Results 12,581-12,600 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Widow's Pension (27 May 2021)

Heather Humphreys: An application for widow(er)'s & surviving civil partner's contributory pension was received from the person concerned on 14/05/2021. She does not have sufficient Irish contributions to qualify for a standard widow(er)'s & surviving civil partner's contributory pension on either her own or her late spouses insurance record. The minimum yearly average of contributions required...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Staff (27 May 2021)

Heather Humphreys: In accordance with Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (DPER) rules, civil and public servants on secondment to other bodies maintain their terms and conditions of employment including salary during their period of secondment. Any additional payments made during that period are non-pensionable. With regard to the individual in question, prior to her redeployment to my...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Policing Authority (27 May 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The details of the Policing Authority expenditure in 2020 are outlined in the table below. These figures remain subject to audit by the Comptroller and Auditor General. In terms of gross expenditure, an underspend of €596,000 occurred at year-end. Delays in certain planned activities due to Covid-19, including business travel, public meetings and externally-led research, contributed to...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Data Protection (27 May 2021)

Heather Humphreys: I wish to advise the Deputy that the shortfall in expenditure in relation to pay of €2.7m was mainly driven by slower than anticipated recruitment, due to the requirement to move recruitment completely online during 2020. This move required the procurement and development of processes for online tests and examinations, which delayed recruitment campaigns by several months. The...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Legislative Measures (27 May 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The Domicile and Recognition of Foreign Divorces Act 1986 governs the recognition of foreign divorces granted on or after the coming into operation of the Act on 2 October 1986. Section 5 of the 1986 Act provides that a foreign divorce may only be recognised in Ireland if it was granted in the country where either spouse was domiciled on the date the divorce proceedings were instituted. The...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Pension Provisions (1 Jun 2021)

Heather Humphreys: On 23 January 2018, the Government agreed to a proposal to allow pensioners affected by the September 2012 changes in rate bands to have their pension entitlement calculated on a Total Contributions basis, including provision for up to 20 years of a new home caring credit. The  interim Total Contributions Approach for those who reached pension age after September 2012, called the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (1 Jun 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The person concerned had been awarded an Invalidity Pension with effect from 15 October 2020 under EU regulations, using a combination of his EU and Irish contributions. His weekly payment was calculated as €139.80 and he received his first weekly payment on 25 March 2021.  The person concerned was in receipt of Supplementary Welfare Allowance from 22 October 2020 to 17 March...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (1 Jun 2021)

Heather Humphreys: Partial Capacity Benefit (PCB) allows a person who has been in receipt of Invalidity Pension or Illness Benefit (the latter for a minimum of six months) and who may not have full capacity for work, to return to employment or self-employment and continue to receive a partial or full payment.  There are no restrictions on earnings from employment or number of hours worked under the PCB...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (1 Jun 2021)

Heather Humphreys: My officials have advised that the person concerned submitted an application for an Exceptional Needs Payment to assist with funeral expenses on 08/12/2020.  The application was assessed and refused on the basis that a need had not been established due to the disclosure of significant Credit Union savings. A decision letter dated 10/12/2020 issued to the person concerned advising her of...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Reports (1 Jun 2021)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 446, 462 and 464 together. My Department has commissioned Indecon International Consultants to carry out research into the cost of disability.  I expect to receive the final report in the coming days.  I look forward to examining the findings of this very important report which will provide a valuable input to inform policy direction in...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (1 Jun 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The main income supports for carers provided by my Department include Carer's Allowance, Carer's Benefit, Domiciliary Care Allowance, and the Carer's Support Grant.  At the end of April, there were 89,549 people in receipt of Carer's Allowance and the estimated expenditure on Carer's Allowance in 2021 is approximately €953 million.  In total, over 135,000 carers benefit...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (1 Jun 2021)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 449 and 450 together. 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...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (1 Jun 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered with that office on 3 December 2020.  The appeal was referred to an Appeals Officer on 9 February 2021 and the Appeals Officer's summary decision was issued to the person concerned on 19 April 2021.   An Appeals Officer's decision is generally conclusive. However, an...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (1 Jun 2021)

Heather Humphreys: Working Family Payment (WFP) is an in work, income tested payment which provides additional income support to employees on low earnings with children.  WFP applications are processed based on an applicant's circumstances, including employment earnings and income status that apply at the time of application. An application for WFP was received from the person concerned on 06 May...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Data Protection (1 Jun 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The majority of personal data breaches in my Department were in the following three categories: - Delivery of correspondence to an incorrect address or to the customer's previous address; - Accidentally including a document or an item of personal data of a customer in correspondence with another customer. - Email errors such as auto population to an unintended address, or inadvertently...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Local Authorities (1 Jun 2021)

Heather Humphreys: Rent supplement continues to play a key role in supporting families and individuals in private rented accommodation, with the scheme currently supporting 19,570 recipients (end April 2021).  The scheme provides short-term income support to eligible people living in private rented accommodation whose means are insufficient to meet their accommodation costs and who do not have...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Island Communities (1 Jun 2021)

Heather Humphreys: Data requested by the Deputy on the costs and recipients, where available, is set out in Table 1 below. The islands which are enumerated under each county are set out in Table 2.  The increase was paid at a rate of €12.70 per week for the period 2012-2020 inclusive, which has been used to approximate the expenditure. The increase is attached to the claim of the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Island Communities (1 Jun 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The Increase for Living on a Specified Island - or Island Allowance - is an increase in the weekly rate of certain social welfare payments for recipients who are aged 66 or over and are ordinarily resident on an island off the coast of Ireland. It is also paid to recipients aged under 66 on certain schemes. The objective of the scheme is to compensate...