Results 14,341-14,360 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Schemes (7 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, as appropriate, each year. The 2020 CLÁR programme was adapted to help rural...

Garda Síochána (Functions and Operational Areas) Bill 2021: Instruction to Committee (12 Oct 2021)

Heather Humphreys: I move: That, pursuant to Standing Order 187, it be an instruction to the Select Committee on Justice on the Garda Síochána (Functions and Operational Areas) Bill 2021, that it has the power to make amendments to the Bill which are outside the scope of the existing provisions of the Bill, in relation to amendments to sections 3, 26, 122, 123 and Schedule 5 of the Garda...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Pension Provisions (12 Oct 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The person concerned has been awarded an invalidity pension (IP) under EU regulations with effect from 29 April 2021. Invalidity pension is paid by electronic fund transfer to persons who reside outside the State and it is paid every four weeks; one week in advance and three weeks in arrears. The person concerned will receive her first IP payment to her nominated bank account on 21 October...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Personal Public Service Numbers (12 Oct 2021)

Heather Humphreys: I have asked the General Register Office to enquire with the HSE the current national average time to register a birth. The HSE has indicated that it currently taking on average of 7 weeks in the Eastern Region to complete the registration process. Other registration areas do not have a backlog of registrations to process. The Deputy should note that this seven week period includes the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Registration of Births (12 Oct 2021)

Heather Humphreys: Child benefit is the principal way the State assists families with the costs of raising children. It is paid in respect of all qualified children up to the age of 16 years, or to the age of 18 in respect of children who are in full-time education or who have a disability. It was paid to 633,270 families in respect of 1.2 million children last month. The Department invites child benefit...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (12 Oct 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The household benefits package (HHB) comprises the electricity or gas allowance, and the free television licence. My Department will spend approximately €265 million this year on HHB for over 480,000 customers. The package is generally available to people living in the State aged 66 years or over who are in receipt of a social welfare type payment or who satisfy a means test. The...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Pensions Reform (12 Oct 2021)

Heather Humphreys: Under current eligibility conditions, applicants must have 520 full-rate paid contributions in order to qualify for standard State pension (contributory). This equates to 10 years of full-rate insurable employment over a person’s working life. It should be noted that having a minimum of 520 full-rate contributions does not automatically entitle an applicant to the maximum rate of...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Education Schemes (12 Oct 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The back to education allowance scheme (BTEA) provides support to people with a second chance education opportunity that will improve their prospects of securing employment. It enables eligible people to pursue approved education courses and to continue to receive income support for the duration of a course of study, subject to meeting certain conditions. BTEA is paid in respect of eligible...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Fuel Prices (12 Oct 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The Fuel Allowance is a payment of €28.00 per week for 28 weeks (a total of €784 each year) from October to April, to 370,000 low income households, at an estimated cost of €300 million in 2021. The purpose of this payment is to assist these households with their energy costs. The allowance represents a contribution towards the energy costs of a household. It is not...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (12 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 5 August 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: Social Welfare Appeals (12 Oct 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that no appeal by the person concerned has been received by that office. On foot of the Deputy's question an appeal form was forwarded to the person concerned on 6 October 2021 by the Appeals Office requesting them to state the grounds on which they are seeking an appeal of the Deciding Officer's decision. Should a reply be received, the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: National Development Plan (12 Oct 2021)

Heather Humphreys: My Department has the following capital allocation under the NDP: 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 €16m €16m €16m €16m €17m The primary focus of this expenditure will be on continual investment in projects to modernise the Department’s business systems and Information...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Disability Services (12 Oct 2021)

Heather Humphreys: Domiciliary Care Allowance is a monthly payment for a child with a severe disability. In August 2021, there were 45,000 recipients of the payment in respect of 50,000 children. The estimated expenditure on the scheme in 2021 is €197m. My Department commissioned Indecon International Consultants to carry out research into the cost of disability. In line with the commitment contained...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Fuel Poverty (12 Oct 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The Fuel Allowance is a payment of €28.00 per week for 28 weeks (a total of €784 each year) from October to April, to 370,000 low income households, at an estimated cost of €300 million in 2021. The purpose of this payment is to assist these households with their energy costs. The allowance represents a contribution towards the energy costs of a household. It is not...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Correspondence (12 Oct 2021)

Heather Humphreys: As part of the annual budgetary process, my Department invites pre-Budget submissions from representative bodies. As well as giving consideration to the submissions received, my Department hosts an annual Pre-Budget Forum attended by representative bodies from the community and voluntary sector. This year’s Pre-Budget Forum, held in Dublin Castle in July, was an opportunity for me to...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Redundancy Payments (12 Oct 2021)

Heather Humphreys: As the Deputy will be aware, Section 12A of the Redundancy Payments Act 1967 was introduced as a COVID related emergency provision in March 2020. It suspended an employee’s right to claim redundancy from their employer following certain periods of layoff and short-time work. During periods of COVID related public health restrictions and sectoral shut downs, Government was concerned...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Pension Provisions (12 Oct 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The original Old Age Non-Contributory pension was first introduced in Ireland in 1908 via the passing of the Non-contributory Old-Age Pensions Act in Parliament covering the United Kingdom & Ireland. Payment was made, subject to a means test, to those people over the then State Pension Age of 70. There has thus always been an element of means testing for an old age pension in...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Pension Provisions (12 Oct 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The Deputy will be aware that I have been considering a range of options for Budget 2022 including increases in weekly rates of payment to all Social Welfare recipients, including those in receipt of pensions. Details of the 2022 Budget package will be announced by the Minister for Finance today. It is, I believe, important to emphasise that the Government takes a range of data, not just...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Employment Support Services (12 Oct 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The Local Employment Services (LES) provide a one-to-one employment assistance and advice service for the long-term unemployed. My Department currently contracts with a range of providers for the provision of Local Employment Services. Each contract stipulates the duration of the contract which is for a period of 12 months. The current contracts are in place from 01 January 2021 and are...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Employment Support Services (12 Oct 2021)

Heather Humphreys: I understand that the Deputy is referring to a position being adopted by an interested party in regard to the ongoing procurement process for employment services. It would be inappropriate to comment on any expectation attributable to a third party or the legitimacy or otherwise of such a position. My Department is at an advanced stage in its first phase of a two-phase procurement for...