Results 9,361-9,380 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (15 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 521, 527 and 528 together. The Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government is the lead Department for severe weather emergencies and the Office of Public Works (OPW) has responsibility for capital flood relief activities. However, my Department has an important role to play in assisting households in the immediate aftermath of emergency events, such...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Disability Allowance (15 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: Maternity Leave (15 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: Maternity benefit is a payment made for 26 weeks to employees and those in self-employment who are on maternity leave and who satisfy certain pay related social insurance (PRSI) contribution conditions. A decision to extend the period of maternity leave for employees would have to be implemented by my colleague, the Minister for Justice and Equality, who has policy and legal responsibility...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Back to Education Allowance (15 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 525 and 526 together. The back to education allowance (BTEA) provides income support for jobseekers and others in receipt of certain social welfare payments that pursue courses of education at second or third level. The main focus of the BTEA is to assist qualifying applicants to improve their educational qualifications and improve their prospects of gaining...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Grant Payments (15 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I can confirm that an application in respect of the school referred to by the Deputy has been received by my Department under the CLÁR programme. CLÁR provides funding for small scale projects in rural areas that have experienced significant levels of de-population. The Measures being funded under the 2020 programme are: Measure 1: Schools/Community Safety Measures Measure 2:...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Expenditure (15 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: LEADER is a multi-annual programme with a budget of €250 million over the period 2014-2020. €225 million of this budget was allocated at the outset of the programme to Local Action Groups (LAGs) who deliver the programme and approve projects at local level. The balance of €25 million is provided for thematic projects and is allocated at national level once the projects...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: National Broadband Plan (15 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The Mobile Phone and Broadband Taskforce was launched in July 2016 to be a driving force for improving access to telecommunications services throughout Ireland. Since its inception, the Taskforce has addressed more than 70 targeted actions to alleviate connectivity barriers and resolve issues that negatively impacted on the rollout of essential telecommunications infrastructure in rural...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Projects (15 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The Department of Rural and Community Development is not responsible for any projects of this scale.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Low Pay Commission (16 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The Programme for Government states that the Low Pay Commission is to examine Universal Basic Income, informed by a review of previous international pilots, and resulting in a universal basic income pilot in the lifetime of the Government. This matter will be progressed in line with the Programme for Government commitment and a referral to the Low Pay Commission will be made in due...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Employment Rights (16 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: Ireland has a comprehensive suite of employment rights legislation that protects all employees, including migrant workers, who are legally employed on a contract of service basis.  This is specifically set out in Section 20 of the Protection of Employees (Part-Time Work) Act 2001.  Anyone employed under a contract of employment has access to those protections, including entitlement...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (16 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The Government has given approval to keep the Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) open to new applications until the end of 2020.  The payment was due to close to new applications on the 17thSeptember 2020.  It is also open to those who were in receipt of PUP and who returned to work, to reapply for PUP, should they be made unemployed before the end of the year.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (16 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The records of my Department show the person concerned submitted an application for a Jobseeker's Benefit payment dated 12/3/2020.  In this application he confirmed his last day worked was 28/2/2020 and that his employment had ended.  His loss of employment was not due to the Covid-19 pandemic.  The person concerned also provided a letter from his former employer confirming...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (16 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The information requested by the Deputy, including the benefits available to voluntary contributors, is contained in the following table. PRSI Class A B C D E H J K M P S Voluntary Contributions Adoptive Benefit X X X ...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (16 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 96 to 98, inclusive, together. The Department has advised that subject to satisfying the relevant eligibility criteria, employees may claim casual (i.e. part-time) jobseeker payments or Short-Time Work Support payments for days of unemployment, even where their employer is claiming the Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme for days of employment.  The...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Data (16 Sep 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...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Pensions Reform (16 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The Programme for Government "Our Shared Future" commits to introducing a Retirement Payment for 65 year olds paid at the same rate as Jobseeker's Benefit without a requirement to sign on, partake in any activation measures or be available for and genuinely seeking work.  I wish to assure the Deputy that I have made the introduction of the new Retirement Payment an immediate...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Back to Education Allowance (16 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The back to education allowance (BTEA) is a scheme that allows persons in receipt of certain social welfare payments the opportunity to pursue a course of study, while still maintaining their income support, subject to satisfying a number of conditions.  The conditions include progressing in the level of education held by an applicant with reference to the national framework of...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Regional Development (17 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. The designation of the northern and western region by the EU as a region in transition underscores the importance of achieving balanced regional development as our economy and population continue to grow. The programme for Government places a strong emphasis on balanced regional development as our economy and population continue to grow and does...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Regional Development (17 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I am aware of these matters, being from the northern and western region, as is the Deputy. I have met with the Northern and Western Regional Assembly on two occasions in recent months, most recently at the end of July in Ballaghaderreen. I heard first-hand of its concerns about the new European regional development fund, ERDF, funding and how important it is that it should get the...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Regional Development (17 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: There has been considerable investment, which is not to take away from the fact that we want to see more investment. Some €5.6 million was invested under the regional enterprise development fund, €22.3 million was invested under the rural regeneration fund and €9.1 million was invested under the urban regeneration and development fund. In my last Department, I...