Results 14,781-14,800 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals (4 Nov 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 30 July 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.Those papers were received in the Social Welfare...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (4 Nov 2021)

Heather Humphreys: Working Family Payment (WFP) is an in-work family benefit which provides additional income support to employees on low earnings with children. My Department, as part of the overall Government response to the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, put in place supports, including the Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP), for individuals who lost their employment as a direct consequence of the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pensions (4 Nov 2021)

Heather Humphreys: Subject to the standard qualifying conditions for State Pension (Contributory) also being satisfied, the State pension system already provides significant recognition to those whose work history includes an extended period of time outside the paid workplace, often to raise families or in a full-time caring role. This is provided through the award of credits and/or the application of the...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Schemes (4 Nov 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The €7 million Streetscape Enhancement Initiative, which is a commitment in Our Rural Future, is designed to make around 120 of our rural towns and villages more attractive and welcoming places for locals and visitors alike. Property owners are being part funded to improve the facades of buildings, carry out artwork, and install features such as canopies and street furniture. The...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Cross-Border Co-operation (4 Nov 2021)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 395 and 396 together. My Department has a number of programmes that support cross-Border initiatives. To date, the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund has approved €255 million for 164 larger projects, worth a total of €347 million. The Fund seeks to support large scale, strategic projects, which have the potential to transform rural...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Personal Public Service Numbers (9 Nov 2021)

Heather Humphreys: I can confirm that my Department has allocated a new Personal Public Service Number (PPSN) to the person referred to by the Deputy. A letter issued on 3rd November, providing her with her new PPSN. I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Registration of Births (9 Nov 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The Health Service Executive has responsibility for the delivery of civil registration services under the Civil Registration Act 2004. I am aware of and concerned about the waiting times to register births and other life events and the impact this has on families seeking to access social welfare payments. Resourcing and performance of the civil registration services, as with other matters...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pensions (9 Nov 2021)

Heather Humphreys: An overpayment of non-contributory pension was assessed in this case as the claimant did not declare means from a British Retirement Pension. The Department’s policy is to ensure that every effort is made to prevent overpayments but, if they occur, they are regarded as a debt to the Exchequer and every effort must be made to recover the amounts due. Legislation provides for the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pensions (9 Nov 2021)

Heather Humphreys: People who apply for the State Pension (Contributory) (SPC) after 1 September 2012 and who do not qualify for the maximum rate of pension under the Yearly Average approach can be assessed under the interim Total Contributions Approach, and can use the new Home Caring Periods Scheme to help them qualify for a higher rate of pension. People whose pensions were decided under the 2000-2012...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Employment Support Services (9 Nov 2021)

Heather Humphreys: In addition to income supports, the Department of Social Protection provides a wide range of employment supports and services to assist jobseekers/existing employees with disabilities, and also employers seeking to hire a jobseeker (or support an existing employee) with a disability. The Department’s employment supports and services have been designed to focus on supporting the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (9 Nov 2021)

Heather Humphreys: Carer's Benefit is a PRSI based payment made to insured people who leave the workforce or reduce their working hours to care for a child or an adult in need of full-time care and attention. Before a decision can be made on entitlement to Carer’s Benefit, evidence must be provided in respect of the care recipient’s care requirement, the level of care the carer provides, the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (9 Nov 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The objective of the Wage Subsidy Scheme (WSS) is to encourage private sector employers to employ people with disabilities and thereby increase the numbers of people with disabilities obtaining and sustaining employment in the open labour market. The scheme provides financial incentives to private sector employers to hire new staff with a disability for between 21 and 39 subsidised hours...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (9 Nov 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The system of social assistance supports, and the means tests associated with these schemes, are used to determine a verifiable income need and ensure that resources are targeted to those who need them most. As part of the means assessment for Rent Supplement, the value of capital is used in the calculation of means. Capital includes savings, investments and property, excluding the family...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (9 Nov 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. The conditions under which the BTEA operate are designed to support customers into employment. Government has provided €96.5 million for BTEA in 2021. A person pursuing a course of study under...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pensions (9 Nov 2021)

Heather Humphreys: Under current eligibility conditions, applicants must have a minimum of 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...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (9 Nov 2021)

Heather Humphreys: Fuel allowance is a means-tested payment to assist householders on long-term social welfare payments towards the cost of their heating needs. It is not intended to meet those costs in full. The main eligibility conditions that apply to the fuel allowance scheme are that a person must be in receipt of a qualifying payment, must satisfy a means test and must either be living alone or with...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pensions (9 Nov 2021)

Heather Humphreys: Social welfare legislation provides that a person who has been in receipt of the maximum rate of invalidity pension immediately prior to their 66th birthday automatically transfers to the maximum rate State pension (contributory) on reaching pension age. The person concerned turned 66 on 31 October 2021, which was a Sunday. Friday is the payment day for State pension (contributory). The...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Schemes (9 Nov 2021)

Heather Humphreys: Domiciliary Care Allowance decision reviews are currently taking approximately 12 weeks to process. Processing times can vary depending on the volume of reviews received, availability of resources and complexity of individual cases. All of these factors are continuously monitored to ensure a timely service to customers. I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (9 Nov 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The Partial Capacity Benefit payment to the person concerned was incorrectly stopped due to an administrative error. The payment has been reinstated and all arrears due have been issued. I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (9 Nov 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The Fuel Allowance is a payment of €33.00 per week for 28 weeks (a total of €924 over a full fuel season) from October to April, to 365,000 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....