Results 11,221-11,240 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

Covid-19 (Social Protection): Statements (28 Jan 2021)

Heather Humphreys: I will respond first to the issue concerning local authorities. We will raise the issue with the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, and perhaps he will take it up with them or we could directly contact the local authority concerned. As Deputy Bríd Smith said, we did increase the fuel allowance and €3.50 extra has been paid from...

Covid-19 (Social Protection): Statements (28 Jan 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The Deputy talked about older people. I increased the living alone allowance for the very reason she outlined.

Covid-19 (Social Protection): Statements (28 Jan 2021)

Heather Humphreys: I am sorry. I tried to answer.

Covid-19 (Social Protection): Statements (28 Jan 2021)

Heather Humphreys: Parental leave is the responsibility of the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth and his Department and my Department makes the necessary payments. To be helpful to parents, where they could not go to work due to childcare commitments, the Deputy is correct that in the first instance we encouraged them to engage with their employer. Some employers have been...

Covid-19 (Social Protection): Statements (28 Jan 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The PUP scheme is due to run until the end of March. The Government has never been found wanting in supporting workers through this payment. Together with my Government colleagues, I will assess the situation. We are still not out of January. People know that they will get the payment for February and March. We have always supported the workers and we will continue to do so but,...

Covid-19 (Social Protection): Statements (28 Jan 2021)

Heather Humphreys: I thank the Deputy for raising those issues. In the first instance, if someone has had to give up work due to the need to provide full-time care for somebody at home, I strongly recommend that they apply for the carer's benefit because very generous assistance is available there. If the person has been paying their contributions they can apply for that payment to help them do that work. ...

Covid-19 (Social Protection): Statements (28 Jan 2021)

Heather Humphreys: I thank the Deputy for raising the issue concerning the carers who had to work more than 18 hours. I can fully understand the situation they have found themselves in, where they stayed an extra few hours to put their shoulder to the wheel to help in the ongoing efforts in respect of the pandemic, which was extremely difficult for them. I will certainly ask my officials to look at that issue...

Covid-19 (Social Protection): Statements (28 Jan 2021)

Heather Humphreys: Regarding the PUP, it exists in tiers and it has been aligned to recipients' previous income. Turning to those people who cannot go to work because of caring duties, we have stated that, in the first instance, they should try to work with their employers to try to find a way to work around the difficulties. In fairness, many employers have done that and have worked with their employees so...

Covid-19 (Social Protection): Statements (28 Jan 2021)

Heather Humphreys: I thank the Deputy for raising these issues. It is important to say that my Department has expended an additional €10.5 billion in supports through the PUP, TWSS and EWSS since the start of the pandemic. To be fair, the Government has not been found wanting in supporting businesses and in supporting people who have unfortunately found themselves out of work. A number of Deputies...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (28 Jan 2021)

Heather Humphreys: My department operates two schemes which provide assistance, to qualified PRSI contributors and their dependent spouse/partners, with the provision of optical services and equipment. The optical benefit scheme provides for a free eye examination and assistance with the provision of a range of spectacles and contact lenses for vision correction every 2 years. The medical appliances benefit...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Supplementary Welfare Allowance (28 Jan 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The amount paid out by county in supplementary welfare in January 2021 to date is set out in the following table. COUNTY Amount paid between 3rd and 24th of January 2021 CARLOW €249,215 CAVAN €158,997 CLARE €181,436 CORK €2,077,395 ...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (28 Jan 2021)

Heather Humphreys: This week my Department has issued weekly payments valued at almost €143 million to just over 475,360 recipients of the Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) as this payment continues to provide valuable financial support to those who lost employment due to the impacts of Covid-19. PUP will remain available until 31st March 2021 and I recently secured Government approval to retain...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Disability Allowance (28 Jan 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The estimated full year cost of a €5.50 increase in the rate of Disability Allowance is €47.3 million, based on the estimated number of recipients in 2021. This costing includes a proportionate increase for qualified adults. It should be noted that this costing is subject to change in the context of emerging trends and associated revision of the estimated numbers of recipients...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: School Meals Programme (28 Jan 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The school meals programme provides funding towards the provision of food to some 1,557 schools and organisations benefitting 227,000 children. The objective of the programme is to provide regular, nutritious food to children who are unable, due to lack of good quality food, to take full advantage of the education provided to them. The programme is an important component of policies to...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Occupational Injuries Benefit (28 Jan 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The Department of Social Protection operates the Occupational Injuries Benefit Scheme which is a group of benefits for people injured or incapacitated by an accident at work or while travelling directly to or from work. The scheme also covers people who have contracted a disease as a result of the type of work they do. There are a number of benefits available and there are different...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Illness Benefit (28 Jan 2021)

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 generally 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...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Jobseeker's Payments (28 Jan 2021)

Heather Humphreys: An age related jobseeker’s allowance rate of €112.70 generally applies to young jobseekers aged 18-24 to incentivise them to engage in education or training to improve their chances of obtaining full time sustainable employment. Where a young jobseeker participates in education or training they can receive the maximum weekly personal rate of €203 increasing to...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Carer's Allowance (28 Jan 2021)

Heather Humphreys: My Department is committed to providing a quality service to all its customers, ensuring that applications are processed and that decisions on entitlement are made as quickly as possible. There are no delays in processing claims once all of the necessary information is provided to establish entitlement to Carer's Allowance. The average number of weeks to award new Carer's Allowance...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Covid-19 Pandemic (28 Jan 2021)

Heather Humphreys: From the early stages of the pandemic the Community Call initiative has mobilised national government, local government and the community and voluntary sector to support vulnerable people in our communities. The initiative coordinates community activity, directing community assistance to where it is needed, and marshals the volunteering energy of the country. The Community Call is available...

Seanad: Response to Covid-19 (Social Protection): Statements (1 Feb 2021)

Heather Humphreys: Thank you for your good wishes, a Leas-Chathaoirligh. I welcome the opportunity to address the Seanad on Covid-19 matters and look forward to hearing the views of Members. Nobody has a monopoly on good ideas and as Minister for Social Protection I am always open to hearing and considering how we can do things better. Since the onset of this crisis, the Government has taken a range of...