Results 14,181-14,200 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

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

Heather Humphreys: Budget 2012 introduced contributory pension rate band changes from 1 September 2012 that were less favourable than those prior to that time. In January 2018, the Government announced an Interim Total Contributions Approach (TCA) to calculate the entitlement of pensioners who reached state pension age on or after 1 September 2012 (i.e. those born on or after 1 September 1946) and who have...

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

Heather Humphreys: Since 1998, when legislative provision was first made for the PSC, it was always intended that it would be used widely across the public service to assist people in their dealings with public sector bodies. The list of public bodies that are authorised to use the PSC is set out in Schedule 5 of the Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005 (as amended). Credit unions and other financial...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Employment Schemes (6 Oct 2021)

Heather Humphreys: My Department is now at an advanced stage in its first phase of procuring new employment services. This phase involves the procurement of regional employment services for seven counties in the Midlands and North-West across four lots. These counties do not have an existing local employment service and represent the first phase of an expansion of similar employment services across. This...

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

Heather Humphreys: Fuel allowance is a means-tested payment to assist householders on long-term social welfare payments towards the cost of their winter heating needs. The main eligibility conditions for receipt of fuel allowance are that a person must be in receipt of a qualifying payment, satisfy a means test and live alone or with other qualifying persons. The fuel allowance means test is linked to the...

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

Heather Humphreys: The Back to Education Allowance scheme (BTEA) is an educational opportunities scheme for customers in receipt of certain Social Protection payments wishing to pursue second or third level courses of education. The objective of the scheme is to raise educational and skills levels to enable successful applicants to improve labour market opportunities by providing them with income support while...

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

Heather Humphreys: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 15 June 2021.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 Protection. These papers were received in the Social Welfare...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (6 Oct 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The Back to Education Allowance (BTEA) provides income support for jobseekers and others in receipt of certain social welfare payments who pursue courses of education at second or third level. Government has provided €96.5 million for BTEA in 2021. A person wishing to pursue a course of study under the BTEA scheme must satisfy several conditions, including commencing the first...

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

Heather Humphreys: My Department is now at an advanced stage in its first phase of procuring new employment services. This phase involves the procurement of regional employment services for seven counties in the Midlands and North-West across four lots. These counties do not have an existing local employment service and represent the first phase of an expansion of similar employment services across. The...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (6 Oct 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 as a result they require that level of care. I confirm that my Department received an application for CA from the person concerned on 2 July 2020 in respect of both...

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

Heather Humphreys: 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 transport operators. There are currently approx. 1,007,000...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Legislative Measures (6 Oct 2021)

Heather Humphreys: As previously expressed, I would like to offer my sincere condolences to all the victims, families and loved ones of those who have been affected in such awful circumstances. Work is progressing on amending Section 120 of the Succession Act, in order to ensure that perpetrators of domestic homicides could not benefit through inheritance. As I have said previously, this work involves a...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Departmental Data (6 Oct 2021)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 97 and 98 together. I am advised by the Central Statistics Office that the information requested by the Deputy is not currently available. The Deputy will recall that in my response to Question no. 480 of 21 September 2021, I provided information on the number of people suspected to be involved in the commission of a further offence while on bail. I have...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Schemes (6 Oct 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The CLÁR Programme provides funding under a number of different Measures for small-scale infrastructural projects in designated rural areas that have experienced significant levels of de-population over a defined period. The Measures to be included in the CLÁR programme are reviewed and revised, if appropriate, each year. Measure 2 of the 2021 programme provided support for...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Schemes (6 Oct 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The CLÁR Programme provides funding under a number of different Measures for small-scale infrastructural projects in designated rural areas that have experienced significant levels of de-population over a defined period. The Measures to be included in the CLÁR programme are reviewed and revised, if appropriate, each year. Measure 2 of the 2021 programme provided support for...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Schemes (6 Oct 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The €7 million Streetscape Enhancement Initiative, which is a commitment in Our Rural Future, is designed to make 124 of our rural towns and villages more attractive and welcoming places for locals and visitors alike. Property owners will be part funded to improve the facades of buildings, carry out artwork and install features such as canopies and street furniture. The initiative is...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Employment Support Services (7 Oct 2021)

Heather Humphreys: I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. My Department is at an advanced stage in its first phase of the two-phase procurement for regionally based employment services. The procurement has two key goals. First, it will see a significant expansion across the State of employment services for those furthest from the labour market. The regional employment services will have a strong focus...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Employment Support Services (7 Oct 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The Deputy will agree that I recognise the good work being carried out by our LES providers throughout the country. I take this opportunity to assure the Deputy, and to put on record, that the Government recognises the great work being carried out by many of our LES providers. They do great work in helping people with career guidance, CVs, interview preparation, upskilling and training...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Employment Support Services (7 Oct 2021)

Heather Humphreys: As we know, the current cost-met model is cumbersome and involves a lot of administration for everybody, both for LES providers and the Department. It is an out-of-date model and it means significant time and effort is spent submitting evidence for all itemised expenditure. We want to ensure the time is better spent dealing with people who need our help and working with those people who...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (7 Oct 2021)

Heather Humphreys: I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. Within three weeks of the PUP being launched, more than 500,000 people were in payment. In the initial two months to the end of April, my Department processed some 900,000 claims. The delivery of the scheme on such a scale and in such a short time represented a major achievement by my Department. The recent report of the Comptroller and Auditor...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (7 Oct 2021)

Heather Humphreys: I thank the Deputy. As part of the claims approval process, claims were checked to ensure the claimant had a valid personal public service, PPS, number and other identity details. Checks were carried out whenever applications were submitted. In 2020, over 52,000 reviews were carried out by the Department's special investigation unit, with over 17,000 claims closed, while a further 19,400...