Results 9,161-9,180 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (8 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 650 and 789 together. Firstly, I would like to say that my thoughts are with all workers who have been temporarily laid off or who are faced with job losses at this difficult time. I want to assure the Deputy that the purpose of the emergency measure, which relates to redundancy entitlements following temporary periods of lay-off and short-time work due...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Public Services Card (8 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 651, 703 and 732 together. 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 in March 2020, my Department temporarily postponed the SAFE registration process. This decision was taken to...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (8 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: Following a review, the Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment for the person concerned has been rerated back to €350 with effect from 26/06/2020. All rerated arrears have been paid. I trust this clarifies the matter.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (8 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: All social welfare schemes are subject to control and compliance checks in order to ensure that the Exchequer resources provided for those schemes are protected. The pandemic unemployment payment scheme is subject to conditionality, in particular the requirement to be resident in Ireland to receive the payment under the scheme. Under the provisions of the Social Welfare Consolidation Act...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (8 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: All social welfare schemes are subject to control and compliance checks in order to ensure that the Exchequer resources provided for those schemes are protected. The pandemic unemployment payment (PUP) scheme is subject to conditionality, in particular that a person must be resident in the State and must have lost their employment due to the pandemic and are now fully unemployed. To...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Carer's Allowance (8 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that an Appeals Officer, having fully considered all of the available evidence, has decided to allow the appeal of the person concerned by way of a summary decision. The person concerned has been notified of the Appeals Officer’s decision. The Social Welfare Appeals Office functions independently of the Minister for Employment Affairs...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Carer's Allowance (8 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The main income supports for carers provided by my Department are Carer’s Allowance, Carer’s Benefit, Domiciliary Care Allowance and the Carer’s Support Grant. The projected expenditure on Carer’s Allowance in 2020 is approximately €919 million. Combined spending on all these payments to carers in 2020 is expected to exceed €1.3 billion. ...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (8 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 661, 662 and 689 together. My Department announced that people who are in receipt of a jobseekers payment who wish to travel to Green List countries can do so without their payment being affected. Legislation to put the Pandemic Unemployment Payment on a statutory footing has been enacted and regulations in relation to payment while absent from the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Personal Public Service Numbers (8 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: Eligibility for Treatment Benefit is based on a person having the required number of PRSI contributions paid, in total and in the relevant contribution year. Where a person does not have the required contributions themselves they may qualify if they are considered to be financially dependent on a spouse/partner who is a qualified contributor, A person is considered to be financially...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes (8 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The Community Employment (CE) 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 CE is for one year. However, CE participants who are working towards a major...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (8 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: It is my Departament's policy that the Pandemic Unemployment Payment and certain primary payments such as One Parent Family Payment, Jobseekers Transitional Payment and Carers Allowance can be paid together where the individual has lost full employment due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This means that anyone who was in receipt of Jobseekers Transitional Payment who was also working and loses...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pension (Contributory) (8 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The person concerned reached pension age on 2 April 2012. They applied for State pension (contributory) on 7 January 2015. At the time of the person’s application, the qualifying conditions for State pension (contributory) required a minimum of 260 paid full-rate contributions and a minimum yearly average of 10. According to the records of my Department, the person had 210 paid...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Records (8 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The person concerned submitted an application for disability allowance (DA) on 27 November 2018. Their application, based upon all the evidence submitted, was refused on medical grounds as it was not found that this person was substantially restricted in taking up employment and their means exceededthe statutory limit for receipt of DA. The person concerned was notified in writing of this...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Insurance (8 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: A policy to introduce the Total Contributions Approach (TCA) to pensions calculation was adopted by Government in the National Pensions Framework in 2010. In September 2012, new rate bands were introduced that saw benefits more closely aligned to contributions made and helped the long term sustainability of the Social Insurance Fund, protecting future beneficiaries. In January 2018, a...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes (8 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The Alzheimer’s Society of Ireland (ASI) currently operates 7 Community Employment (CE) schemes nationally that supports and provides employment opportunities for 133 CE participants. In late June, 2020 the ASI contacted my Department to discuss the possible closure of a number of CE schemes operated by it. The Board of the ASI subsequently took a decision to close 3 of its schemes,...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments Administration (8 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: My Department introduced a series of measures to maintain social welfare payments while assisting with social distancing measures designed to combat the spread of the Coronavirus. Fortnightly payments were introduced to minimise the need for people to attend and queue in banks or post offices to collect payments, so helping people restrict their movements to essential activities only....

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Carer's Support Grant (8 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 673 to 675, inclusive, together. The estimated full year cost of increasing the Carer's Support Grant from €1700 to €2000 is €41.9 million. The estimated full year cost of increasing the rate of Carer's Allowance and Carer's Benefit by €5 per week is €17.2 million and €0.7 million respectively. The costs shown above...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Disability Allowance (8 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The estimated full year cost of increasing Disability Allowance by five euro per week is €40.9 million. This includes a proportionate increase for qualified adults. This costing is on a full year basis and is based on the estimated number of recipients in 2020. It should be noted this is subject to change in the context of emerging trends and associated revision of the estimated...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Blind Person's Pension (8 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The estimated full year cost of increasing the Blind Pension by €9 per week is €0.6 million. This includes a proportionate increase for qualified adults. This costing is on a full year basis and is based on the estimated number of recipients in 2020. It should be noted this is subject to change in the context of emerging trends and associated revision of the estimated numbers...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Wage Subsidy Scheme (8 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The Wage Subsidy Scheme is an employment support to private sector employers, the objective of which is to encourage employers to employ people with disabilities and thereby increase the numbers of people with disabilities obtaining and sustaining employment in the open labour market. The scheme provides financial incentives to private sector employers to hire people with a disability for...