Results 10,781-10,800 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Guardian's Payment (8 Dec 2020)

Heather Humphreys: A Guardian's payment is made to a person caring for a child who satisfies the definition of an "orphan" under social welfare legislation. A child is considered an orphan if they are under 18 (or under 22 if in full time education) and both parents are deceased; or one parent is either dead or unknown or has abandoned and failed to provide for the child and the other parent is unknown or has...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (8 Dec 2020)

Heather Humphreys: Social welfare legislation provides for the manner in which a person's means are assessed for social assistance schemes.  In summary, any income or capital, with certain exceptions and disregards, belonging to the person and his / her spouse, partner or co-habitant is assessable for social welfare means testing purposes. Social welfare legislation provides for the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pension (Non-Contributory) (8 Dec 2020)

Heather Humphreys: An application for state pension non-contributory was received from the person concerned on 14 October 2020.  The person concerned was awarded state pension non-contributory with effect from 16 October 2020 and has been notified of the decision in writing on 26 November 2020. I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy. 

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Youth Unemployment (8 Dec 2020)

Heather Humphreys: Youth unemployment stood at just over 10 percent in Q1 2020 based on the CSO’s Labour Force Survey data, with approximately 20,000 persons aged under 25 on the Live Register.  By Q3 2020 these figures had increased to 20 percent and 25,000 respectively arising from the shock to the labour market caused the COVID pandemic. Experience from previous downturns has shown us...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (8 Dec 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The Living Alone Allowance is a payment for people aged 66 years or over who are in receipt of certain social welfare payments, including State pensions, and who are living alone.  It is also paid to people aged under 66 who live alone and are in receipt of Disability Allowance, Invalidity Pension, Incapacity Supplement or Blind Pension.  This Living Alone Allowance is not...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Youth Unemployment (8 Dec 2020)

Heather Humphreys: Experience from previous recessions has shown us that the impacts of labour market shocks are often disproportionately weighted towards younger people. Much of this impact can be related to employers operating a “first in, first out” approach when enforcing cutbacks and reducing their workforce. Research by my Department has shown that young people make up a significant share of...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Qualified Child Allowance (8 Dec 2020)

Heather Humphreys: Increases for a Qualified Child (IQCs) are paid in addition to many weekly social welfare payments.  These payments do not of themselves constitute a specific social welfare scheme and entitlement to the appropriate primary adult payment must be established in the first instance.   As of October 2020, there are an estimated 337,699 children supported by an increase for a...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Personal Public Service Numbers (8 Dec 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The SAFE registration process, which involves the authentication of a person's identity in a face-to-face interview, is the normal method of processing an application for a Personal Public Service Number (PPSN). Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, a PPSN issued by post to a person a number of days after their SAFE registration interview. At the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, my...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Free Travel Scheme (8 Dec 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The Free Travel Scheme is currently available to all people living in the State aged 66 years or over, to carers and to customers under 66 who are in receipt of certain disability type payments.  There are currently approximately 980,595 customers in receipt of Free Travel.  However, over 1.6 million people currently benefit from the scheme when companion and spousal passes are...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Staff (8 Dec 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The Department of Social Protection is in the process of conducting a census to determine the percentage for 2020.  The percentages for 2018 and 2019 for this Department including the agencies under its remit are contained in the table below. Organisation 2018 2019 Department of Social Protection 5.22% 6.96% ...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Employment Support Services (8 Dec 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 430 and 431 together. The Reasonable Accommodation Fund (RAF) aims to assist both jobseekers with disabilities and private sector employers seeking to employ or retain a person with a disability, by providing a range of grants. The scheme in particular seeks to assist jobseekers with disabilities to gain access to the open labour market by providing grants to...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Flexible Work Practices (8 Dec 2020)

Heather Humphreys: My Department has invested significantly in remote working facilities over the last number of years through programmes such as the Town and Village Renewal Scheme, the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund (RRDF) and the Libraries programme.  Along with the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications, my Department has been working to establish a network of Broadband...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Local Improvement Scheme (8 Dec 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The Local Improvement Scheme, or LIS, is a programme for improvement works on small private or non-public roads in rural areas which are not under the normal maintenance of the Local Authorities. The scheme is funded by my Department and is administered through the Local Authorities. Since the LIS was re-launched in 2017, over €58 million has been allocated to Local...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Dog Breeding Industry (8 Dec 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The Dog Breeding Establishment Act 2010 provides a robust regulatory framework for, inter alia, the licensing, monitoring and inspection of dog breeding establishments by local authorities and, where a serious and immediate threat exists to public health or animal health and welfare, for the closure of such establishments. The day to day regulation of dog breeding establishments to ensure...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Control of Dogs (8 Dec 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 873 and 877 together. A public consultation process on a review of measures relating to the control of dogs in Ireland closed in September 2019.  The consultation document posed a series of questions, with interested parties invited to provide written submissions. Approximately 1,000 submissions have been received.  The issues raised are...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Seirbhísí Farantóireachta (8 Dec 2020)

Heather Humphreys: Tógfaidh mé Ceisteanna Uimh. Nos. 874 and 875 le chéile. Ó thús na pandéime, tá oifigigh na Roinne théis a bheith ag obair go dlúth le grúpaí ionadaíochta oileáin agus leis na farantóirí cuí d’fhonn tacú le pobail na n-oileán, agus le cinntiú go mbeadh seirbhísí iompair rialta i...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Dog Licences (8 Dec 2020)

Heather Humphreys: Each year my Department publishes annual statistics on gov.ie in respect of a range of dog control responsibilities of local authorities, including the statistics sought.  Information up to and including 2019 is available at the following link https://www.gov.ie/en/collection/879d4c-dog-contro l-statistics/  The total number of dog licences issued in 2019, which may be...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Staff (8 Dec 2020)

Heather Humphreys: My Department is strongly committed to the development and implementation of measures to promote and support the employment of individuals with disabilities. The Department supports the best practice principles in this area, as set out in the 'Code of Practice for the employment of people with disability in the Civil Service'. The Department has a Disability...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Covid-19 Pandemic (8 Dec 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The vast majority of my Department's staff are currently working remotely and we are maintaining full business continuity in terms of our services to the public and to stakeholders. My Department has a fully-operational Covid-19 Response Plan in place which is kept under ongoing review as further guidance and advice is issued.  The plan includes procedures relating to all measures...

Social Welfare Bill 2020: Second Stage (9 Dec 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time." As Deputies will be aware, the purpose of the Bill is to give legislative effect to the changes announced on budget day. The Estimates for the Department of Social Protection in 2021 is €25.1 billion. This is more than €4 billion larger than the Department's budget day allocation for 2020. Much of that additional spending...