Results 13,041-13,060 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Pension Provisions (24 Jun 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The person concerned reached pension age on 24 June 2021.  Under current eligibility conditions, an applicant must have 520 full-rate paid contributions in order to qualify for State pension (contributory) - 520 full-rate contributions equates to 10 years of full-rate insurable employment. The person has a contribution record of 312 paid full-rate social insurance contributions,...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Employment Support Services (24 Jun 2021)

Heather Humphreys: For 2021, my Department contracted for the provision of Local Employment Services with 22 different contractors. These contractors employ approximately 307 full time equivalent posts to deliver the service. My Department has also contracted for the provision of Jobs Clubs with 37 different contractors These contractors employ 81 full-time equivalent posts to deliver the service. I...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Rental Sector (24 Jun 2021)

Heather Humphreys: Rent supplement continues to play a key role in supporting families and individuals in private rented accommodation, with the scheme supporting 18,851 active recipients at the end of May 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: Pension Provisions (24 Jun 2021)

Heather Humphreys: As the Deputy is aware, the Pensions Commission was established in November 2020 to examine sustainability and eligibility issues with the State Pension and the Social Insurance Fund, in fulfilment of a Programme for Government commitment. These issues will be considered from a perspective of fiscal and social sustainability, and intergenerational fairness. Details on the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Insurance (24 Jun 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The Minister for Social Protection is legally required to have an Actuarial Review of the Social Insurance Fund undertaken at five yearly intervals. The purpose of the review is to determine the extent to which the Fund may be expected, in the long term, to meet the demands in respect of payment of benefits and other payments. The review takes account of the adequacy or otherwise of...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Childcare Services (24 Jun 2021)

Heather Humphreys: My Department provides a number of payments for families with children.  While such payments aren't specifically targeted at families that welcome a child through surrogacy, such families may be able to avail of these payments.  Child Benefit is available to families with children in respect of all qualified children up to the age of 16 years.  The payment...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Staff (24 Jun 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The number of Department staff who are working remotely at any one time is approximately 50% (ca. 3,300 headcount). This number has remained relatively constant throughout the Covid-19 pandemic.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Money Advice and Budgeting Service (24 Jun 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The Money Advice and Budgeting Service (MABS), funded by the Citizens Information Board (CIB), a statutory body under the aegis of my Department, is the State’s money advice service and provides assistance to people, in particular those on low income or dependent on social welfare supports, who are over-indebted. As part of its free services, MABS also provides support to those in...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Pension Provisions (24 Jun 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The Programme for Government “Our Shared Future” includes a commitment to examine options for a pension solution for carers, the majority of whom are women, particularly those of incapacitated children.  This Government acknowledges the important role that carers play and is fully committed to supporting them in that role. As the Deputy is aware, the Pensions...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (24 Jun 2021)

Heather Humphreys: My Department has completed a Poverty Impact Assessment on the reduced rates of jobseekers for young people, which I am currently considering. I am acutely aware that young people are often among the first to lose their job at times of difficulty. The “last-in/first-out” principle applies.  During the Covid-19 pandemic this was exacerbated by the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (24 Jun 2021)

Heather Humphreys: My Department commissioned Indecon International Consultants to carry out research into the cost of disability. In line with the actual commitment contained in the Programme for Government, the  Government will use the research into the cost of disability to individuals and families to properly inform the direction of future policy. Specifically, the research was...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (24 Jun 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The Wage Subsidy Scheme (WSS) is an employment support to private sector employers, the objective of which is to encourage employers to employ people with disabilities and thereby increase the numbers of people with disabilities participating in the open labour market. The scheme provides financial incentives to private sector employers to hire people with a disability for between 21 and...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (24 Jun 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The back to education allowance (BTEA) is a scheme that allows persons in receipt of certain social welfare payments the opportunity to pursue a course of study, while still maintaining their income support, subject to satisfying a number of conditions.  The Programme for Government commits to a review the Back to Education Allowance, to ensure that it can help those unemployed as a...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pensions (24 Jun 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The Programme for Government commits to introducing a pension auto-enrolment system. The objective of this commitment is to address the low proportion of employees in Ireland with supplementary pension cover, which includes both occupational and personal pensions. The rate of supplementary pension coverage in Ireland is around 55% of the working population (CSO, Pension Coverage Survey 2020)...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pensions (24 Jun 2021)

Heather Humphreys: Calculation of a person’s entitlement to State pension (contributory) is based on their social insurance record from their date of entry into insurable employment until pension age, currently 66 years.  Any employment after a person’s 66th birthday is not reckonable for pension purposes nor is the employment liable to any PRSI contributions.  Continued employment...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Schemes (24 Jun 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The Department of Social Protection operates two schemes to assist people on certain social protection payments who wish to become self-employed; namely the Short Term Enterprise Allowance (STEA) and the two-year payment of the Back to Work Enterprise Allowance (BTWEA). There are currently over 2,550 in receipt of these supports, of which the vast majority (some 2,400) are in receipt of...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Reviews (24 Jun 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The Government established a Child Maintenance Review Group to examine certain issues in relation to child maintenance in Ireland.  The Group is chaired by former Circuit Court Judge Catherine Murphy and includes legal, policy and academic professionals as well as officials from my Department and the Department of Justice. The Group's Terms of Reference are to consider and make...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (24 Jun 2021)

Heather Humphreys: As of 21stJune 2021, the Department  has received 146,581 Covid-19 Enhanced Illness Benefit claims with 141,635 customers paid to date. The current processing time for illness benefit claims indicates that 80% of claims are awarded and going into payment within 7 days.  It is not possible to report on the numbers of customers who qualified for Enhanced Illness Benefit...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (24 Jun 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The Roadmap for Social Inclusion 2020 – 2025 included a commitment to develop and consult on a ‘strawman’ proposal for the restructuring of long term disability payments to simplify the system and take account of the concerns expressed in the Make Work Pay report. Work on this project was suspended in 2020 as my department prioritised its response to the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Reviews (24 Jun 2021)

Heather Humphreys: In December 2019, my Department began engagement with external consultants in a review of all public employment services (PES), including contracted employment services delivered through EmployAbility, Job Clubs, JobPath and the Local Employment Services. A joint bid by the Institute for Employment Studies and Social Finance was successful. These entities, reviewed the existing...