Results 15,981-16,000 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Social Isolation (17 Feb 2022)

Heather Humphreys: Addressing the issue of rural isolation cuts across Government Departments, with ongoing actions being progressed including those aimed at enhancing community policing, rural transport links and tackling social inclusion. A vital part of my Department’s mission is to support the creation of vibrant and sustainable communities across this country. Addressing the issue of...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Strategies (17 Feb 2022)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 347 to 349, inclusive, and 351 together. A vital part my Department's mission is to support vibrant and sustainable communities across this country, and in doing so to deliver on a wide range of strategic interventions, funding programmes and policies to support urban and rural communities. In the 2022 Revised Estimates, my Department was allocated...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Schemes (17 Feb 2022)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 350, 352 and 353 together. My Department funds a range of programmes and schemes to assist in rural and community development which are available to eligible community groups and organisations throughout the country.  My Department was allocated €378 million in the 2022 Revised Estimates, this ensures that we are in a position to further...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Rural Schemes (17 Feb 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The LEADER programme is a key intervention implemented by my Department which will help to underpin the Government's rural development goals as outlined in Our Rural Future. The LEADER programme is delivered through 29 Local Action Groups (LAGs) across rural Ireland. A feature of the LEADER programme is that it is based on a community-led, bottom-up approach to rural development. The...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Rural Schemes (17 Feb 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The Town and Village Renewal Scheme aims to assist with the rejuvenation of rural towns and villages throughout Ireland, making them more attractive places to live, work and visit.  In line with the commitment in Our Rural Future, the 2021 scheme prioritised the renovation of derelict and vacant buildings in our town centres, with a view to bringing these...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Library Services (17 Feb 2022)

Heather Humphreys: My Department funds a Libraries Capital Programme which is investing some €29 million in 17 projects, the My Open Library service and a Small Scale Capital Works programme, between 2016 and 2022. The Libraries Capital Programme has eight completed projects and five more are under construction. €3 million was provided by my Department under a Small Scale Capital Works...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Rural Schemes (17 Feb 2022)

Heather Humphreys: As part of 'Our Rural Future',the Government is committed to ensuring that the Local Improvement Scheme (LIS) is funded into the future. This reflects the important contribution which the scheme makes to connectivity in rural Ireland. The LIS supports the improvement of rural roads and laneways that are not normally maintained by local authorities. I launched the 2021 Scheme with...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Tidy Towns (17 Feb 2022)

Heather Humphreys: Despite the cancellation of the SuperValu Tidy Towns competition in 2020 as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, I was delighted to see that the entry to the 2021 competition was very strong and the competition continues to reach out to all parts of our communities. I particularly want to thank all the Tidy Town groups for implementing the changes we introduced to the competition...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Rural Schemes (17 Feb 2022)

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, if appropriate, each year.  Over 160 projects were...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Rural Schemes (17 Feb 2022)

Heather Humphreys: As part of 'Our Rural Future', the Government is committed to ensuring that the Local Improvement Scheme (LIS) is funded into the future. This reflects the important contribution which the scheme makes to connectivity in rural Ireland. The LIS supports the improvement of rural roads and laneways that are not normally maintained by local authorities. The Local Improvement Scheme was...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pensions (22 Feb 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The person concerned reached pension age on 20 October 2021 and applied for State pension (contributory) on 4 August 2021. Determination of pension eligibility depends on the individual nature of an applicant’s social insurance record. According to the records of my Department, the person concerned has a self-employment record since the 2014 tax year. Under social welfare...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (22 Feb 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The Treatment Benefit Scheme provides dental, optical and aural services to insured workers, the self-employed, retired people and their dependant spouse/partner who have the required number of social insurance (PRSI) contributions. In order to qualify for treatment benefit (when aged over 66 years) a PRSI contributor must satisfy the conditions of having a total of 260 paid...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (22 Feb 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The information requested is set out in the following table. The table outlines the breakdown of recipients by payment type for the main Department of Social Protection schemes, which were available, as of the end of February 2021. Recipients by Payment Type (February 2021) Scheme Cheque Bank Transfer (EFT) Post Office (EIT) Total ...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (22 Feb 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The information requested is set out in the following table, which outlines the recipient numbers for Jobseeker's Benefit related schemes, as of the end of February 2021, broken down by the average duration on each of these schemes. Scheme Recipients Average Duration (Days) Jobseeker's Benefit 17,986 125 Jobseeker's...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (22 Feb 2022)

Heather Humphreys: Benefit Payment for 65 Year Old's is a payment for people aged between 65 and 66 years who have ceased employment or self-employment. ' In order to be eligible for Benefit Payment for 65 Year Old's a person must satisfy all the conditions for the payment: - Be aged between 65 and 66 years - Have ceased employment or self-employment - Be resident in the Republic of Ireland - Satisfy the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pensions (22 Feb 2022)

Heather Humphreys: According to the records of my Department, the person concerned will reach pension age on 26 February 2022. Their application for State pension (contributory) was received on 16 February 2022. The person’s State pension (contributory) entitlemen will be examined by a Deciding Officer and they will be notified of the outcome. Under current eligibility conditions, an individual must...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (22 Feb 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The Treatment Benefit Scheme provides dental, optical and aural services to insured workers, the self-employed, retired people and their dependant spouse/partner who have the required number of social insurance (PRSI) contributions. In order to qualify a person needs to have at least 260 PRSI contributions paid at either Class A, E, H, P or S, since first starting work, and also have 39...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Code (22 Feb 2022)

Heather Humphreys: Child Benefit is a monthly payment made to families with children in respect of all qualified children up to the age of 16 years. The payment continues to be paid in respect of children until their 18th birthday who are in full-time education, or who have a disability. Child Benefit is currently paid to over 631,000 families in respect of almost 1.2 million children with an estimated...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (22 Feb 2022)

Heather Humphreys: Illness Benefit is paid for a maximum of one year if a person has between 104 and 259 total reckonable PRSI contributions paid. It is paid for a maximum of 2 years if a person has over 260 total reckonable PRSI contributions. The person concerned has been paid for a full year of Illness Benefit. Their entitlement to payment has exhausted as, according to the Department's records, he has...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (22 Feb 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The person concerned is in receipt of invalidity pension and disablement benefit. The person concerned does not qualify for fuel allowance under the National Fuel Scheme as she is in receipt of a disablement benefit payment and disablement benefit is a non qualifying payment for receipt of fuel allowance. Under the Supplementary Welfare Allowance (SWA) scheme, a Heating Supplement may be...