Results 8,881-8,900 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: One-Parent Family Payment (28 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: Overpayments of social welfare assistance and benefit payments arise as a consequence of decisions made under the relevant sections of the Social Welfare (Consolidation) Act, 2005 (as amended).  Where an overpayment is raised, the Department makes every effort to recover the amount overpaid in full in the shortest time period. Overpayments can take a number of years to be...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (28 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: From the 29th June, the higher rate of Pandemic Unemployment Payment is only payable to those who had average weekly reckonable income of €200 or greater from self-employment prior to applying for the PUP.  As the Department has identified the person concerned as self-employed, it is basing its decision on their return of income in the 2018 tax year. In their...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Working Family Payment (28 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: Working Family Payment (WFP) is an income tested, in-work payment which provides additional income support to employees on low earnings with children and to offer a financial incentive to pursue employment. The numbers of Defence Force employees in receipt of WFP are as follows:  Employee Category WFP Recipients NCO's & other ranks ...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Child Benefit (28 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 619 and 621 together. The estimated cost of providing a one-off double monthly payment of Child Benefit is €172.7m.   The cost provided is based a double monthly child benefit payment  in one month of the year and is based on the estimated number of recipients in 2020. 

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Insurance (28 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The following table provides the estimated full year revenue in 2021 arising from the introduction of each of the employers' rates of PRSI listed on the portion of salaries over €100,000. PRSI % Yield 12.75 €99.8m 13.75 €158.5m 14.75 €217.3m 15.75 ...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: School Meals Programme (28 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The school meals programme provides funding towards the provision of food to some 1,580 schools and organisations benefitting 250,000 children.  The objective of the scheme is to provide regular, nutritious food to children who are unable, due to lack of good quality food, take full advantage of the education provided to them.  The programme is an important...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Supplementary Welfare Allowance (28 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: An officer of my Department has contacted the person concerned and advised her regarding suitable supports.  The person concerned declined to submit an application for Supplementary Welfare Allowance at this time but was assured that she could contact the Community Welfare Service in the future to seek advice/assistance if her circumstances necessitate this. I trust this clarifies the matter.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Overpayments (28 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The Department has reviewed this matter and there is no indication that anyone other than the person concerned collected these payments and this issue was not raised by her at that time. The contention that someone else collected the payment has not been raised as an issue up to now and was not raised in any of two previous correspondences. Where a payment is made at a post office, as in...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (28 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: From 29th June the rate of the Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) which a person will receive will depend on their gross weekly employment earnings as follows; - For those whose prior gross earnings were €200 per week or higher (about 75% of recipients), the PUP payment rate will remain at €350 per week; - For those whose prior gross earnings were up to €199.99 per week...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (28 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 628 and 630 together. The COVID 19 pandemic unemployment payment was introduced as an emergency measure to meet the surge in unemployment which resulted from the effects of the Coronavirus pandemic. To be eligible for the pandemic unemployment payment a person must have been in employment immediately prior to the 13th March and lost their income from...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Public Services Card (28 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: Preliminary work on the cost benefit analysis of the Public Services Card has begun and this work will be progressed over the coming months. I expect this work to be completed during the fourth quarter of this year.   I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (28 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The Enterprise Support Grant is being extended to assist eligible self-employed recipients who are exiting the COVID-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment scheme after 25th June 2020 to re-start their business.  A once-off grant will be awarded up to a maximum of €1,000 covering costs associated with re-opening a business which was closed due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. ...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Working Family Payment (28 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: Working Family Payment (formerly Family Income Supplement) is a weekly tax free payment which provides additional income support to employees on low earnings with children. In order to qualify for WFP, an applicant must have a qualified child and be engaged in full-time paid employment as an employee for not less than 38 hours per fortnight. Working Family Payment for the person concerned was...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Rural Regeneration and Development Fund (28 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The second call for Category 2 applications for the Fund closed on 28thFebruary and there was an excellent response from all across the country, with 76 applications received. On 25thJune 2020, Minister Ring announced details of 24 successful projects arising from this call.  The successful projects have been allocated €13 million in support from the Fund and will deliver a total...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (28 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The Government is aware of the challenges facing community and voluntary organisations and is committed to working closely with the sector in managing through these, recognising that it will require a whole of Government approach. The Community and Voluntary Sector Covid-19 Stability Fund is intended to be a targeted once-off cash injection for organisations and groups currently...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (29 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. The Covid-19 pandemic unemployment payment, PUP, was introduced as an emergency measure to meet the surge in unemployment which resulted from the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. From the outset, the payment has been made available to both employees and the self-employed. From a peak of more than 600,000 claimants, there are now fewer than...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (29 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I thank the Deputy. Where a person is self-employed, his or her gross average weekly income for 2018 is used to calculate the rate of the pandemic unemployment payment. That is because it is the last tax year for which verifiable data on self-employed income is available. The nature of self-employment is such that it is not possible for Revenue and for PRSI purposes to attribute...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (29 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I thank the Deputy. As I said last night, we have to take a common-sense approach to this because some sectors have not fully opened up yet. We will do that, and I have asked my officials to ensure that that sensible approach is taken for those who cannot return to work and who are waiting for their job to come back. If they work in a pub, and we hope pubs will reopen by 10 August, they...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Community Employment Schemes (29 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. The community employment scheme is an active labour market programme designed to provide eligible long-term unemployed people and other disadvantaged persons with an opportunity to engage in useful work within their communities on a temporary, fixed term basis. In general, the period of participation on community employment is for one year....

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Community Employment Schemes (29 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I thank the Deputy. People wanting to stay on longer on community employment schemes has been the most frequent request I have received since becoming Minister. As the Deputy is aware I am new to this Department and will be looking at these issues. I want to get the balance right between getting people back to full-time employment while also recognising that for some people, it is going to...