Results 16,221-16,240 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Social Welfare Schemes (22 Mar 2022)

Heather Humphreys: I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. The working family payment scheme is a demand-led scheme and is not budget capped. Based on current and projected claim volumes, my Department estimates expenditure of €348.6 million for the scheme in 2022. In budget 2022, I provided for an increase in €10 per week in the working family payment income thresholds for all families....

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Social Welfare Schemes (22 Mar 2022)

Heather Humphreys: To qualify for the working family payment the average total weekly family income must be below the relevant income threshold for the family's size. The payment is calculated at 60% of the difference between the total family income and the income threshold that applies to the family. The rate of payment for those in receipt of the working family payment varies, depending on the number of...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Social Welfare Schemes (22 Mar 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The Deputy is right that sometimes people are not aware of the many different supports that are available. I believe my Department makes more than 80 different payments, so there are quite a few of them. Citizens Information is a very good organisation and has good information on its website. To qualify for the working family payment a person must be engaged in paid employment, as an...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Social Welfare Schemes (22 Mar 2022)

Heather Humphreys: Fuel allowance is paid to social welfare recipients such as pensioners, people with disabilities, lone parents and the long-term unemployed in recognition of their long-term financial dependence on their social welfare payment for all or most of their income. The reason jobseeker's benefit, illness benefit, enhanced illness benefit and maternity benefit are not qualifying payments for fuel...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Social Welfare Schemes (22 Mar 2022)

Heather Humphreys: I understand the issue with regard to people on the disability payment. I, too, have a constituent who has been out sick with a bad back for the past two to three months. She asked me if she could get the fuel allowance and I had to explain to her that she could not because she was outside the criteria. The payment is framed in this way in order to direct the limited resources available to...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Social Welfare Schemes (22 Mar 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The review is being carried out and I look forward to seeing what it has to say. There are always cases where you would love people to be getting something but unfortunately, when there are criteria some people will fall outside them and some will qualify. In budget 2022, the Government committed to very significant increases in a targeted package of social protection supports. The...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Fuel Prices (22 Mar 2022)

Heather Humphreys: I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. The Government is committed to protecting vulnerable households from the impact of energy costs. As part of the overall welfare budget package of €600 million in increases secured for 2022, I increased the fuel allowance payment by €5 per week, effective from budget night. I also increased the weekly income threshold for fuel...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Fuel Prices (22 Mar 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The Government recognises the impact rising energy prices are having on people. That is why we have acted to assist families. We have brought forward a series of measures that cost over €1 billion to help to ease the burden on people. Last year, the fuel allowance was €784. This year it is €1,049 when the €125 lump sum payment is included. Adding on the...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Fuel Prices (22 Mar 2022)

Heather Humphreys: We have to put this in perspective. We had a pandemic and we spent €9 billion on the PUP. In October, we introduced the largest social welfare budget in 14 years and in the last few weeks we have announced another €1 billion to assist with energy costs. We would all like to do more but the reality is that resources are finite. In fairness, when all the measures I outlined...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Energy Prices (22 Mar 2022)

Heather Humphreys: On an ongoing basis and as part of the normal budgetary cycle, my Department takes careful note of trends in price and wage levels and takes account of research data, including that of the minimum essential standard of living from the Vincentian Partnership for Social Justice. The social impact of budget measures is also modelled using the SWITCH model developed by the Economic and Social...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Energy Prices (22 Mar 2022)

Heather Humphreys: In or around 400,000 people benefit from the fuel allowance. When I changed the means test criteria, that brought around another 30,000 people into it. It has brought more people into the fuel allowance net. The Government has sought to protect the most vulnerable from the rising costs of living through targeted increases to ancillary social welfare payments such as the fuel allowance, the...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Care Services (22 Mar 2022)

Heather Humphreys: My Department provides a range of income supports to full-time carers, including carer’s allowance, carer’s benefit, domiciliary care allowance and the carer’s support grant. Combined spending on these payments to carers in 2022 is estimated to exceed €1.5 billion. A primary qualifying condition for these carer payments is that the applicant provides full-time...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Care Services (22 Mar 2022)

Heather Humphreys: To support a carer’s continued attachment to the workforce and broader social inclusion, carers may engage in some limited employment, education or training while still being regarded as being in a position to provide full-time care. During this time, adequate provision must be made for the care of the relevant person. Since budget 2020, the number of hours family carers can work,...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Care Services (22 Mar 2022)

Heather Humphreys: I know that when people have spent a lot of time in the home, caring for people, it can be difficult for them. In December 2020, I approved funding of €577,890 to provide a range of training and supports for family carers for projects under the Dormant Accounts Fund. The purpose of the measure is to increase the employment, including self-employment, and education and training...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Pensions Reform (22 Mar 2022)

Heather Humphreys: I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. The pensions commission’s report established that the current State pension system is not sustainable into the future without changes. In this regard, it set out a wide range of recommendations, including potential measures to broaden the PRSI base. In the interests both of older people and future generations of older people, the Government...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Pensions Reform (22 Mar 2022)

Heather Humphreys: I thank Deputy Calleary. There are not going to be any easy decisions here. Some people want to cherry-pick the nice things and not deal with some of the other issues. I see this as an all-of-government approach. We have to bring it to Cabinet. I read the pensions commission report in its entirety. It is a comprehensive document that outlines the pros and cons and then comes forward...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Social Welfare Payments (22 Mar 2022)

Heather Humphreys: On 4 March 2022, the Council of the European Union unanimously adopted the implementing decision regarding the temporary protection directive to protect and support Ukrainian citizens and others fleeing Ukraine. My Department is doing all it can to ensure that those who need our help will receive it as quickly as possible during this very traumatic time for them. My Department is working...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Social Welfare Benefits (22 Mar 2022)

Heather Humphreys: I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. The main income supports to carers provided by my Department include carer's allowance, carer's benefit, domiciliary care allowance and the carer's support grant. Spending on these payments in 2022 is expected to exceed €1.5 billion. The current income disregard and means test for carer’s allowance is the most generous within the...

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

Heather Humphreys: The eligibility criteria for Fuel Allowance ensures that the payment goes to those who are more vulnerable to fuel poverty including those reliant on social protection payments for longer periods and who are unlikely to have additional resources of their own. As part of Budget 2022, I announced a number of expansions to the eligibility criteria for the Fuel Allowance payment. The weekly means...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Pension Provisions (22 Mar 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The Programme for Government commits to introducing a pensions automatic enrolment (AE) system.  A key objective in establishing this system is to address the low proportion of employees in Ireland with supplementary pension cover, which includes both occupational and personal pensions. According to CSO figures, the rate of active supplementary pension coverage is around 56% of the...