Results 13,261-13,280 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Youth Unemployment (1 Jul 2021)

Heather Humphreys: My Department has been closely and regularly monitoring the impacts of the pandemic on the labour market, including its impacts on youth unemployment levels. Research from my Department has shown that young persons make up a significant share of the workers in those sectors most impacted by the pandemic and associated public health restrictions, namely hospitality (accommodation &...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Labour Market (1 Jul 2021)

Heather Humphreys: Prior to the pandemic, the unemployment rate in Q4 2019 stood at approximately 4.5 percent. Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, both employment and unemployment levels have been adversely impacted. Latest estimates from the CSO indicate that, as of June 2021, the traditional unemployment rate stood at 8.1 percent. However, this estimate excludes those in receipt of the...

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

Heather Humphreys: Under the supplementary welfare allowance scheme, my Department may make a single exceptional needs payment (ENP) to help meet essential, once-off expenditure which a person could not reasonably be expected to meet out of their weekly income. An urgent needs payment (UNP) may be made to persons who may not normally qualify for supplementary welfare allowance but who have an urgent need which...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Cross-Border Co-operation (1 Jul 2021)

Heather Humphreys: As the Deputy will be aware ,my Department and wider Government, are committed to supporting a range of initiatives to assist people back to work as outlined under the Government’s ‘Economic Recovery Plan’ (ERP) and the forthcoming Pathways to Work 2021 – 2025 strategy. As part of the ongoing monitoring of labour market developments, my Department chairs an...

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

Heather Humphreys: The Deputy will be aware of the impact that the Covid-19 pandemic has had on Department of Social Protection expenditure. While the pre-Covid 2020 estimate for the expenditure was €21.2 billion, the 2020 provisional outturn at the end of the year is approximately €30.5 billion. This year, the original estimate agreed in October 2020 of €25.1 billion was increased to...

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

Heather Humphreys: The information requested by the Deputy is detailed in the following tabular statement. A comparison is given between the 12 month period from June 2020 to May 2021 and the preceding 12 month period from June 2019 to May 2020 showing the percentage change in the average number of monthly scheme applications over the period for the standard Social Protection schemes. Scheme ...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pensions (1 Jul 2021)

Heather Humphreys: At the end of May 2021, 187 people aged 100 or older were in receipt of the State Pension Non-Contributory, while 143 people aged 100 or older were in receipt of State Pension Contributory.

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

Heather Humphreys: Carer's allowance (CA) is a means-tested social assistance payment, made to persons who are providing full-time care and attention to a person who has such a disability that they require that level of care. I am advised that there is no current application registered for the person concerned for CA. If the person in question wishes to make an application, she should complete and return an...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Legislative Measures (1 Jul 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The Deputy will appreciate that the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is an EU wide instrument and Member States including Ireland cannot deviate from its provisions, nor will guidelines supersede that position. Commencement of section 30 of the Data Protection Act 2018, raises serious matters, including the risk of infringement proceedings and the potential for significant...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: An Garda Síochána (1 Jul 2021)

Heather Humphreys: I welcome the apology that was made by the Garda Commissioner last week and the Commissioner has assured me that when someone calls 999 now, they can expect and trust that An Garda Síochána will help. That should of course always be the case. As the Deputy will be aware, the Policing Authority, at the request of Minister McEntee, is overseeing the Garda review of this matter, and...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: An Garda Síochána (1 Jul 2021)

Heather Humphreys: I welcome the apology that was made by the Garda Commissioner last week and the Commissioner has assured me that when someone calls 999 now, they can expect and trust that An Garda Síochána will help. That should of course always be the case. Any inappropriate cancellation of 999 calls is a very serious issue. This falls significantly below the high standards that the public...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: An Garda Síochána (1 Jul 2021)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 343 and 344 together. I welcome the apology that was made by the Garda Commissioner last week and the Commissioner has assured me that when someone calls 999 now, they can expect and trust that An Garda Síochána will help. That should of course always be the case. An Garda Síochána wrote to the Secretary General of my Department on...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: An Garda Síochána (1 Jul 2021)

Heather Humphreys: I can inform the Deputy that An Garda Síochána is working to improve data quality, specifically with regards to the PULSE system. The primary work to improve data is with An Garda Síochána, with the Central Statistics Office (CSO) undertaking reviews to see if it meets standards for national statistics. As the Deputy may be aware, the CSO undertook a review of the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Youth Unemployment (6 Jul 2021)

Heather Humphreys: Latest estimates from the CSO, indicate that the traditional unemployment rate for young persons stood at 19.9 percent for young people in June. However, this estimate excludes those in receipt of the Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP). When all those in receipt of the PUP are included, this gives a COVID-19 adjusted unemployment rate estimate of 44.2 percent for young people at the end of...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (6 Jul 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The number of Parents benefit claims created from 1st April to 27th June 2021 was 15,391 By way of comparison, the total number of Parents benefit claims received for the months of April, May and June 2020 was 2,841. It should be noted that while a claim may be awarded in one month, the leave and benefit could be availed of at a different time, or over a period of months, as it is available...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Dental Services (6 Jul 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The person concerned is entitled to dental benefit under the Department's PRSI scheme . The scheme provides for a free annual dental examination and an annual scale and polish treatment, subject to a maximum co-payment by the customer of €15 for a standard cleaning. Fillings are not covered under the Department's treatment benefit scheme. Fillings and other dental treatments can be...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (6 Jul 2021)

Heather Humphreys: According to the records of my Department, the person concerned received the following payments in each of the years since 2014: Year Jobseeker’s Allowance Basic Supplementary Welfare Allowance Exceptional Needs Payment One Parent Family Payment Child Benefit Back to School Clothing & Footwear Allowance Total...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Pension Provisions (6 Jul 2021)

Heather Humphreys: Blind pension is a residency based means tested payment paid to blind and visually impaired people between the age of 18 and 66 who are habitually resident in the State. There were 98 new blind pension claims made in 2020 and 37 new blind pension claims made to the end of June 2021. The number of successful, pending and unsuccessful blind pension claims for 2020 and to the end of June 2021...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Job Creation (6 Jul 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The contracts for all currently contracted employment services, including Job Clubs, expire at the end of 2021. The 2018 Indecon Review of Job Clubs recommended that the Department consider integrating LES and Job Clubs into one service thereby reducing administrative duplication and supporting a more effective and efficient overall employment support service. On this basis, the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Personal Public Service Numbers (6 Jul 2021)

Heather Humphreys: I would like to inform the Deputy that a Person Public Service Number was assigned in this case and the family of the person concerned has been informed by regular post. I hope this addresses the question.