Results 3,661-3,680 of 5,587 for speaker:Kevin Humphreys

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: JobsPlus Scheme (25 Jun 2015)

Kevin Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 33, 63 and 64 together. JobsPlus provides a direct monthly financial incentive to employers who recruit long-term unemployed persons from the live register. In the first 5 months of this year, the Department made payments of €8.25 million to almost 3,600 employers in respect of 4,900 employees. Two levels of payment are provided - €7,500...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes Data (25 Jun 2015)

Kevin Humphreys: At the end of May 2015, there were 1,423 Community Employment (CE) participants taking part in the dedicated childcare training programme at FETAC Level 5 (Early Childhood Care and Education). The process is not yet completed in the Dublin area. This dedicated training programme is aimed at CE participants who are working directly with children. Overall, it has resulted in a...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Work Placement Programmes (25 Jun 2015)

Kevin Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 46 and 47 together. Gateway is a local authority work placement initiative that aims to provide short-term work opportunities for those who are unemployed for more than 24 months. Participants benefit by being involved in work, work readiness is improved and they are able to apply their existing skills and learn new ones. The scheme is also intended to assist...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance Scheme (25 Jun 2015)

Kevin Humphreys: The back to school clothing and footwear allowance (BSCFA) scheme provides a once-off payment to eligible families to assist with the extra costs when children start school each autumn. The Government has provided €44.3 million for this scheme in 2015. In 2014, BSCFA payments were made to over 166,000 families in respect of over 304,400 children at a cost of €42.5 million....

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: School Meals Programme (25 Jun 2015)

Kevin Humphreys: The school meals programme provides funding towards the provision of food services to some 1,600 schools and organisations and benefits over 207,000 children. Despite pressure on the social protection budget, the Government allocated an additional €2 million for the programme in 2015, providing a total allocation of €39 million. The provision for the scheme for 2016 will be...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Schemes Expenditure (25 Jun 2015)

Kevin Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 56 and 57 together. In 2014, the average number of interns on JobBridge each week was 6,558, giving an annual expenditure on the €50 weekly top-up of €17,050,800. In 2015 to a current date of 18thJune, an average of 5,987 interns were on JobBridge each week, and based on these figures this would give an estimated annual expenditure on the...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes Data (25 Jun 2015)

Kevin Humphreys: The average cost of a Community Employment place in 2015 (inclusive of supervision, materials, training and allowances), based on the 2015 Budget, is €14,705 per annum.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes Data (25 Jun 2015)

Kevin Humphreys: The estimated total costs of 4,000 additional CE places, for full year participation, would be approximately €58.8 million.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Supplementary Welfare Allowance Expenditure (25 Jun 2015)

Kevin Humphreys: Diet supplement, administered under the supplementary welfare allowance (SWA) scheme, is payable to some 4,500 qualifying persons, in receipt of the supplement prior to February 2014, who have been prescribed a special diet as a result of a specified medical condition. During 2013, the Department commissioned the Irish Nutrition and Dietetic Institute (INDI) to update their previous...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits Eligibility (25 Jun 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 therefore 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...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance Scheme Eligibility (25 Jun 2015)

Kevin Humphreys: The Department will make automatic payments of back to school clothing and footwear allowance (BSCFA) to approximately 106,000 people week ending 17 July 2015. The person referred to by the Deputy is not among the group of customers selected for automatic payment so they will have to complete an application form. An application form has been sent to the person concerned which should be...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance Scheme Eligibility (25 Jun 2015)

Kevin Humphreys: The Department will make automatic payments of back to school clothing and footwear allowance (BSCFA) to approximately 106,000 people week ending 17 July 2015. The person referred to by the Deputy is not among the group of customers selected for automatic payment so they will have to complete an application form. An application form has been sent to the person concerned which should be...

Topical Issue Debate: Rent Supplement Scheme Payments (30 Jun 2015)

Kevin Humphreys: I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. The report to which he referred was published this morning. I compliment him on tabling a Topical Issue matter on the report so quickly.

Topical Issue Debate: Rent Supplement Scheme Payments (30 Jun 2015)

Kevin Humphreys: Rent supplement plays a vital role in housing families and individuals, supporting approximately 67,000 people, of whom 6,400 have been awarded in 2015, at a total cost of €298 million. More than 2,400 people are in receipt of the new housing assistance payment, HAP, administered by the local authorities. Today's report from the Simon Community entitled, Locked out of the Market: The...

Topical Issue Debate: Rent Supplement Scheme Payments (30 Jun 2015)

Kevin Humphreys: As the Deputy knows, the HAP is dealt with by the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government and the Minister, Deputy Alan Kelly. I understand there has been flexibility under that scheme regarding the homeless. I may be wrong and will ask the Minister to contact the Deputy about it. The Minister is to bring proposals on rent certainty to the Cabinet before the end of...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes Operation (30 Jun 2015)

Kevin Humphreys: When Community Employment (CE) was originally set up in 1994, the rationale for having local sponsor groups employ the CE participants was to give these community groups valuable experience of establishing themselves as an employer, paying wages, making Revenue returns, etc., so that this experience could be re-used in the future for setting up other local initiatives and possibly local...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Rent Supplement Scheme Payments (30 Jun 2015)

Kevin Humphreys: Rent supplement plays a vital role in supporting 68,000 families and individuals at a cost of €298 million. Over 5,600 rent supplement claims have been awarded in 2015. The Department’s recent review of rent limits points out that the main cause of difficulty for persons renting and seeking to rent is the reduced availability of affordable private rented accommodation. In...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes Funding (30 Jun 2015)

Kevin Humphreys: The Community Employment (CE) programme is delivered through sponsoring organisations approved by the Department primarily from the community and voluntary sector. These organisations contract with the Department to provide work experience and training opportunities on an annual basis for jobseekers and other qualifying adults. The sponsoring committee members act on a voluntary basis....

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes Cessation (30 Jun 2015)

Kevin Humphreys: My understanding is that the scheme referred to by the Deputy is the community involvement scheme which is funded by the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport. The community employment programme plays no role in the upkeep of local or other roads.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes Operation (30 Jun 2015)

Kevin Humphreys: The Deputy will be aware that CE supervisors are the employees of private companies. In the circumstances, it is not possible for the State to take over responsibility for funding occupational pension arrangements for employees of private companies, even where those companies are reliant on State funding. This position was confirmed by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (D/PER)...