Results 16,081-16,100 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Public Sector Pensions (24 Feb 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The Social Welfare (Consolidation) Act 2005 and accompanying regulations set out the provisions that apply to the payment of PRSI. The detailed provisions relating to the insurability of public service employees, including local or other public authority workers, is provided for in the Statutory Instrument No. 312 of 1996, Social Welfare (Consolidated Contributions and Insurability)...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pensions (24 Feb 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The person concerned reached pension age on 23 January 2021 and applied for State pension (contributory) on 21 October 2021. Under current eligibility conditions, an individual must have 520 full-rate paid contributions in order to qualify for standard State pension (contributory). 520 full-rate contributions equate to 10 years of full-rate insurable employment. Factors such as an...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (24 Feb 2022)

Heather Humphreys: Carer's allowance (CA) is a means-tested social assistance payment made to a person who is habitually resident in the State and who is providing full-time care and attention to a child or an adult who has such a disability that as a result they require that level of care. If a person is in receipt of another social welfare payment in their own right (other than unemployment payments or...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (24 Feb 2022)

Heather Humphreys: Child Benefit is a monthly payment to the parents or guardians of children under 16 years of age. Child Benefit can also be claimed for children aged 16 and 17, if they are in full-time education or full-time training or have a disability and cannot support themselves. An application for Child Benefit was received from the person concerned on 28thOctober 2021 and has been awarded with...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (24 Feb 2022)

Heather Humphreys: Under the Supplementary Welfare Allowance (SWA) scheme, my Department can make a single Exceptional Needs Payment (ENP) to help meet essential, once-off expenditure which a person could not reasonably be expected to meet out of their weekly income. An urgent needs payment (UNP) may be made to persons who may not normally qualify for supplementary welfare allowance but who have an urgent need...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (24 Feb 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The Department does not specifically contact One Parent Family claimants to request proof of efforts to seek maintenance from liable relatives. As part of the application process, the Department does seek details of the liable relative and asks if the customer is pursuing any efforts to secure maintenance. The customer's responses to these questions are generally accepted. I trust this...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (24 Feb 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The issue of family maintenance payments is first and foremost a private matter for the people concerned. Social Welfare legislation provides that some or all of the cost of One-Parent Family (OFP) payments are recovered. In every case where OFP is awarded, the Department seeks to trace the other parent (liable relative) in order to ascertain whether they are in a financial position to...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Meetings (24 Feb 2022)

Heather Humphreys: My Department has had 24 direct engagements, from 1 January 2019 to date, with the National Women’s Council of Ireland. I have provided the details in the table. DRCD Unit where Minister of State/Department Unit's Officials engaged with the National Women’s Council of Ireland. Number of engagements Online meetings, webinars, briefings or in-person...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Rural Schemes (24 Feb 2022)

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

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Island Communities (24 Feb 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The Inis Meáin pier development is included in the National Development Plan. As the Deputy will be aware, Galway County Council is the body responsible for development of stage three of the Caladh Mór pier development. Users of the pier, including a number of State subsidised ferry operators, have highlighted issues with capacity within the harbour, as well as with currents...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Seirbhísí Farantóireachta (24 Feb 2022)

Heather Humphreys: Tá obair ar siúl i mo Roinn faoi láthair leis na cáipéisí a bhaineann leis an bpróiseas soláthair le hathnuachan a dhéanamh ar an gconradh farantóireachta d'Oileáin Árainn a ullmhú. Mar is eol don Teachta, tá próiseas comhairliúcháin le pobal na n-oileán mar chuid lárnach den próiseas...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Pension Provisions (1 Mar 2022)

Heather Humphreys: Blind Pension is a means-tested payment payable to persons who are blind and to certain other persons with low vision, aged between 18 and 66 years, who are habitually resident in the State. Under the means test, assessable income includes any income from employment or self-employment (including income of spouse/partner, where applicable), income from a social security pension from another...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (1 Mar 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The claim for the One Parent Family payment referred to has been awarded and put into payment from 27/01/2022.The customer has been notified by post and payment will be issued by EFT to the nominated Bank account this week.  Financial statements were requested from the person concerned on the 8/2/22 and these statements were received and associated to the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (1 Mar 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The purpose of the Exceptional Needs Payment (ENP) is to assist people with essential, once-off, exceptional expenditure, which a person could not reasonably be expected to meet out of their weekly income. The ENP scheme is demand led and payments are made at the discretion of the officers administering the scheme taking into account the requirements of the legislation and all the relevant...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (1 Mar 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The free travel scheme provides free travel on the main public and private transport services for those eligible under the scheme. These include road, rail and ferry services provided by companies such as Bus Átha Cliath, Bus Éireann and Iarnród Éireann, as well as Luas and services provided by over 80 private transport operators. There are currently approximately...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Offices (1 Mar 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The National Intreo Contact Centre (NICC) has been set up to respond efficiently and effectively to telephone calls made to Intreo Offices.  Department of Social Protection staff are there to assist customers and seek to bring about a solution to their query.  Staff on the NICC will normally resolve queries at the first point of contact.  When a client rings the local Intreo...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Pension Provisions (1 Mar 2022)

Heather Humphreys: Low income farmers are not locked out of State pension schemes. As with all other persons, farmers can avail of the State Pension (Contributory) scheme if they have sufficient PRSI contributions. People on low incomes, including farmers, may alternatively qualify for the State Pension (Non-Contributory) (SPNC), which is a means-tested pension, financed by the Exchequer, and paid at up to...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (1 Mar 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The Department of Social Protection administers the Telephone Support Allowance (TSA) which is a weekly payment of €2.50, which may assist people who qualify under the Seniors Alert Scheme, among others. Customers of my Department who are in receipt of a qualifying payment and who are also in receipt of the Living Alone Allowance and the Fuel Allowance automatically qualify for the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Pension Provisions (1 Mar 2022)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 496 and 497 together. 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 presented its report to Government late last year and unambiguously established that the current State Pension is not sustainable...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Code (1 Mar 2022)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 498 and 499 together. The Fuel Allowance is a payment of €33.00 per week for 28 weeks (a total of €924 each year) from October to April, which is supporting up to an estimated 400, 000 households in 2022, at an estimated cost of €366 million in 2022. The purpose of this payment is to assist these households with their energy costs. The...