Results 14,981-15,000 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (25 Nov 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The death of a child is a tragedy and the difficulties experienced by parents and families as a result cannot be overstated. Within the social welfare system, there are a number of supports for people who suffer a bereavement involving a child. In particular, there are arrangements which allow for certain payments to continue for a period after a person dies. If a person is in receipt of a...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Energy Prices (25 Nov 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The Household Benefits package (HHB) comprises the electricity or gas allowance, and the free television licence. 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 package is also available to some people under the age of 66, who are in receipt of certain welfare type...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (25 Nov 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The Farm Assist Scheme is an important income support for farmers on low incomes, enabling them to continue to farm while also receiving a State income support. This is important not just for the farmers concerned but for the rural communities in which they live and work. Under the scheme farmers can receive the equivalent of a jobseeker payment and also have access to secondary benefits...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Public Procurement Contracts (25 Nov 2021)

Heather Humphreys: My Department is now at an advanced stage in its first phase of procuring new employment services. For clarity, I would like to state that my Department has sole responsibility for the functioning of public employment services both internally through my Department's Intreo service and through services contracted by the Department. My Department has had extensive engagement with a...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: School Meals Programme (25 Nov 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The school meals programme provides funding towards the provision of food to some 1,506 schools and organisations benefitting 230,000 children. The objective of the programme is to provide regular, nutritious food to children who are unable, due to lack of good quality food, to take full advantage of the education provided to them. The programme is an important component of policies to...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (25 Nov 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The estimated cost of the Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) from its introduction in March 2020 until its cessation in February 2022 will be almost €9.1 billion. This is made up as follows: - Actual expenditure of €4,983.7 million in 2020; - An estimated outturn of €4,023.2 million in 2021; - A provision of €75 million in 2022 as published in the 2022 Budget Day...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (25 Nov 2021)

Heather Humphreys: At the end of September 2021 there were almost 156,000 persons in receipt of means tested disability payments from my Department, comprising 154,563 persons on Disability Allowance (DA) and 1,047 in receipt of the Blind Pension (BP). The means assessment reflects the fact that there is an expectation that people with reasonable amounts of income or capital are in a position to use these...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (25 Nov 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The Programme for Government is committed to ensuring that increases in the carbon tax will be progressive. This means protecting the most vulnerable in society from the impacts of the tax. In 2020; the ESRI examined the options available to offset the impacts of a carbon tax increase on low income households. In light of this research, the Government has committed to very significant...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Employment Support Services (25 Nov 2021)

Heather Humphreys: My Department is now at an advanced stage in the first phase of a two-phase procurement of new employment services, following extensive consultations with existing service providers over the last number of years. I can assure the Deputy that the new service is not a privatisation of employment services. Instead, it is a shift to competitive procurement as required by good governance and the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (25 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 369,000 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....

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (25 Nov 2021)

Heather Humphreys: Budget 2022 included the announcement of €25 million to pilot a new Basic Income scheme for artists and arts workers, as reflected in the National Economic Recovery Plan. My colleague the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media has lead responsibility for this initiative. Her Department is examining the various options associated with introducing a pilot...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals (25 Nov 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. All claim decisions taken by the Department’s Deciding Officers and Designated Persons are appealable to the Chief Appeals Officer. In any year about 85% of all...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Employment Support Services (25 Nov 2021)

Heather Humphreys: My Department is now at an advanced stage in its first phase of a two-phase procurement of new employment services. This procurement process follows extensive consultations by my Department with existing service providers over the last number of years. The new model will extend high quality employment services across the State, deliver enhanced governance arrangements and provide successful...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Employment Support Services (25 Nov 2021)

Heather Humphreys: I am very aware of the importance of employment in supporting individuals, society and the economy. My Department is committed to assisting all prepare for and secure employment. I also understand that the path to employment is not the same for everyone and that additional help is required for those facing additional challenges including those in minority communities. This is a key...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Cybersecurity Policy (25 Nov 2021)

Heather Humphreys: My Department is a major user of Information Technology for the provision of customer services. The MyWelfare platform provides customers with easy access to a range of social welfare services including applying for benefits such as family payments and out-of-work payments, updating personal details, viewing payment and contribution history, and checking eligibility for schemes such as...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (25 Nov 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The Fuel Allowance is a payment of €33.00 per week for 28 weeks (a total of €924 each year) from October to April, to 369,000 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: Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (25 Nov 2021)

Heather Humphreys: My Department is primarily responsible for the provision of income supports to individuals. The PUP payment was the main income support introduced for those impacted by Covid-19 which was payable to eligible workers irrespective of the sector from which they lost their employment. PUP, similar to other social welfare supports, is not paid on a sectoral basis. In terms of analysis,...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (25 Nov 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. This Department spent a...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (25 Nov 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The information requested by the Deputy is included in the following table. Note that the numbers refer to people who were in receipt of payment for Parent's Benefit. County Pre-April 2021 Post-April 2021 Carlow 272 363 Cavan 440 563 Clare 584 816 Cork ...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pensions (25 Nov 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The Roadmap for Social Inclusion 2020 - 2025 aims to reduce the number of people in consistent poverty in Ireland to 2% or less, and to position Ireland within the top five countries in the EU under a number of leading social inclusion measures. The Roadmap includes a specific goal to protect the incomes of older people through the delivery of the commitment to benchmark State pension...