Results 8,781-8,800 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Illness Benefit (21 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The person concerned is claiming Illness Benefit since 4th April 2020 and is being paid at the personal rate of €159 per week. The rate of Illness Benefit payment is based on a person's weekly earnings in the governing contribution year; for claims made in 2020, that year is 2018. As the person concerned had weekly earnings in 2018 between €220.00-€299.99, she qualifies...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pension (Contributory) (21 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: According to the records of my Department, the person concerned has a total of 924 full-rate paid and credited contributions from their date of entry into insurable employment (5 December 1960) to end-December 2009, which equates to a yearly average of 18 contributions. This gives them an entitlement to a reduced rate of State pension (contributory), at 75% of the maximum rate, which has...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (21 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The enhanced Illness Benefit payment is payable where a person has a diagnosis of COVID 19 or where they are medically certified as being a probable source of infection. In cases where the person is self-isolating on the instruction of a doctor or the HSE due to being a probable source of infection of COVID-19 enhanced Illness Benefit is paid for a maximum of 4 weeks. If a person receives a...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Job Losses (21 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: Section 12 of the Protection of Employment Act 1977 provides that employers proposing a collective redundancy must notify the Minister of the proposed collective redundancy. The statistics in relation to collective redundancy notifications since March 2020 are - Collective Redundancies Notified March April May June July (to 15/07) ...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pensions (21 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 467 and 477 together. The Social Welfare and Pensions Act, 2011 provides for increases to the State pension age to make the State pension system more sustainable as life expectancy increases. This began in January 2014 with the abolition of the State Pension (Transition). This measure standardised the State pension age for all at 66 years. The...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Contracts (21 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I can confirm that neither my Department nor the agencies under its remit have had any contracts with the company referred to during the period from 1 January 2016 to 14 July 2020.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (21 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) was introduced by my Department in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. It is an income support payment for both employees and the self-employed who have become fully unemployed due to a downturn in economic activity related to Covid-19. The PUP is payable where a person meeting the qualifying criteria became unemployed on or after 06/03/2020....

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (21 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: From the 29/06/2020 the rate of the Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) which a person receives depends on their gross weekly employment earnings. The rate of PUP is based on prior earnings notified to Revenue. It is important to note that my Department can only accept earnings which have been notified to Revenue and subject to PRSI. According to the records of my Department the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (21 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: Graduates who complete their education may apply for a jobseeker's payment if they are unable to obtain employment. Jobseekers benefit is an income support, for people who satisfy the conditions of the scheme including the requirement to have a certain number of paid social insurance contributions; they must have suffered a substantial loss of employment and are available for full time...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals (21 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The Social Welfare Appeals Office functions independently of the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection and of the Department and is responsible for determining appeals against decisions in relation to social welfare entitlements. I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that there are currently 6,669 appeals at various stages of the appeals process. Under Article...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Offices (21 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: Intreo Centres (ICs) are a single point of contact for all employment and income supports. The Centres are designed to provide a streamlined approach, offering practical, tailored employment services and supports for jobseekers. The range of services provided by Clifden IC are similar to those provided by ICs nationally including those provided by Galway IC. In the interests of continuing to...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Staff (21 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: My Department, like all Government departments and agencies is required to operate within a staff ceiling figure and a commensurate administrative staffing budget. The staffing needs for all areas within the Department are continuously reviewed, taking account of workloads, management priorities and the ongoing need to respond to new demands across a wide range of services. This is to ensure...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Reports (21 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The Duffy-Cahill Report, which was commissioned by the Government in the aftermath of the Clery’s closure, highlighted how the issues raised by that event and the subsequent legal cases are highly complex. The Duffy-Cahill Report was sent to the Company Law Review Group (CLRG) in 2016 for its consideration as part of the work of that group in advising the Minister for Business...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (21 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: People aged 66 years and over are provided for within the Social Protection income support framework through the State Pension, either the contributory State pension based on PRSI contributions or the non-contributory means tested pension. The maximum weekly rate of payment for a person in receipt of the State Contributory pension in a two person household with an adult dependent who is over...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Energy Efficiency (21 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: My Department has not received reports of delays in the application of credits to the accounts of customers with the energy supplier identified by the Deputy. I understand the Deputy has been in contact with the person concerned to ascertain required information to allow my Department to examine the matter. Once this information, including the person's name and PPSN, is received from the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Invalidity Pension (21 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: Invalidity pension (IP) is a payment for people who are permanently incapable of work because of illness or incapacity and for no other reason and who satisfy the pay related social insurance (PRSI) contribution conditions. A claim for IP was received from the lady concerned on 21 February 2020.The claim was refused on the grounds that the medical conditions for the scheme were not...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Community Services Programme (21 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: This parliamentary question should have been addressed to me in my role as the Minister for Rural, Community Development and the Islands. Indecon International Economic Consultants were commissioned by the then Department of Rural and Community Development to carry out an independent review of the Community Services Programme. I am advised that the final report was received in February...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pension (Contributory) (21 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The person concerned reached pension age on 30 June 2020. According to the records of my Department, they have a total of 1,940 qualifying paid and credited Irish contributions which equates to a yearly average of 41 contributions. This gives an entitlement to a standard State pension (contributory) at 98% of the maximum rate. They are also eligible for fuel allowance (payable during winter...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Public Services Card (21 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The SAFE registration process, which my Department uses to authenticate a person's identity, is a face to face process which results in the issuing of a Public Services Card (PSC). At the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, my Department temporarily postponed the SAFE registration process. This decision was taken to comply with HSE and WHO guidelines in respect of social distancing. My...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: National Broadband Plan (21 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The National Broadband Plan (NBP) contract was signed with National Broadband Ireland (NBI) in November 2019 to roll out a high-speed and future-proofed broadband network to almost 540,000 premises across the State. Among the first premises to be connected under the NBP are approximately 300 Broadband Connection Points (BCPs). Each site will be provided with a wireless high speed broadband...