Results 9,701-9,720 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Reviews (30 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 154 and 155 together. The selection of the membership of the Child Maintenance Review Group is designed to include a cross-section of people with knowledge, experience and expertise in this specialised area. I understand that the Child Maintenance Review Group will be consulting widely and requesting input from the civil society and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Back to Education Allowance (30 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: According to the records of the Department, the person concerned was awarded a Jobseeker's Allowance payment from 31/08/2020. The person concerned was subsequently advised by letter on 23/09/2020 that his application for Back to Education Allowance (BTEA) had been provisionally approved pending the return of further documentation/information to the Tallaght Intreo Centre at the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Public Services Card (30 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 (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 comply with HSE and WHO guidelines in respect...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Pension Provisions (30 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 Education and Skills: Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (30 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The cost of reinstating the pre-17 September 2020 rates from January to end-March 2021 is estimated at an additional €148 million.  This estimate is subject to change as trends in the numbers of PUP recipients evolve in the coming weeks and months.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (30 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I have advised that jobseekers can apply for payment for up to two weeks while on holiday outside the State in line with the General Covid-19 Travel Advisory in operation.  These arrangements apply to travel to one of the countries on the "Green List" where the ‘normal precautions’ security status rating applies as published by the Department of Foreign Affairs.  For...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (30 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: 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.  Government has provided almost €57 million for the Back to Education Allowance in 2020.  This represents a considerable investment in supporting participants to acquire the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (30 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: Firstly, I wish to acknowledge the difficult time that many businesses are currently facing. Many sectors and industries have been badly affected during the emergency period and my sincere thoughts are with all employers and employees in these situations at this time.  In situations where an employer has to make an employee redundant, the employer is obliged to comply with the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Carer's Allowance (30 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 in respect of both his parents on 15 June 2020. It is a...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Pension (Contributory) (30 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The person concerned will reach pension age on 23 October 2020 and has not yet applied for State pension.  On receipt of a completed application, the person’s pension entitlement can be examined by a Deciding Officer and the person notified of the outcome. I have arranged for a copy of the person’s social insurance contribution record to issue to them, together with...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Back to Education Allowance (30 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The Social Welfare (Covid-19) (Amendment) Act 2020 put the pandemic unemployment payment (PUP) on a statutory basis since 5th August.  As announced under the July Stimulus, the pandemic unemployment payment has been extended until the end of March 2021.  I have also secured agreement to keep the payment open to new applications until the end of 2020. Under normal...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Expenditure (30 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: My Department has engaged Rue Point Media (via a tender process) to provide daily print and broadcast media monitoring services since May 2019. The costs to date in 2020 relating to the Rue Point media monitoring service are outlined below - 2020 (to 31 August) Company name and service provided Cost € Rue Point...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Social Welfare Benefits (30 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The person concerned applied for a Diet Supplement on 29/11/2019 and his application was refused on the grounds that Diet Supplement is closed to new applicants since 2014. He can apply for a payment under the Exceptional Needs Payments Scheme if he has  once off exceptional needs which are not of an unexpected or recurring nature.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Back to Work Enterprise Allowance Scheme (30 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 168 to 170, inclusive, together. The Back to Work Enterprise Allowance (BTWEA) scheme offers weekly financial support for people who are long-term unemployed and who are interested in self-employment as a route to entering the labour market. The scheme plays a useful role in supporting the development of new enterprises allowing participants to retain...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Pension (Contributory) (30 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The Farm Assist scheme was introduced in 1999 to provide income support for low income farmers.  It replaced the former Smallholders’ Unemployment Assistance payment.  In line with the then existing arrangements for Unemployment Assistance (including Smallholders' Unemployment Assistance) and Pre-retirement Allowance, the non-welfare income of Farm Assist recipients was...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Expenditure (30 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The information requested is provided in the table below. Costs from May 2020 to date re. newspaper delivery - hardcopies (service provided by Officedrop Ltd) Newspapers delivered in April 2020 May 2020 June 2020 July 2020 August 2020 September 2020 Invoice paid in May 2020 June 2020 ...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Contracts (30 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The details of the companies engaged by my Department to provide media monitoring services, and the costs associated with each company, in the years 2017, 2018, 2019 and to date in 2020, follow. 2017 Company name and service provided Cost € NewsAccess Ltd: Print & Broadcast monitoring 20,295 ...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (30 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 175 and 176 together. This week my Department issued payments valued at €61.9 million to over 217,140 people on the Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP). Of these, some 6,340 (or 2.9%) are members of the arts, entertainment and recreation sector.In total we have spent over €3.5bn on PUP payments. The Government has decided that from 17...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Expenditure (30 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 288 and 290 together. My Department was established on July 19th 2017 and did not use a third-party contractor for media monitoring until 2018, when a service provider was sourced through an Office of Government Procurement framework arrangement. Information regarding the ongoing costs of the service are set out in the table below. Year ...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Expenditure (30 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: From May 2020 to date, my Department has spent €791.62 for access to various online and hardcopy media publications, as detailed below. Online subscriptions Irish Farmer's Journal Irish Independent Irish Times Hard copy subscriptions Farmer’s Journal ...