Results 13,421-13,440 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Expenditure (8 Jul 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The revised estimate for my Department for 2021 provides for a gross allocation of €351 million, with a capital allocation of €168.6 million. In addition, €13.18 million of unspent capital funding has been carried forward from 2020 giving a total capital allocation of €181.8 million for 2021. At the end of June 2021 total capital spend amounted to €31.5...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (13 Jul 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The PUP was introduced as an exceptional measure for employees and the self- employed who lost employment as a direct consequence of Covid-19.  This week just over 211,000 people received the PUP, representing a drop of over 270,000 from a peak of 482,000 recipients in February this year. As more and more people return to work every week due to the gradual lifting of restrictions and...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (13 Jul 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The PUP was introduced as an exceptional measure for employees and the self- employed who lost employment as a direct consequence of Covid-19.  To allow as much time as possible for the economy to recover and employments to re-open, there will be no change to the PUP rate until 7th September when it will be gradually reduced on a tapered basis, over a 6 month period until February 2022,...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Birth Certificates (13 Jul 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The HSE has advised the a certificate has issued in this case.  The Deputy will be aware that the HSE is responsible for registering births and issuing certificates once registration has been completed.  Orders for certificates can be placed with any office of the HSE, its online certificate service or with the General Register Office (which operates under the aegis of my...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (13 Jul 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.  Permanently incapable of work is defined as an incapacity for work of such a nature that the likelihood is that the claimant will be incapable of work for life or an...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (13 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, he should complete and return...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Reviews (13 Jul 2021)

Heather Humphreys: My Department undertakes social impact assessments using the tax/welfare microsimulation model, SWITCH, developed by the Economic and Social Research Institute. Social impact assessment is an evidence-based methodology which estimates the likely distributive effects of policy proposals on household incomes, families, poverty and access to employment. It is a widely used tool at European...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (13 Jul 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The numbers of applications received for Domiciliary Care Allowance since 2017 are detailed in the table below.  A breakdown of these figures on a county basis is not available as this information is not routinely collated by the Department.   Year Number of DCA Applications received 2017 8,197 2018 8,609 ...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (13 Jul 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The number of Domiciliary Care Allowance claims refused at initial application are detailed in the table below.  A breakdown of these figures on a county basis is not available as this information is not routinely collated by the Department.   Year Number of DCA Applications refused 2017 2,187 2018 ...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (13 Jul 2021)

Heather Humphreys: Domiciliary Care Allowance is a payment in recognition of the substantial additional care needs of children with a disability as evidenced in the application and supporting documentation. Decisions to award or refuse claims are not based on the diagnosis alone, but on the extent and complexity of the care needs of the child. Each application is assessed by a deciding officer on...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (13 Jul 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The numbers of Domiciliary Care Allowance claims refused following initial application are detailed in the table below. A breakdown of these figures on a county basis is not available as this information is not routinely collated by the Department. Year Number of DCA Applications refused 2017 2,187 2018 2,225  ...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (13 Jul 2021)

Heather Humphreys: Domiciliary Care Allowance (DCA) is administered centrally for the entire country, and as a result statistics for applications and reviews processed are not collated on a county by county basis. The available figures, which are from 2018, for successful reviews carried out by DCA section are outlined in the table below. Year Found eligible on review by a...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (13 Jul 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The Social Welfare Appeals Office functions independently of the Minister for Social Protection and of the Department and is responsible for determining appeals against decisions in relation to social welfare entitlements.  I understand that the Deputy has clarified that the information he is seeking is in relation to the number of domiciliary care applications which were successful...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (13 Jul 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The back to school clothing and footwear allowance (BSCFA) scheme provides a once-off payment to eligible families to assist with the costs of clothing and footwear when children start or return to school each autumn.  The scheme operates from June to September each year. The allowance is payable in respect of eligible children between the ages of 4 and 17 in respect of whom a qualified...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (13 Jul 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that two appeals by the person concerned were registered in that office on 9 April 2021 and 3 June 2021 respectively.  It is a statutory requirement of the appeals process that the relevant papers and comments by or on behalf of the Deciding Officer on the grounds of appeal be sought from the Department of Social...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pensions (13 Jul 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The person concerned notified my department on 19 April 2021 of a change in their means and circumstances and a review was carried out on their disability allowance (DA). Means were assessed from a foreign pension with effect from 26 May 2021 and the person concerned was informed of this in writing on 6 May 2021. The currency conversion rate which was used to assess the means was the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pensions (13 Jul 2021)

Heather Humphreys: Under current social welfare legislation, a self-employed contributor will not be regarded as satisfying the contribution conditions for State pension (contributory) unless the person has paid self-employment contributions in respect of at least one contribution year prior to reaching age 66 and all self-employment contributions payable have been paid. While the person concerned has paid...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Registration of Births (13 Jul 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The Deputy will be aware that the processes for the notification of births is the responsibility of the maternity services and the HSE registration services.  My Department has no direct role with respect to such matters. I am aware of the delays being suffered by the public as the HSE deals with the backlog of births and deaths registrations caused by the cyber-attack on...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (13 Jul 2021)

Heather Humphreys: While my Department and I have reviewed the Budget Perspectives 2022 paper with interest, I am not in a position to comment in detail on the specific methodology or assumptions which were used to cost measures by the ESRI. The analysis in this paper is mainly based on the fact that young people who remain unemployed will either not qualify for an unemployment payment, or if they do...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (13 Jul 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The Pandemic Unemployment Payment, or PUP, has been an important support for hundreds of thousands of workers and their families through the COVID-19 pandemic, demonstrating Government's commitment to workers.  In total, over €8.2 billion has been paid out on PUP.  Approximately 870,000 workers have received at least one PUP payment.  The Government has also...