Results 12,301-12,320 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (18 May 2021)

Heather Humphreys: My Department provides a range of income supports for persons with disabilities; these supports include the Disability Allowance (DA) scheme.  Disability allowance is a means tested payment and is subject to a habitual residency requirement.    The current weekly personal rate for Disability Allowance is €203.  The rate of payment may be...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (18 May 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The table below provides details of expenditure for Free Travel in each of the years 2015 to 2020: Year Expenditure (€000) 2015 75,244 2016 77,112 2017 77,456 2018 86,813 2019 93,919 2020 93,695 The expenditure figure...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (18 May 2021)

Heather Humphreys: Carer's allowance (CA) is a means-tested social assistance payment made to a person who is habitually resident in the State and who is providing full-time care and attention to a child or an adult who has such a disability that results in them requiring that level of care. I can advise the Deputy that as of 30th April 2021 there were 89,549 customers in receipt of Carer's Allowance. The...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Public Services Card (18 May 2021)

Heather Humphreys: At the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, my Department temporarily suspended Public Services Card (PSC) appointments and the online system used to manage those appointments. This decision was taken in order to comply with HSE and World Health Organisation guidelines and help protect the health and well-being of our customers and staff.  All offices carrying out PSC...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Public Services Card (18 May 2021)

Heather Humphreys: At the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, my Department temporarily suspended Public Services Card (PSC) appointments and the online system used to manage those appointments.  This decision was taken in order to comply with HSE and World Health Organisation guidelines and help protect the health and well-being of our customers and staff.  All offices carrying out PSC...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Programme for Government (18 May 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The concept of “cost of disability” can be defined as the amount it costs a disabled person to achieve the same standard of living as a non-disabled person.  It is recognised nationally and internationally that people with disabilities incur many extra living costs as a result of their disability, for example; heating, disability aids and equipment, medical and drug costs,...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Youth Guarantee (18 May 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The Council of the European Union believed it was important to reinforce the existing Youth Guarantee to aid in alleviating the labour market impacts of the COVID-19 crisis on young people.  This aim is complementary to our objectives in Government.  As Minister for Social Protection, I welcome the Council recommendation on a reinforced Youth Guarantee. Central to the reinforced...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Pensions Commission (18 May 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The Pensions Commission was established in November 2020 to examine the sustainability of the State Pension system and the Social Insurance Fund, in fulfilment of a Programme for Government commitment.  These issues are being considered from a perspective of fiscal and social sustainability, and intergenerational fairness.  The Commission has...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Dental Services (18 May 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The number of customers treated nationwide under the PRSI Dental Treatment Benefit Scheme, and the total paid to dentists for their work on the scheme, in the years 2017 to 2020 inclusive are detailed below. Year Claim volume Value in euro 2017 417,336 15.29 million 2018 804,375 46.91 million ...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Schemes (18 May 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The Midlands Regional Transition team and Just Transition was established in October 2018 for communities and workers affected by the ending of peat harvesting for power generation in the Midlands region. My Department makes a significant contribution to the work of this commission. In the last two years we have provided significant supports to the affected workers to assist them...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (18 May 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) is one of the key supports introduced by my Department for qualifying employees and self -employed who have lost employment due to Covid-19. To date expenditure on the scheme is approximately €7.5 billion. To be eligible for PUP a person must satisfy the qualifying conditions of the statutory scheme which includes that they are not...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (18 May 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The Benefit Payment for 65 year olds was introduced in line with the Programme for Government to provide a benefit payment for 65 years olds, who must or who choose to retire at 65, but will not be eligible to receive a State pension until pension age, which is currently 66. Applicants must satisfy the PRSI conditionality for payment which includes having a specified number of...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (18 May 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The person concerned submitted an application for a Jobseeker’s Allowance payment on 27/08/2020.  This application was disallowed as the person concerned did not satisfy the Habitual Residence Condition and did not provide evidence that his means were less than the weekly rate of Jobseeker’s Allowance appropriate to his circumstances.  The person concerned was...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (18 May 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) is available to employees and self-employed who have lost their employment as a direct consequence of the pandemic and who satisfy the qualifying conditions of the statutory scheme. In order to qualify for the support, a person must have ceased to earn an income and lost their employment as a direct consequence of Covid-19.  This can...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (18 May 2021)

Heather Humphreys: Invalidity pension (IP) is a payment for people who are permanently incapable of work because of illness or incapacity and for no other reason and who satisfy the pay related social insurance (PRSI) contribution conditions. The Department received a claim for IP for this gentleman on 16 March 2021.  The claim was refused on the grounds that the medical conditions for the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (18 May 2021)

Heather Humphreys: Child benefit is a monthly payment made to families with children in respect of all qualified children up to the age of 16 years.  The payment continues to be paid in respect of children until their 18th birthday who are in full-time education, or who have a disability.  Child benefit is currently paid, as of end-March 2021, to over 637,000 families in respect of over 1.2 million...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Sustainable Development Goals (18 May 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is a significant and ambitious policy agenda that concerns all Government Departments. The first National Implementation Plan (2018-2020), set out Ireland’s strategy to achieve the SDGs both domestically and internationally. The Goals are mainstreamed in domestic policy and the governance...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Media (18 May 2021)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 537 and 538 together. The Department of Social Protection has not engaged a third-party company to conduct online or social media monitoring or to provide reports on same and, therefore, no expenditure has been incurred. The Department has engaged RuePoint Media to provide Print (including digital media coverage) and Broadcast media monitoring. Having...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Investigations (18 May 2021)

Heather Humphreys: My Department has not engaged such companies for any private investigation work in the past three years.  However in May 2018 and again in December 2019 my Department did engage one such company to provide a training course on both occasions for Social Welfare Inspectors.  The cost of each course was €4,800. I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Insurance (18 May 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The following table provides details of income received from PRSI contributions made by employers, employees and the self-employed in 2020 as compared to 2017, 2018 and 2019, as provided in the Social Insurance Fund accounts. 2017 2018 2019 2020 €m €m €m €m ...