Results 15,181-15,200 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Personal Public Service Numbers (7 Dec 2021)

Heather Humphreys: I can confirm that my Department has issued a letter with details of the Personal Public Service Number (PPSN) of the deceased individual referred to by the Deputy to the solicitor concerned on 30th November 2021. My Department has put in place a dedicated email address, PPSNPROBATE@welfare.ie which solicitors can use to submit PPSN applications and Probate/Estate queries regarding PPSNs....

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (7 Dec 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. A person wishing to pursue a course of study under the BTEA scheme must satisfy several conditions, including commencing the first year of a course of study. In the case of jobseeker payments, a...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Protected Disclosures (7 Dec 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The Department of Social Protection is committed to ensuring there is an appropriate and positive environment for addressing any concerns of staff in relation to wrongdoing in the workplace. It has an internal policy and procedures to deal with all submissions under protected disclosures that arise. The policy is published on www.gov.ie The number of submissions received under the protected...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pensions (7 Dec 2021)

Heather Humphreys: Applicants for State pension (contributory) with a yearly average of 40 or above were not affected by the September 2012 changes. Applicants who were assessed with a yearly average within the 40-47 rate band continued to have entitlement to 98% of the maximum rate of State pension (contributory). Applicants assessed with a yearly average of 48 or over continued to qualify for the maximum...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (7 Dec 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The Household Benefits Package is paid to over 482,000 households at an estimated cost of €265m in 2021. Of this cost, €174m relates to the electricity allowance element. The Household Benefits package is a contribution towards the running costs of a household, it is not intended to meet these costs in full. Only one Household Benefits Package is payable per household. The...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pensions (7 Dec 2021)

Heather Humphreys: According to the records of my Department, the person concerned reached pension age on 16 December 2019 and has not yet applied for State pension. I have arranged for a copy of the person’s social insurance contribution record to issue to them, together with an application form for State pension (contributory). If the person concerned has any additional information to add to their...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (7 Dec 2021)

Heather Humphreys: On 29th November I announced the publication of the Social Welfare Bill which will enact Budget 2022 measures. Included in this Budget Bill is provision for an extensive expansion to the list of Agri- Environmental schemes which will qualify towards the disregard of €2,540. The measure will support the Government’s climate change agenda and will act as an incentive to farmers...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (7 Dec 2021)

Heather Humphreys: My Department provides a comprehensive set of income supports for carers. These include Carer's Allowance, Carer's Benefit, Domiciliary Care Allowance, and the Carer's Support Grant. Through these schemes over 135,000 carers are supported by regular income payments. Spending in 2021 on these payments is expected to be approximately €1.5 billion. There are a number of basic...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (7 Dec 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) is available for employees and self-employed people who have lost employment and satisfy the scheme's statutory conditions. Expenditure on PUP since its introduction last March 2020 has now exceeded €8.9 billion. To satisfy the eligibility conditions for PUP, a person cannot be engaged in insurable employment. This applies to both...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (7 Dec 2021)

Heather Humphreys: Applications for Exceptional Needs Payments are made under the Supplementary Welfare Allowance (SWA) Scheme administered by Designated Persons in the Community Welfare Service in my Department. The purpose of the Exceptional Needs Payment (ENP) scheme is to assist people with essential, once-off, exceptional expenditure that a person could not reasonably be expected to meet out of their...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (7 Dec 2021)

Heather Humphreys: Applications for Exceptional Needs Payments are made under the Supplementary Welfare Allowance (SWA) Scheme administered by Designated Persons in the Community Welfare Service in my Department. The purpose of the Exceptional Needs Payment (ENP) scheme is to assist people with essential, once-off, exceptional expenditure that a person could not reasonably be expected to meet out of their...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Code (7 Dec 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The system of social assistance supports provides payments based on an income need. The means test plays a critical role in determining whether or not an income need arises as a consequence of a particular contingency – such as disability, unemployment or caring. This ensures that the recipient has a verifiable income need and that resources are targeted to those who need them most....

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Insurance (7 Dec 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The Pensions Commission was established, inter alia, to develop options for Government to consider in addressing the sustainability of the State pension system and the social insurance fund. The Commission has completed this work and its report was published on the 7th October 2021. The Commission’s Report has unambiguously established that the current State Pension system is not...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pensions (7 Dec 2021)

Heather Humphreys: Data on all November recipients of the State Pension Contributory (SPC) are set out in the table below. It should be noted that the figures here refer to the rate of payment only. It is not currently possible to disaggregate the payment rates according to the contribution bands mentioned by the Deputy. It is estimated that 100,000 people in receipt of SPC at below the maximum rate retired...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (7 Dec 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The person concerned has been awarded a fuel allowance at the weekly rate of €33.00 effective from the 29th October 2021, in addition to her widow's contributory pension. The person concerned will receive her first payment of the allowance, together with arrears, at her chosen Post Office on Friday 10th December 2021, and weekly thereafter. I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Schemes (7 Dec 2021)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 376, 377 and 380 together. The Work Placement Experience Programme (WPEP) is a key policy initiative under the Government's new national employment services strategy; Pathways to Work 2021-2025. WPEP is a funded work placement scheme to provide work experience opportunities for up to 10,000 jobseekers who are unemployed for more than six months,...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Schemes (7 Dec 2021)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 378 and 379 together. The Work Placement Experience Programme (WPEP) is a key policy initiative under the Government's new national employment services strategy; Pathways to Work 2021-2025. WPEP is a funded work placement scheme to provide work experience opportunities for up to 10,000 jobseekers who are unemployed for more than six months, including time...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (7 Dec 2021)

Heather Humphreys: Disability allowance (DA) is a means tested scheme and the way means are assessed is laid down in social welfare legislation. In summary, any income, with some exceptions, belonging to the person is assessable as means for DA purposes. The person in question was disallowed DA on 8 July 2019 as they failed to provide sufficient information in order for a Deciding Officer to determine...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: School Meals Programme (7 Dec 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: Public Services Card (7 Dec 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The SAFE registration process, which involves the authentication of a person's identity in a face-to-face interview, results in the issuing of a Public Services Card (PSC), which can be used as proof of identity when accessing public services. At the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, my Department temporarily suspended the SAFE registration process and the centralised online appointment...