Results 9,981-10,000 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Gender Recognition (20 Oct 2020)

Heather Humphreys: It is currently possible for children that are aged 16 or 17 years to obtain legal recognition of their preferred gender under section 12 of the Gender Recognition Act 2015. This involves parental consent and an application to the Circuit Family Court that is supported by the opinion of two medical practitioners. The current Programme for Government makes the following commitment in...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (20 Oct 2020)

Heather Humphreys: Tús is a community work placement initiative which aims to provide short-term work opportunities for those who are unemployed for more than a year, in order to break the cycle of unemployment and to improve a person’s chances of returning to the labour market. There are currently no plans to change the qualifying criteria regarding the duration of unemployment in order to avail...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Jobseeker's Benefit (20 Oct 2020)

Heather Humphreys: All Jobseekers’ applications are examined in the first instance to assess eligibility for Jobseeker’s Benefit (JB) with the option of Jobseeker’s Allowance (JA) should a customer not qualify for JB or qualify for JB at a lower rate. The person concerned submitted a Jobseeker’s application with effect from 30/9/2020. She did not qualify for JB on the basis that...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Pensions Reform (20 Oct 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The public policy and social issues in relation to funding a sustainable and adequate State pension system are complex. The Programme for Government commits that a Commission on Pensions will be established to examine a range of issues including contributions, calculation methods, sustainability, eligibility and intergenerational fairness. The Commission must be completely independent...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Domiciliary Care Allowance (20 Oct 2020)

Heather Humphreys: Domiciliary Care Allowance (DCA) is a monthly payment made in respect of a child with a severe disability who requires additional care and attention. It is payable to the person providing for the child's care at a rate of €309.50 per month. In addition, a Carers Support Grant of €1,700 is payable in respect of all children on DCA in June of each year. Detail on the claims...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Domiciliary Care Allowance (20 Oct 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The Social Welfare Appeals Office functions independently of the Minister for Social Protection and of the Department and is responsible for determining appeals against decisions in relation to social welfare entitlements. The statistics required by the Deputy in relation to domiciliary care allowance appeals are set out in the attached table. Appeals which had a favourable outcome for the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (20 Oct 2020)

Heather Humphreys: 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. During the month of March, my Department received and...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Personal Public Service Numbers (20 Oct 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I can confirm that my Department has allocated a Personal Public Service Number (PPSN) to the individual referred to by the Deputy. A letter issued to the person concerned on 19 October 2020 with details of the PPSN. I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Personal Public Service Numbers (20 Oct 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I can confirm that my Department has allocated Personal Public Service Numbers (PPSNs) to the individuals referred to by the Deputy. Letters issued to the individuals concerned on 19 October 2020 with details of their PPSNs. I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Personal Public Service Numbers (20 Oct 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I can confirm that my Department has allocated a Personal Public Service Number (PPSN) to the individual referred to by the Deputy. A letter issued to the person concerned on 19 October 2020 with details of the PPSN. I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Personal Public Service Numbers (20 Oct 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 393 and 419 together. The SAFE registration process, which my Department uses to authenticate a person's identity when they apply for a PPSN is a face-to-face process, carried out in PPSN Centres across the country. At the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, my Department temporarily postponed the SAFE registration process. This decision was...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (20 Oct 2020)

Heather Humphreys: It is the responsibility of employers to put arrangements in place which will allow employees to work safely during the current COVID-19 pandemic crisis, taking into account their circumstances. These arrangements should follow HSE and public health advice. As the person concerned has not lost her employment due to COVID-19, she is not eligible to apply for the COVID-19 Pandemic Unemployment...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Invalidity Pension (20 Oct 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 the lady concerned on 26 June 2020. The claim was refused on the grounds that the medical conditions for the scheme were not...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Disability Allowance (20 Oct 2020)

Heather Humphreys: This gentleman submitted an application for disability allowance (DA) on 22 May 2020. The application was disallowed on the grounds that he had means in excess of the statutory limit and he was notified in writing of this decision on 7 October 2020. The DA application for the person concerned was referred back to the deciding officer (DO) for a review of the means. Following a successful...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals (20 Oct 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 14 August 2020. It is a statutory requirement of the appeals process that the relevant Departmental papers and comments by the Deciding Officer on the grounds of appeal be sought. When these papers have been received from the Department, the case in question will be...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: One-Parent Family Payment (20 Oct 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 1 May 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 in...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Disability Allowance (20 Oct 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that an Appeals Officer, having fully considered all of the available evidence, decided to disallow the appeal of the person concerned by way of a summary decision on 23 July 2020. Under social welfare legislation the decision of an Appeals Officer is final and conclusive and may only be reviewed by an Appeals Officer in the light of new...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Jobseeker's Payments (20 Oct 2020)

Heather Humphreys: A person’s entitlement to a jobseeker’s payment including the short-time work support for claims made prior to 1st September, where employees may have been in receipt of the Temporary Wage Subsidy Scheme, will depend on meeting the eligibility conditions of the scheme, including satisfying the Department with regard to days of unemployment and days of remuneration by their...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Illness Benefit (20 Oct 2020)

Heather Humphreys: In accordance with Social Welfare Regulations a claim to Illness Benefit should be made within six months of the commencement of the incapacity. If a claim is made outside this period it can only be considered for payment where the delay in claiming was due to either information received from my Department or the claimant being so incapacitated as to be unable to claim in time. On 13...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Jobseeker's Payments (20 Oct 2020)

Heather Humphreys: A person must satisfy all the conditions for a jobseeker's payment including a means assessment as part of their application for jobseeker's allowance. At present customers who apply online for jobseeker's allowance are required to provide information regarding their means as part of their application. When a person's entitlement to jobseeker's benefit is coming to an end, a form is issued...