Results 9,021-9,040 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

Seanad: Social Welfare (Covid-19) (Amendment) Bill 2020: Committee and Remaining Stages (29 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The scope of the pandemic unemployment payment is clear as it is a working age payment, which covers people between 18 and 66.

Seanad: Social Welfare (Covid-19) (Amendment) Bill 2020: Committee and Remaining Stages (29 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I do not know if there is anything I can do for them. We can look at it.

Seanad: Social Welfare (Covid-19) (Amendment) Bill 2020: Committee and Remaining Stages (29 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The greatest number of requests I have had since becoming Minister relate to community employment schemes. There are always cases where people want to stay on community employment schemes and I understand the reasons. If everybody stayed on them, however, there would be no space for new people. The scheme is meant to allow people to get back to the workforce and into full employment....

Seanad: Social Welfare (Covid-19) (Amendment) Bill 2020: Committee and Remaining Stages (29 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I will certainly look at the rural social scheme. It does wonderful work in rural Ireland.

Seanad: Social Welfare (Covid-19) (Amendment) Bill 2020: Committee and Remaining Stages (29 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: Any employee who has been employed by the same employer for two years is entitled to redundancy payment. This legislation will not impact their rights in any way. I want to be clear on that. Regarding people who hope to go back to jobs, on 10 August, the remaining sectors of the economy will hopefully be able to reopen. Of course, we are always guided by public health advice. I said...

Seanad: Social Welfare (Covid-19) (Amendment) Bill 2020: Committee and Remaining Stages (29 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: Sorry, yes.

Seanad: Social Welfare (Covid-19) (Amendment) Bill 2020: Committee and Remaining Stages (29 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: There is no commencement order in the Bill.

Seanad: Social Welfare (Covid-19) (Amendment) Bill 2020: Committee and Remaining Stages (29 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: Yes, I have discretion. Is that okay?

Seanad: Social Welfare (Covid-19) (Amendment) Bill 2020: Committee and Remaining Stages (29 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: Obviously, I am fairly new in this job and I will be guided by my officials. I take the Senator's point. For people who know that they are going to get their job back in two weeks or three weeks - that the pub is going to open or the hotel is going to scale up or whatever is going to happen - nobody will all of a sudden make them go and find another job in the meantime and they will not be...

Seanad: Social Welfare (Covid-19) (Amendment) Bill 2020: Committee and Remaining Stages (29 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: It is not the intention to cause anybody distress.

Seanad: Social Welfare (Covid-19) (Amendment) Bill 2020: Committee and Remaining Stages (29 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: As I stated, there is no commencement order in this Act, and we will certainly take on board the Senator's views.

Seanad: Social Welfare (Covid-19) (Amendment) Bill 2020: Committee and Remaining Stages (29 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: It does not exist.

Seanad: Social Welfare (Covid-19) (Amendment) Bill 2020: Committee and Remaining Stages (29 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I was not out in the airport-----

Seanad: Social Welfare (Covid-19) (Amendment) Bill 2020: Committee and Remaining Stages (29 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: -----and I have no intention of going there. We need to put this issue into perspective. Social welfare staff paid the pandemic unemployment payment to more than 600,000 people. They did it by way of a one-page online application. The normal checks did not apply. They did not have face-to-face meetings. They did not have those normal checks. The payment was introduced quickly, as the...

Seanad: Social Welfare (Covid-19) (Amendment) Bill 2020: Committee and Remaining Stages (29 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: This regulation relates to the PUP. We are putting the PUP on the same footing as jobseeker's payments. That is the statutory instrument's purpose.

Seanad: Social Welfare (Covid-19) (Amendment) Bill 2020: Committee and Remaining Stages (29 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I thank Senators for their contributions and their co-operation in passing this Bill.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Enterprise Support Services (30 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 758, 760, 761, 762, 764, 765, 768, 769, 771, 772, 773, 774 and 776 together. The Enterprise Support Grant is a support available to participants of the Back to Work Enterprise Allowance to assist with start-up costs experienced by new enterprises. In 2019, approximately 4,800 applications were awarded at a cost of almost €3 million. This information...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (30 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: As part of the Government's July stimulus package, announced last week, the pandemic unemployment payment has been extended to 1st April 2021.  Further changes have been introduced to the structure of the payment which means that it continues to be a strong support but is also fair and targeted. Applications for the scheme will continue to be taken until 17 September 2020. ...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Civil Marriages (30 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The criteria used by registrars to assess the way in which a proposed marriage is deemed to be a marriage of convenience are contained in section 58(4C) of the Civil Registration Act 2004, which states as follows: (4C) In forming an opinion under subsection (4A) and deciding to refer the matter to the Superintendent Registrar, the registrar shall consider the following: (a) if the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (30 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 766, 790, 791, 792, 793, 852, 867 and 875 together. I have announced today that any self-employed person in receipt of the lower rate of the Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) who has submitted their 2019 returns to the Revenue Commissioners and feels that it may make a difference to their rate, can request a review of their PUP payment from my...