Results 9,541-9,560 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

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

Heather Humphreys: The provison of statutory leave is not a matter for my Department. Family leave, force majeure leave and other similar provisions fall under the Department of Justice, which is also the lead department for the policy response to issues related to domestic violence. Since August, I introduced changes to the rent supplement scheme to make it more easily accessible to victims of domestic...

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

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 526, 530 and 554 together. Under the supplementary welfare allowance scheme, my Department may make a single exceptional needs payment (ENP) 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 (UNP) may be made to persons who may not normally qualify for...

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

Heather Humphreys: In December 2019, my Department engaged with external consultants in order to undertake a review of all current contracted Public Employment Services (PES), including JobPath. The consultants' research, recently completed, will help inform the Government's approach on the future structure of all contracted PES. I expect that the final report will be formally submitted to me shortly. The...

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

Heather Humphreys: As the Deputy will be aware, Community Employment (CE) supervisors and assistant supervisors have been seeking for several years, through their union representatives, the allocation of Exchequer funding to implement a 2008 Labour Court recommendation relating to the provision of a pension scheme. CE sponsoring authorities are the legal employers of their CE supervisors, CE assistant...

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

Heather Humphreys: The fuel allowance is a payment of €24.50 per week for 28 weeks (a total of €686 each year) from October to April, to an average of 352,000 low income households, at an estimated cost of €261.35 million in 2020. The purpose of this payment is to assist these households with their energy costs. The allowance represents a contribution towards the energy costs of a...

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

Heather Humphreys: The Government has extended the Pandemic Unemployment Payment until the end of March 2021 to support employees and businesses who continue to be impacted by the on-going public health restrictions. I have also secured approval to keep the scheme open to new applicants until the end of the year. This payment in addition to other existing supports are available to the sector referred to by...

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

Heather Humphreys: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 18 March 2020. It is a statutory requirement of the appeals process that the relevant papers and comments by or on behalf of the Deciding Officer on the grounds of appeal be sought from the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection. These papers were received...

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

Heather Humphreys: Invalidity pension (IP) is a payment for people of working age who are permanently incapable of work because of illness or incapacity and who satisfy the pay related social insurance (PRSI) contribution conditions. Those in receipt of the personal rate of invalidity pension at pension age generally transfer automatically to the State pension (contributory) at the full payment rate....

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Carer's Allowance (22 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: Carer's allowance (CA) is a means-tested social assistance payment made to a person who is habitually resident in the State and who is providing full-time care and attention to a child or an adult who has such a disability that as a result they require that level of care. I can confirm that my department received an application for CA from the person concerned on 20 August 2020. To qualify...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Personal Public Service Numbers (22 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The SAFE registration process, which my Department uses to authenticate a person's identity when they apply for a Personal Public Service Number (PPSN), is a face- to-face process. 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 HSE and WHO guidelines in respect of social...

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

Heather Humphreys: The person concerned has been participating in a Tús employment programme since 18/11/2019. He is in receipt of the maximum personal payment rate of €203 plus an additional allowance of €22.50 in line with current Tús guidelines. His total weekly payment is €225.50. The person concerned does not currently have an entitlement to a Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment...

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

Heather Humphreys: The person concerned submitted an application for a Disability Allowance on 13/06/2018. The application, based upon the evidence submitted was refused on medical grounds and the person concerned was notified in writing of this decision on 07/08/2018. A further application was received from the person concerned on 18/10/19 and this was also refused on medical grounds. The person concerned...

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

Heather Humphreys: In the case where a person has had a reduction in their days of employment, the Department has clarified that, subject to satisfying the relevant eligibility criteria, employees may claim casual Jobseeker’s 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. ...

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

Heather Humphreys: My Department introduced the Income Support Helpline in mid-March as part of its response to the COVID-19 pandemic and in order to meet the large scale public need for information and advice relating to available income supports. Since then, the Helpline has answered thousands of public enquiries and supported our customers by providing information and advice - usually relating to the...

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

Heather Humphreys: I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that an oral hearing of the appeal of the person concerned took place on 31 August 2020 and that the Appeals Officer is now considering the appeal in the light of all of the evidence submitted, including that adduced at the oral hearing. The person concerned will be notified of the Appeals Officer’s decision when the appeal has been...

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

Heather Humphreys: In the case where a person has had a reduction in their days of employment, the Department has clarified that, subject to satisfying the relevant eligibility criteria, employees may claim Casual 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. Officials from my...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Carer's Allowance (22 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: Carer's allowance (CA) is a means-tested social assistance payment made to a person who is habitually resident in the State and who is providing full-time care and attention to a child or an adult who has such a disability that as a result they require that level of care. I can advise the Deputy that the number of CA applications received in my department from 1 January 2018 up to 31 August...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Jobseeker's Payments (22 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: In the case where a person has had a reduction in their days of employment, the Department has clarified that, subject to satisfying the relevant eligibility criteria, employees may claim casual Jobseeker’s 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. Officials...

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

Heather Humphreys: Last week, my Department made pandemic unemployment payments to 206,341 people at a cost of some €61.3 million. In total over €3.5 billion has been spent on these payments. As announced under the July Stimulus, the pandemic unemployment payment has been extended until end of March 2021. I have recently secured agreement of Government to keep the payment open to new...

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

Heather Humphreys: The table below shows the total number of persons in receipt of State pension for the last five years. The number of State pension (contributory) recipients is increasing year on year. The number of State pension (non-contributory) recipients has remained relatively stable over the same period, with a decrease in recipients in 2019. Recipients Scheme 2015 2016 ...