Results 10,281-10,300 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Town and Village Renewal Scheme (5 Nov 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The Town and Village Renewal Scheme has a budget of €25 million this year, following the allocation of an additional €10 million to the scheme as part of the Government’s July Stimulus Package. The 2020 scheme was tailored to help rural towns and villages respond to the challenges presented by COVID-19. This year's scheme includes an Accelerated Measure which has...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Regional Development (5 Nov 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 355 and 358 together. A vital part of the Department for Rural and Community Development's mission is to support the creation of vibrant and sustainable communities across this country. My Department is responsible for a number of key national policies that provide, for both urban and rural areas nationwide, an integrated and strategic way of...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Social Isolation (5 Nov 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 356 and 357 together. I believe that doing all we can to address individual isolation in communities is more important than ever before. Rural isolation cuts across the work of a number of Departments, and this is reflected in ongoing work on community policing, rural transport and social inclusion, among other areas. Many of my Department's policies and...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Schemes (5 Nov 2020)

Heather Humphreys: A vital part of the Department for Rural and Community Development's mission is to support the creation of vibrant and sustainable communities across this country. My Department has developed strategic interventions, funding programmes and supports which target and address basic issues of social and or economic deprivation in rural communities throughout the country. In the present COVID...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Community Development Initiatives (5 Nov 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 360, 361 and 362 together. My Department is committed to supporting community development across Ireland. Providing strong community supports helps to empower and develop communities that value the health and wellbeing of all. In August 2019, my Department launched Sustainable, Inclusive and Empowered Communities: A five-year strategy to support the community...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Community Development Projects (5 Nov 2020)

Heather Humphreys: My Department funds a range of programmes and schemes to assist in rural and community development which are available to eligible community groups and organisations throughout the country, including in Kildare. These schemes provide much needed funding, support and assistance to communities at local level. These include the €1 billion Rural Regeneration and Development Fund, the...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (5 Nov 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 364, 365 and 366 together. Communities across the country are facing unprecedented challenges posed by the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic and the United Kingdom's departure from the European Union. I am focused on supporting resilience in communities and the issues arising from Covid-19 and Brexit mean that the funding and supports available from my...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: LEADER Programmes (5 Nov 2020)

Heather Humphreys: LEADER is a multi-annual programme with a budget of €250 million over the period 2014-2020. €225 million of this budget is allocated to Local Action Groups (LAGs), who deliver the programme and approve projects at local level in accordance with their Local Development Strategy (LDS). The LAG areas are, for the most part, aligned with county boundaries. The balance of...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Walks Scheme (5 Nov 2020)

Heather Humphreys: My Department administers the Walks Scheme under which landholders receive modest payments for maintenance works on approved walking trails that traverse their land. Payments are provided in line with work plans developed and agreed with the landholders. The Scheme does not provide funding for planting of fruit trees or other types of trees.

Confidence in Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Motion (10 Nov 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I have no hesitation in standing before the House this evening to express my full confidence in the Tánaiste, Deputy Leo Varadkar. I do stand here, however, feeling a deep sense of dismay as 2020 has been one of the most difficult years for this country. It is a year that has seen almost 2,000 people lose their lives as a result of Covid and has seen families across the country suffer...

Confidence in Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Motion (10 Nov 2020)

Heather Humphreys: Talk to Breege Quinn, Austin Stack and the families of Columba McVeigh or Tom Oliver. They will tell you what Sinn Féin's truth is about. Sinn Féin criticises the Government's response to Covid on a daily basis when in Northern Ireland where it is in power people are struggling with one of the highest rates of the virus in Europe. Its talks about honesty and integrity, when it had...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (10 Nov 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I thank Deputy Carthy, my constituency colleague, for raising this issue. The pandemic unemployment payment has been a vital support for hundreds of thousands of workers and their families throughout Covid-19. Since March, my Department has issued over 12 million payments to over 800,000 people. A total of €4 billion has been paid out under the scheme to date. I wish to...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (10 Nov 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I will stick to the issue at hand. I reassure the Deputy that my Department is doing everything in its power to process payments as quickly as possible. The vast majority of claims have been put into payment without any issue. This week, for example, PUP payments have issued to more than 342,000 people. I am advised that there was an issue with about 1% of the total claims. When that...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (10 Nov 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 488, 489 and 536 together. The Pandemic Unemployment Payment Scheme is an income support measure that has been introduced for employees and the self-employed who have lost employment as a consequence of Covid-19 . The recent Budget provided that recipients engaging in self-employment can earn up to €480 over a rolling four week period and...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (10 Nov 2020)

Heather Humphreys: My Department provides a suite of income supports for those who are unable to work due to an illness or disability. It is important to note that entitlement to these supports is not contingent on the nature of the illness/disability but on the extent to which a particular illness or disability impairs or restricts a person’s capacity to work. In March of this year, under the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (10 Nov 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 491, 508 and 509 together. On 5 August the Social Welfare (Covid-19)(Amendment) Act 2019 introduced the Pandemic Unemployment Payment Scheme as a statutory scheme. All recipients of the Pandemic Unemployment Payment including students, who lost their job as a consequence of the pandemic, must continue to satisfy all of the qualifying conditions of the scheme...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (10 Nov 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The Social Welfare (Covid-19) (Amendment) Act 2020 put the pandemic unemployment payment on a statutory basis since 5th August. Applicants must satisfy all of the qualifying conditions of the scheme to be eligible for the payment. If the Deputy has the details of an individual in the situation he outlined including details of their placement, I will arrange to have the specific case...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Personal Public Service Numbers (10 Nov 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 on 3rd November 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 (10 Nov 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I can confirm that the representatives of the individual referred to by the Deputy have been contacted by officials of my Department regarding his application for a Personal Public Service Number (PPSN) so that we may proceed to progress his application. I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Personal Public Service Numbers (10 Nov 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I can confirm that the Deputy's office has been contacted by officials of my Department regarding this individual's application for a Personal Public Service Number (PPSN) so that we may proceed to progress his application. I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy