3 percent as of September 2024. It has been between 4 and 5 percent, the level conventionally considered full employment for Ireland, since January 2022. Additionally, according to the quarterly Labour Force Survey, the long-term unemployment...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Schemes (22 Oct 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The Fuel Allowance is a payment of €33 per week for 28 weeks (a total of €924 each year) from late September to April, at an estimated cost of €382 million in 2024. The purpose of this payment is to assist these households with their energy costs. Only one allowance is paid per household. Based on 40,354 additional recipients of the working family payment qualifying...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Schemes (22 Oct 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The estimated full year of cost of increasing the living alone allowance by €2, €3, €4,€6, €8 and €10 is outlined in table below. Increase Cost €m €2 €26.04 €3 €39.06 €4 €52.08 €6 ...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Schemes (22 Oct 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. Child Benefit becomes payable in respect of newborn babies in the month after their birth. Parents of children born...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Schemes (22 Oct 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. In Budget 2025, I provided for two Child Benefit double payments to be paid before the end of this year. As a result, a...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (22 Oct 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Working Family Payment (WFP), formerly Family Income Supplement, is a weekly in-work support which provides an income top-up for employees on low earnings with children. To qualify for Working Family Payment the customer must have at least 1 qualified child who normally resides with them and be working a minimum of 38 hours per fortnight in ongoing insurable employment. An application...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals (22 Oct 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 referred to an Appeals Officer on 18th...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Schemes (22 Oct 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. The total number of reviews of DA carried out in 2023 was 10,399 and 8,608 have been...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Schemes (22 Oct 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Carer's Allowance 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. The total number of reviews of Carer’s Allowance carried out in 2023 was 12,616 and 12,393 have been carried out to...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Schemes (22 Oct 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Illness benefit is the primary short term income support provided by my Department to those who are unable to work due to illness of any type and who are covered by social insurance. Eligibility for illness benefit depends on the person’s PRSI record and class. The person must have made the required number of contributions under class A, E, H or P to qualify. In general,...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Properties (22 Oct 2024)

Heather Humphreys: My Department does not own any vacant properties. With the exception of the Department headquarters in Dublin, Áras Mhic Dhiarmada, which is held by the Minister on behalf of the Social Insurance Fund, all buildings and property occupied by the Department of Social Protection, are owned or leased by the Office of Public Works.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals (22 Oct 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 Appeals Officer, having fully considered all of the available evidence,...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (22 Oct 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Fuel Allowance is payable to people who satisfy the conditions of the scheme and who either live alone or only with certain qualified people. The person concerned must complete a Fuel Allowance application form and submit it to the Department in order to have their eligibility assessed and a formal decision made. To date, no application for fuel allowance has been received from the person...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (22 Oct 2024)

Heather Humphreys: A person should always apply for Illness Benefit if they are medically certified as unfit for work. Eligibility for Illness Benefit depends on the person’s PRSI record and class. People must have made the required number of contributions in Class A, E, H or P to qualify. In general, self-employed people make PRSI contributions at Class S which does not count towards eligibility for...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Pension Provisions (22 Oct 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 the Minister for Social Protection. Implementation of the AE system is now well underway, with the enactment of the Automatic Enrolment Retirement Savings System Act 2024 and the signing of a contract with Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) to...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (22 Oct 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Working Family Payment (WFP), formerly Family Income Supplement, is a weekly in-work support which provides an income top-up for employees on low earnings with children. To qualify for Working Family Payment the customer must have at least 1 qualified child who normally resides with them and be working a minimum of 38 hours per fortnight in ongoing insurable employment. The WFP renewal...