Results 3,381-3,400 of 5,587 for speaker:Kevin Humphreys

Seanad: Commencement Matters: School Staffing (26 Mar 2015)

Kevin Humphreys: I know Kerry very well and go there on a regular basis. It is a very beautiful and scenic part of the country and is doing exceptionally well from a tourism perspective. Its employment figures are going in the right direction, as per recent announcements. To deal with the matter in hand, the Senator will know that the Minister for Education and Skills has outlined the new pupil teacher...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: School Staffing (26 Mar 2015)

Kevin Humphreys: I certainly do. I was asked to respond to a particular matter, which I did. I would be quite happy to come back for a Commencement matter to discuss rural Ireland, as would the Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Deputy Ann Phelan. When the Minister changed the criteria for two, three and four teacher schools, it was widely welcomed. A positive...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Humanitarian Assistance Scheme (31 Mar 2015)

Kevin Humphreys: The Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government is the lead Department for severe weather emergencies and the Office of Public Works has responsibility for capital flood relief activities. However, the Department of Social Protection has an important role to play in assisting households in the immediate aftermath of emergency events such as flooding or severe weather. The...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Employment Support Services (31 Mar 2015)

Kevin Humphreys: The key objective of activation policy and labour market initiatives is to offer assistance to those most in need of support in securing work and achieving financial self-sufficiency. This policy objective prioritises scarce resources to those in receipt of qualifying welfare payments. Accordingly the employment services and schemes provided by the Department are focused, in the first...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Homeless Persons Supports (31 Mar 2015)

Kevin Humphreys: The rent supplement scheme provides support to eligible people living in private rented accommodation whose means are insufficient to meet their accommodation costs and who do not have accommodation available to them from any other source. There are currently approximately 70,000 rent supplement recipients for which the Government has provided over €298 million for 2015. The...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments Administration (31 Mar 2015)

Kevin Humphreys: Tús is a community work placement initiative, established in 2011, that provides short-term part-time working opportunities for unemployed people. The income received by participants on Tús is treated as income from employment for PRSI purposes and, in the same manner as other workers, is subject to Class A PRSI. This provides the participants on these schemes with access to the...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: National Internship Scheme Data (31 Mar 2015)

Kevin Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 212, 216, 217, 221, 227 and 245 together. Since 15th July, 2014, a total of 108 JobBridge complaints have been recorded on the Department’s centralized complaints facility. As a matter of course, all complaints are investigated. As at 27th March, 2015, a total of 43 host organisations had been disqualified from participation in the scheme. Since 15th...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Work Placement Programmes (31 Mar 2015)

Kevin Humphreys: Gateway is a work placement initiative delivered by county and city councils which aims to provide short-term work opportunities for those who are unemployed for more than 24 months. Participants will benefit by being involved in work, they will improve their work readiness and will be able to apply their skills and learn new ones. The scheme was introduced in December 2013 and selected...

Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2015: Order for Report Stage (1 Apr 2015)

Kevin Humphreys: I move: "That Report Stage be taken now."

Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2015: Report Stage (1 Apr 2015)

Kevin Humphreys: I thank Deputies for their contribution. As Deputy Collins said, we debated this extensively on Committee Stage. The Public Appointments Service recently conducted a competition to recruit permanent medical assessors for the Department. Following that competition, ten doctors were placed on the panel. One doctor has since withdrawn from it and four of them will start on 27 April. In...

Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2015: Report Stage (1 Apr 2015)

Kevin Humphreys: That is not the intention of the Department. There are obvious benefits in being able to use agency medical assessors as required in the case of a backlog. It does not make sense to recruit them on a permanent basis in the long term. Why establish additional services we do not need long term? However, we are committed to keeping the current demand of 25 permanent medical assessors in...

Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2015: Report Stage (1 Apr 2015)

Kevin Humphreys: I stated that I accepted the constructive way in which they were put.

Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2015: Report Stage (1 Apr 2015)

Kevin Humphreys: To answer Deputy Ó Snodaigh, as is the case for all staff in the Department, the need for medical assessors is kept under constant review. Everybody in the House realises that while we have quite a young population at present, we face very large challenges in the future, and it will have to be reviewed by future Governments as time goes on. As the make-up of the population changes...

Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2015: Report Stage (1 Apr 2015)

Kevin Humphreys: I already gave the figures which show an increase in the numbers being awarded carer’s allowance. The figures do not bear out Deputy O’Dea’s assertion the Department is operating the scheme in a different fashion. There appears to be a misconception that section 4 is in some way shifting the burden of proof from the Department to the claimant and that a negative...

Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2015: Report Stage (1 Apr 2015)

Kevin Humphreys: Deputy O'Dea knows that we normally get two social welfare Bills per year. This period is also used as an opportunity to tidy up legislation. The Deputy knows that from being in Government over many decades. I will be very clear. Our legal advice is that there is no shift in presumption. I refute the suggestion that these changes are being made to make it more difficult for a person to...

Topical Issue Debate: Community Development Projects (1 Apr 2015)

Kevin Humphreys: If the Deputies will forgive me, I will depart from the script that has been circulated. This matter involves substantial funding. A sum of €600,000 will be paid over three years. In many ways, Pobal is a gatekeeper, and we have to make sure this money is spent correctly. The provision of such funding over a three-year contract is a fantastic asset to local communities. This is...

Topical Issue Debate: Community Development Projects (1 Apr 2015)

Kevin Humphreys: Deputy Catherine Byrne is correct. It is €650,000. I am a little cautious about streamlining. It is the flexibility of the community service programme that makes it work well. There is flexibility in the services where numbers of groups come together but there is one overall manager. In this case, the CDETB has taken on the administration of it. The way this is managed varies...

Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2015: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (1 Apr 2015)

Kevin Humphreys: Now.

Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2015: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (1 Apr 2015)

Kevin Humphreys: Have I a time limit?

Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2015: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (1 Apr 2015)

Kevin Humphreys: I will be brief. I thank Deputy Ó Snodaigh for his remarks and for saying the Bill is progressive. He said he has particular problems with it and I accept that. I accept the point in respect of the Constitutional Convention as well. I would have welcomed a debate on the recommendation of tabling amendments. That is interesting. The Deputy asked me to raise it with the Tánaiste...