Results 10,841-10,860 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Town and Village Renewal Scheme (10 Dec 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The project referred to by the Deputy was approved for funding under the 2018 Town and Village Renewal Scheme.  The scheme is administered by the Local Authorities on behalf of my Department. I can confirm that payment claims for both Phase 1 and Phase 2 of the project have been received by my Department.  The Phase 1 payment has been made to Wexford Co. Council, while the...

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2020: Second Stage (14 Dec 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I thank the Leas-Chathaoirleach for his kind words. As Senators know, the purpose of the Social Welfare Bill is to give legislative effect to the changes announced on budget day. The Estimate 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...

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2020: Second Stage (14 Dec 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I thank all of those Senators who have contributed, including Senators Lombard, Craughwell, Ardagh, Wall, Warfield, Burke, Boylan, Dolan, Buttimer, Kyne, Currie, Cummins, Murphy and Ahearn. The social protection system is designed, as we know, to help people and ensure there is a safety net and baseline of income support, and that nobody falls under. Like all Members of the House, I meet...

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2020: Second Stage (14 Dec 2020)

Heather Humphreys: We need to consider the matter using an Oireachtas committee with which I am happy to engage and lend my support. However, it is important that the issue has cross-party support. Senators Ardagh, Warfield and Wall raised the issue of the pensions commission and the pension age. The pensions commission has been set up and is comprised of 11 very capable people from various backgrounds,...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Dental Services (15 Dec 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The Treatment Benefit scheme was extended in October 2017 to provide for dental cleanings (commonly referred to as scale and polish) in additional to the existing free annual dental examination. The Department pays a set fee of €42 towards such dental cleanings. When the fee charged by the individual dentist is higher than the amount payable by the Department, the customer can be...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (15 Dec 2020)

Heather Humphreys: In March 2020 the rate of payment for the Pandemic Unemployment Payment was set at €203, which is equivalent to the maximum personal rate of Jobseeker’s Benefit and Allowance. Subsequently the rate was increased to €350 per week, which is broadly equivalent to the two-person household rate for the main social welfare payments. In June changes were introduced to the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: General Register Office (15 Dec 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I am advised that notice to marry in this case was served on 09/04/2013 to a marriage registrar. In order to marry in this State, both parties to a marriage are required to provide the marriage registrar with evidence of their civil status and that they are free to marry in this State. Both parties were previously married to other parties and both were divorced outside this State. The...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pensions (15 Dec 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered on 25 June 2020 and the file papers were received from the Department on 30 October 2020. The Deciding Officer reviewing the case had been awaiting the submission of further, requested, documentation from the appellant’s solicitors, which they confirmed in a letter dated 13 July...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Free Travel Scheme (15 Dec 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The free travel scheme provides free travel on the main public and private transport services for those eligible under the scheme. These include road, rail and ferry services provided by companies such as Bus Átha Cliath, Bus Éireann and Iarnród Éireann, as well as Luas and services provided by over 80 private transport operators. There are currently approximately...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pension (Contributory) (15 Dec 2020)

Heather Humphreys: New rate bands for State pension (contributory) were introduced from 1st September 2012 to allow for a wider graduation of yearly average bands and corresponding pension rates. Consequently, the rate of pension payment is more closely related to the paid or credited social insurance contribution record a person holds over their working lives. The maximum pension rate band, for those with...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Personal Public Service Numbers (15 Dec 2020)

Heather Humphreys: At the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, my Department temporarily suspended the SAFE registration process. This decision was taken in order to comply with HSE and World Health Organisation Public Health guidelines. Although this suspension was lifted in June when restrictions eased the throughput in terms of processing applications was lower than normal due to the need to...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Disability Allowance (15 Dec 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The person concerned was in receipt of disability allowance (DA) from 31 May 2017. An increase for a qualified adult (IQA) application was received from the person concerned on 31 October 2019. Following a review of his entitlement, DA was disallowed with effect from 11 December 2019 as he was deemed to have means in excess of the statutory limit for his circumstances and he was informed...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Treatment Benefit Scheme (15 Dec 2020)

Heather Humphreys: A review of the qualifying criteria for the treatment benefit scheme was carried out by the Department earlier this year. Section 24 of the Social Welfare (No. 2) Act 2019 provided that the Minister “shall conduct a review and lay a report before the Houses of the Oireachtas on the current criteria in place in order to qualify for treatment benefit and specifically to examine...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments Administration (15 Dec 2020)

Heather Humphreys: Last week, my Department paid €390 million in a Christmas Bonus to some 1.6 million people who are receiving long-term weekly welfare payments. The Christmas Bonus is paid to social welfare recipients such as pensioners, people with disabilities, carers, lone parents and the long-term unemployed in recognition of their long term financial dependence on their social welfare...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (15 Dec 2020)

Heather Humphreys: Last week, my Department paid €390 million in a Christmas Bonus to some 1.6 million people who are receiving long-term weekly welfare payments. The Christmas Bonus is paid to recipients of social welfare payments, such as pensioners, people with disabilities, carers, lone parents and long-term unemployed people in recognition of their long-term financial dependence on their social...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Blind Person's Pension (15 Dec 2020)

Heather Humphreys: Blind Pension (BP) is a means tested payment paid to blind people and certain people with low vision, aged 18 and up to the age of 66 who are habitually resident in the State. BP is one of a range of means-tested social assistance payments. Social welfare legislation provides that the means test takes account of the income and assets of the person (and spouse / partner, if applicable)...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic (15 Dec 2020)

Heather Humphreys: Reviews of entitlement can arise in a number of situations - at initial application when the customer's entitlement is being assessed, following a request from the customer for a review of entitlement or as part of an ongoing control review process undertaken by my Department. These reviews can, in some instances, require a Social Welfare investigation. Social Welfare investigations are...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pensions (15 Dec 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The Programme for Government “Our Shared Future” sets out how the planned increase in the State pension age next year will be deferred and it will remain at 66 years pending the report of the Commission on Pensions. The Government confirmed as part of its Budget 2021 measures that the required amendment to primary legislation (the Social Welfare Consolidation Act, 2005) will...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Personal Public Service Numbers (15 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 (PPS Number) and a Public Services Card (PSC). At the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, my Department temporarily suspended the SAFE registration process and the online appoint system used...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Carer's Benefit (15 Dec 2020)

Heather Humphreys: Carer's Benefit (CARB) is a PRSI based payment, made to persons who leave the workforce or reduce their working hours to provide full-time care and attention to a person who has such a disability that they require that level of care. It is payable for a maximum of 104 weeks for each person being cared for. I am advised by the Department that no application by the person concerned for CARB...