Results 14,401-14,420 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Animal Breeding (12 Oct 2021)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 684, 685, 686, 687 and 688 together. Each year my Department publishes annual statistics in respect of a range of the dog control responsibilities of local authorities, including those that relate to dog breeding establishments. This information is collated from annual returns received from all local authorities. Information up to and including 2020, is...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Data (12 Oct 2021)

Heather Humphreys: My Department actively promotes gender balance on the State Boards under its auspices. The table below provides the Gender Balance Percentage for the four Agencies under my remit. These Boards exceed the Government target of a minimum of 40% representation of each gender in the membership of State Boards, with the exception of the Charities Regulator. This is a matter which is being kept...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Contracts (12 Oct 2021)

Heather Humphreys: I can confirm that no procurement contracts were entered into by way of negotiated procedure, without prior publication, by my Department in either 2020 or in 2021 to-date.

Financial Resolutions 2021 - Financial Resolution No. 2: General (Resumed) (13 Oct 2021)

Heather Humphreys: This year is my second as Minister for Social Protection and for Rural and Community Development. It was also my first and probably last budget as Minister for Justice, and I look forward to welcoming the Minister, Deputy McEntee, back in November. If I have time, I will touch on the progress we have made across those three Departments. This year represented the largest social welfare...

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

Heather Humphreys: I believe the Deputy is referring to the Telephone Allowance element of the Household Benefits package. The telephone allowance element of the Household Benefits Package (HHB) was discontinued in 2014. The decision to discontinue the telephone allowance was estimated to provide annual savings of €48 million at that time. These savings meant that my Department was able to retain...

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

Heather Humphreys: The research project mentioned by the Deputy seeks to gain international experience for the criteria used for the registration of still births outside of the clinical/medical setting. Enquiries were made with several countries on what processes they have in place to define, classify, and register still births and pregnancies that are not currently defined as still births in Irish law. ...

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

Heather Humphreys: Working Family Payment (WFP) is a weekly in-work payment which provides additional income support to employees on low earnings with children. In order to qualify for working family payment, the applicant and their spouse, partner or cohabitant must be engaged in fulltime remunerative employment as an employee for not less than 38 hours per fortnight. Working Family Payment for the person...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (13 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 (subject to the Budgetary changes being introduced in Budget 2022). The purpose of this payment is to assist these households with their energy costs. The allowance represents a...

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

Heather Humphreys: The Household Benefits Package (HHB) comprises the Electricity/Gas Allowance (€35 per month) and the Free Television Licence Scheme. 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...

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

Heather Humphreys: My Department provides a suite of income supports for those who are unable to work due to an illness or disability. It is important to note that entitlement to these supports is generally not contingent on the nature of the illness or disability but on the extent to which a particular illness or disability impairs or restricts a person’s capacity to work. My Department spent a total...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Employment Support Services (13 Oct 2021)

Heather Humphreys: I have noted the correspondence from the ILDN that the Deputy refers to and will issue a response shortly. The current procurement process for employment services follows extensive consultations by my Department with the existing service providers over the last number of years. Officials in my Department also visited every Local Employment Service and Job Club in 2019 to get their views...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (13 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 24 February 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: Personal Public Service Numbers (13 Oct 2021)

Heather Humphreys: A Personal Public Service (PPS) Number is a unique reference number that helps a person access social welfare benefits, public services and information in Ireland. In order to get a PPS Number, a person must provide evidence of their identity and address and the reason for requiring a PPS Number. If a person is applying for a PPS Number to take up employment, they must have a signed offer of...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: An Garda Síochána (13 Oct 2021)

Heather Humphreys: As the Deputy will be aware, the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the management and administration of the Garda organisation under the Garda Síochána Act 2005. This includes decisions on the deployment of members of An Garda Síochána throughout the State. Furthermore, under the Section 43(1) of the Garda Síochána Act 2005, the Garda Commissioner is the...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Departmental Data (13 Oct 2021)

Heather Humphreys: As the Deputy will be aware, the Garda Commissioner is responsible, under Section 26 of the Garda Síochána Act 2005 (as amended) for the management and administration of Garda business, including the recruitment and training of Garda members and staff. As Minister I play no role in this independent function. Budget 2022 commits to the recruitment of an additional 800 Gardaí...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Departmental Data (13 Oct 2021)

Heather Humphreys: As the Deputy will be aware, the Garda Commissioner is responsible, under Section 33 of the Garda Síochána Act 2005 (as amended), for the deployment of An Garda Síochána throughout the State. The Commissioner is also responsible, under Section 26 of the Act, for the management and administration of Garda business, including the recruitment and training of Garda members and...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Departmental Data (13 Oct 2021)

Heather Humphreys: My Department provided €762,444 to Extern in 2020, relating to five projects. To date, the organisation has been paid €526,821 in 2021, and this amount is expected to rise to €795,711 by the end of the year – also in respect of five funded projects. The Department suspended funding to this organisation in December 2020 when it became aware that an incident of...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Human Rights (13 Oct 2021)

Heather Humphreys: As the Deputy will appreciate, as Minister for Justice I do not have responsibility for the Dáil Éireann Standing Orders nor relevant parliamentary procedures. Accordingly, as Minister, I cannot comment on these matters. If the Deputy would like to write to me with some clarification about this matter, I will be pleased to consider any aspects that fall within my remit.

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Flexible Work Practices (13 Oct 2021)

Heather Humphreys: Our Rural Future, Ireland’s Rural Development Policy 2021-2025, recognises the opportunity which remote working presents and also the potential of remote working hubs as key economic assets for our rural towns and villages. Accordingly, my Department operates a number of funding schemes that focus on projects supporting remote working and that add to the remote working infrastructure...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Insurance Coverage (13 Oct 2021)

Heather Humphreys: Sport Ireland Outdoors holds an insurance policy covering approved National Way-Marked Ways and Looped Walks, which protects landowners against claims from recreational users of these specified trails. The insurance policy covers trails that meet a specified standard, and includes all trails on my Department's Walks Scheme. The trail management organisation responsible for developing the...