Results 9,661-9,680 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pension (Non-Contributory) (29 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: State pension non-contributory is a means-tested payment for people aged 66 and over, habitually residing in the State, who do not qualify for a state pension contributory, or who only qualify for a reduced rate contributory pension based on their social insurance record. For the purposes of the means-test, it is necessary at the outset for applicants to provide full details of any...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Invalidity Pension (29 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: Invalidity pension (IP) is a payment for people who are permanently incapable of work because of illness or incapacity and for no other reason and who satisfy the pay related social insurance (PRSI) contribution conditions. The department received a claim for IP for this gentleman on 18 May 2020.  The claim was refused on the grounds that the medical conditions for the scheme...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (29 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: In March 2020 the Government introduced an emergency amendment to the Redundancy Payments Act 1967 in order to ensure the future viability of businesses and help prevent permanent job losses.  As a result of Covid-19 there have been immediate and unprecedented volumes of temporary lay-off and short time work situations.  Under the existing provisions these lay-off and...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (29 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The Pandemic Unemployment Payment was introduced as an emergency measure to provide an income support to those who had lost their employment as a result of Covid.  In order to ensure that the scheme was simple and accessible for the unprecedented number of applicants, a flat payment rate was introduced. From 26 June 2020, the Pandemic Unemployment Payment moved to 2 rates of...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Illness Benefit (29 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The back to education allowance (BTEA) provides income support for jobseekers and others in receipt of certain social welfare payments who 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 employment. The BTEA is not intended to provide a basis...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: One-Parent Family Payment (29 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The provision of fostering services is a matter for Tusla (the Child and Family Agency). This includes any supports, including financial supports, that are required by either the foster parents or the foster children that specifically relate to fostering. Under the current social welfare legislation, in order to qualify for payment of One-Parent Family Payment (OFP) an applicant must be a...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (29 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: Last week, my Department issued payments valued at €61.3 million to over 206,341 people on the Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP). Of these, some 5,822 (or 2.8%) are members of the arts, entertainment and recreation sector.  This represents a 59% reduction from 14,200 claimants in that sector at the peak in May.  In total Government has...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Disability Allowance (29 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was referred to an Appeals Officer on 22 September 2020. The Appeals Officer dealing with this case will make a summary decision on the appeal based on the documentary evidence presented or, if required and if Covid-19 restrictions allow, hold an oral hearing.  The Social Welfare Appeals Office...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Child Benefit (29 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: Child benefit is a monthly payment made to families with children in respect of all qualified children up to the age of 16 years.  The payment continues until their 18th birthday in respect of children who are in full-time education, or who have a disability.  Child benefit is currently paid, as of end-August 2020, to over 638,200 families in respect of over 1.2 million children...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Carer's Allowance (29 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. An application for CA was received from the person concerned on 6 March 2020. Carer's allowance was awarded to...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Wage Subsidy Scheme (29 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: Officials from my Department have engaged with the company and an agreed process is in place to provide any outstanding information by the company to their employees to support their social welfare applications. It has been agreed that the UP80 letter generated by the company which contains all the information on the Department’s official UP80 form is acceptable in support of...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Insurance (29 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: Between 1974 and 1988 a number of legislative changes were introduced to extend social insurance coverage to members of religious orders. In 1974, a provision to allow religious congregations to apply to the Minister for Social Welfare for access to social insurance for their members was introduced.  While all religious authorities had the opportunity to apply, only the Church...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pensions (29 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The person concerned reached pension age on 24 September 2018.  According to the records of my Department, they have a total of 929 qualifying full-rate paid contributions and 674 credited contributions from their date of entry into insurable employment on 6 August 1969 to end-December 2017.  This equates to a yearly average of 33 contributions and gives them an entitlement to a...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Budget Process (29 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I thank the Deputy for forwarding me the pre-budget submission from the EU SHAFE project in Louth.  Each year, my Department receives a large number of pre-budget submissions from a wide range of stakeholders, which I find very useful in helping to decide priorities in advance of the budget. This submission proposes to increase the Household Benefits Package by...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (29 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The Pandemic Unemployment Payment was introduced as an emergency measure to provide an income support to those who had lost their employment as a result of Covid. In order to ensure that the scheme was simple and accessible for the unprecedented number of applicants, a flat payment rate was introduced. This rate was the equivalent of the rate for a two-person household. From 26 June...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Carer's Allowance (29 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 confirm that my department received an application for carer’s allowance (CA) from the person concerned on 6...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (29 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 569 and 570 together. Since the introduction of the Pandemic Unemployment Payment scheme in March, approximately 750,000 people have applied for payment and in some cases, they have done so on a number of occasions as they moved in and out of employment. Consequently, there are over 1 million applications to be examined to determine if arrears are due. ...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Insurance (29 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: As the Deputy may be aware, the Tax Strategy Group, chaired by the Department of Finance and comprising of senior officials from a number of Departments and Offices, is not a decision making body.  Papers produced by Departments and discussed by the Group are simply a list of options and issues to be considered in the budgetary process.    One of...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Carer's Allowance (29 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 the person concerned was in receipt of CA in respect of his spouse from 19 November 1998...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Carer's Benefit (29 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: Carer's Benefit (CARB) is a payment made to insured people who leave the workforce or reduce their working hours  to care for a person in need of full-time care and attention.  An increased payment can be made where full-time care is being provided to two people. It is payable for a maximum of 104 weeks for each person being cared for.  The person concerned applied for...