Results 9,481-9,500 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Carer's Allowance (22 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I hear the Deputy's point. As I said, it has only just been changed and in view of that fact I do not know why the situation he refers to was not taken into consideration when they were making this consideration. I will certainly look at the basis for the recommendation. We always keep these things under review.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Carer's Allowance (22 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I thank the Deputy for raising this specific issue which also relates to carers. As the Deputy knows, carer's allowance is a means-tested payment for carers who, on a full-time basis, look after certain people in need of full-time care and attention, where the carer's income falls below certain limits. At the end of August 2020, there were 87,733 people in receipt of carer's allowance and...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Carer's Allowance (22 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: sI thank the Deputy. I understand the point he is making. This is part of a wider debate that crosses into health policy. He will understand that the key role of my Department is income support. We are charged with identifying where a person has an income support need and providing that support in the form, for instance, of a jobseeker's payment, a disability allowance or a carer's...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Carer's Allowance (22 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I am not taking away from the wonderful work that carers do throughout the country. They do the State a great service through what they do for people who need this support and assistance, whether elderly people or people with disabilities. They provide a vital service. The Deputy has hit the nail on the head as to whether it is about an income and paying somebody for a job they do or...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Carer's Allowance (22 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I will be happy to engage with him through the committee. It is not confined to one Department. There is a bigger conversation to be had and it is important that we have it.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (22 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. The PUP was introduced as an emergency measure to provide an income support to those who had lost their employment as a result of Covid. A flat payment rate was introduced to ensure that the scheme was simple and accessible for the unprecedented number of applicants. On 26 June 2020, the PUP moved to two rates of payment. This change more...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (22 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I thank the Deputy for raising the issue. As he said, we are working through them and we will try to expedite all these issues as quickly as we can.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Social Welfare Benefits (22 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I thank the Deputy for raising this question on the extent to which the processing of applications for various social welfare payments can be expedited. My Department is committed to providing a quality service to all its customers. This includes ensuring that accurate decisions on entitlements are made as quickly as possible. Processing targets for my Department are set out each year in...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (22 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: As the economy has reopened, the number of persons reliant on State income supports introduced to cushion the shock of the pandemic has been declining. By August the Covid-19 adjusted unemployment rate had reduced to 15% from a high of 28% in April. However, the corresponding rate for under 25s remains high, at almost 38%, just slightly down on the 45% high of April. In part this is due to...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes (22 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, countrywide, 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...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (22 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I am acutely aware of the issues faced by self-employed people, in particular those in the arts and entertainment sector in dealing with the challenges created by Covid-19. I have met representatives from the sector and put in place special contact arrangements to ensure that they can check and avail of their entitlements. This includes the flexibility to take-up and receive payment for...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (22 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The Government is committed to keeping schools open. In instances where this is not possible, the Government has requested employers to be as flexible as possible in allowing staff time off to look after their children or other members of their families affected by Covid-19. Employers have a general duty of care towards their workers and that care is often expressed in the form of...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Exceptional Needs Payment (22 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: Under the supplementary welfare allowance scheme, my Department may make an exceptional needs payment to help meet essential, once-off expenditure which a person could not reasonably be expected to meet out of their weekly income. An urgent needs payment may be made to persons who may not normally qualify for supplementary welfare allowance but who have an urgent need which they cannot...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Retirement Payment (22 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The Programme for Government 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 priority for my Department. Officials...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (22 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: Where the circumstances so warrant it, separate payments in respect of a primary social welfare payment can be made and the statutory power to do so is provided under section 244 of the Social Welfare Consolidation Act, 2005 and associated regulations. Separate payments are usually made where it is likely that the amount of the social welfare payment payable will not be used for the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pension (Contributory) (22 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The Programme for Government “Our Shared Future” commits to the introduction ofa Total Contributions Approach (TCA). This approach, when it is introduced, is intended to be a fairer and more transparent system aligning a person’s contributory pension more closely with the contributions they make over their working life. It is anticipated that the approach will include...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (22 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: In the case where a person has been fully laid off from their employment, they should make an application for the Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment. I have recently announced that the time-frame for receiving new applications under this scheme has been extended until the end of this year.The quickest and easiest way to apply for this payment is online at mywelfare.ie. In the case...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes (22 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: Community Employment (CE) is a positive initiative that enables the long-term unemployed to make a contribution to their communities whilst up-skilling themselves for employment opportunities that will become available. The CE scheme can play an important role in breaking the cycle of long-term unemployment for some people and improve their chances of employment. The 2020 CE Budget is...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Public Services Card (22 Sep 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. At the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, my Department temporarily postponed the SAFE registration process. This decision was taken to comply with relevant public health guidance in respect of social...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Back to Education Allowance (22 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The Back to Education Allowance provides income support for jobseekers and certain others in receipt of social welfare payments who pursue courses of education at second or third level. The main focus of the allowance is to assist qualifying applicants to improve their educational qualifications and their prospects of gaining employment. The Back to Education Allowance has recently been...