Results 10,621-10,640 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys
- Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (1 Dec 2020)
Heather Humphreys: Decisions in relation to entitlement to social welfare payments are bound by the relevant provisions of the Social Welfare Consolidation Act, 2005 (as amended) and associated regulations. Every claimant is entitled to have their claim considered in accordance with the principles of natural and constitutional justice and in the context of determinations of entitlement under social welfare...
- Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (1 Dec 2020)
Heather Humphreys: My Department is committed to providing a quality service to all of its customers. This includes ensuring that reviews of decisions on social welfare claims are processed as soon as possible, and that the outcomes are notified promptly. At all times, every effort is made to complete the reviews as efficiently as possible. Decisions are not delayed unnecessarily once all the information...
- Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pensions (1 Dec 2020)
Heather Humphreys: The information requested by the Deputy is detailed in the attached tabular statement. Tabular statement attached/ Number of recipients of state pension non-contributory and state pension contributory at the end of December in each of the years 2015 - 2019 and at the end of October 2020 State Pension Non-Contributory State Pension Non-Contributory ...
- Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Working Family Payment (1 Dec 2020)
Heather Humphreys: Working Family Payment (WFP) , is an in-work supplement, which provides additional income support to employees on low earnings with child dependents. WFP is designed to prevent in-work poverty for low paid workers with children, and to offer a financial incentive to pursue employment. The number of persons (families) in receipt of WFP, in each of the past five years to date is as follows: ...
- Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (1 Dec 2020)
Heather Humphreys: The Christmas Bonus will be paid in the week beginning 7th December to social welfare recipients such as pensioners, people with disabilities, carers and lone parents in recognition of their long-term financial dependence on social welfare payments for all, or most, of their income. In recognition of the impact that the Covid-19 pandemic has had on employment levels and the sudden financial...
- Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Pensions Reform (1 Dec 2020)
Heather Humphreys: The Deputy will be aware of how critically important it is to ensure that the State Pension system provides adequate support to pensioners and that it continues to do that over the long term. The Pensions Commission was established to examine sustainability and eligibility issues with the State Pension and the Social Insurance Fund, in fulfilment of our Programme for Government commitment....
- Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Jobseeker's Benefit (1 Dec 2020)
Heather Humphreys: Jobseeker's Benefit is a weekly payment to people who have lost their employment and who satisfy the scheme's statutory conditions including the requirement to have paid sufficient social insurance contributions. This benefit is paid for 9 months (234 days) to people who have paid 260 or more PRSI contributions and for 6 months (156 days) to people who have paid less than 260 contributions....
- Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Jobseeker's Allowance (1 Dec 2020)
Heather Humphreys: A person who loses their job as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic can apply for the Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP), which is not means tested. For some people, depending on their family circumstances, it may be more beneficial to claim a jobseeker's payment, if they have an underlying entitlement to that payment. For example, for a person with a spouse or civil partner and children,...
- Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Back to Work Enterprise Allowance Scheme (1 Dec 2020)
Heather Humphreys: The Back to Work Enterprise Allowance (BTWEA) scheme offers 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 vital role in supporting the development of new enterprises for unemployed individuals. This allowance is payable to self-employed individuals for up to a 24 month period from the...
- Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Mortgage Interest Supplement Scheme (1 Dec 2020)
Heather Humphreys: The original purpose of the mortgage interest supplement scheme (MIS) was to provide short-term support to eligible people who were unable to meet their mortgage interest repayments in respect of a house which was their sole place of residence, due to temporary unemployment or loss of earnings. The mortgage interest supplement scheme was discontinued for new entrants from 1 January...
- Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Contracts (1 Dec 2020)
Heather Humphreys: The table here provides the information requested by the Deputy; a schedule of all consultancy firms, accountancy firms, legal firms, project management firms and IT firms my Department has engaged to carry out work its behalf in 2018, 2019 and to date in 2020; no disputes over costs ensued. There have been no legal challenges in relation to the contracts and no mediation applied. Schedule ...
- Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Jobseeker's Benefit (2 Dec 2020)
Heather Humphreys: In general the Christmas Bonus is paid to recipients of long-term social welfare payments who are dependent upon their social welfare payment for most or all of their income for what is normally a prolonged period. As an exceptional measure due to the severe impact of COVID-19 on employment levels and on customers financial circumstances, the bonus will be paid to all jobseekers and...
- Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Gender Recognition (2 Dec 2020)
Heather Humphreys: Draft Heads of Bill have been prepared in the matter of amending the legislation regarding obtaining a gender recognition certificate for those aged 16 and 17 years of age. I expect to be shortly in a position to progress this and write to the Chair of the Committee in respect of pre-legislative scrutiny. I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
- Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Pension Provisions (2 Dec 2020)
Heather Humphreys: As I understand that the Deputy is asking about the potential abatement of a public sector pension that could apply to employment with section 38 and 39 organisations, I would direct the Deputy to my colleague, the Minister for Health, who has policy responsibility for these organisations.
- Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Supplementary Welfare Allowance (2 Dec 2020)
Heather Humphreys: My officials have advised that the person concerned is in receipt of a Basic Supplementary Welfare Allowance at the maximum personal weekly rate of €201. This is the correct rate of payment for a person of her circumstances. I trust this clarifies the matter.
- Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Exceptional Needs Payment (2 Dec 2020)
Heather Humphreys: According to my officials, there is no recent record of an application for an Exceptional Needs Payment (ENP) from the person concerned in my Department. Under the Supplementary Welfare Allowance scheme, my Department can make a single ENP to help meet essential, once-off expenditure, which a person could not reasonably be expected to meet out of their weekly income. There is no...
- Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Disability Allowance (2 Dec 2020)
Heather Humphreys: Disability allowance (DA) is a weekly allowance paid to people with a specified disability who are aged over 16 and under 66. The disability must be expected to last for at least one year and the allowance is subject to a medical assessment, a means test and a habitual residency test. A completed application form for DA must be submitted to the Department in order to have eligibility checked...
- Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Employment Support Services (2 Dec 2020)
Heather Humphreys: My Department is committed to providing a quality service to all of its customers. The face to face social services available to all our customers are also available to the Roma community. The Government's commitment to improve the lives of the Traveller and Roma communities in Ireland is set out in the National Traveller and Roma Inclusion Strategy 2018- 2021 (NTRIS). My Department’s...
- Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Fuel Allowance (2 Dec 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: Farm Assist Scheme (2 Dec 2020)
Heather Humphreys: The person concerned was successful in their appeal regarding their Farm Assist claim. I can now confirm that the person concerned will receive their payment including arrears on Friday 4th December 2020.