Results 16,801-16,820 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Citizens Information Services (27 Apr 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The Citizens Information Board (CIB), under the aegis of the Department of Social Protection, is the statutory body with responsibility for the Citizens Information Service. The CIB funds and supports eight regional Citizens Information Services (CIS) companies. Each CIS is a limited company overseen by a regional manager and board of directors. Each company is responsible for all matters and...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Citizens Information Services (27 Apr 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The Citizens Information Board (CIB), under the aegis of the Department of Social Protection, is the statutory body with responsibility for the Citizens Information Service. The CIB funds and supports eight regional Citizens Information Services (CIS) companies. Each CIS is a limited company overseen by a regional manager and board of directors. Each company is responsible for all...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (27 Apr 2022)

Heather Humphreys: Invalidity pension (IP) is a payment for people who are permanently incapable of work because of illness or incapacity and for no other reason and who satisfy the pay related social insurance (PRSI) contribution conditions. To qualify for IP a claimant must, inter-alia, have at least 260 (5 years) paid PRSI contributions since entering social insurance and 48 contributions paid or...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (27 Apr 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. An application for CA was received from the person concerned on 25 January 2022.  The application was awarded to the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (28 Apr 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...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (28 Apr 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The estimated full year cost of increasing the rate of Domiciliary Care Allowance from €309.50 to €330 per month is €11.5 million.  This costing is based on the estimated average number of recipients in 2022 and is subject to change in light of emerging trends and subsequent revision of the estimated numbers of recipients. Any increase in the rate of Domiciliary Care...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (28 Apr 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 Benefits (28 Apr 2022)

Heather Humphreys: Under the Supplementary Welfare Allowance 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.  There is no automatic entitlement to these payments which are payable at the discretion of the officers administering the scheme, considering the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (28 Apr 2022)

Heather Humphreys: An application for a Free Travel Companion Pass was received from the person concerned in February 2022.  This application was forwarded to the Department's Medical Advisor for decision. The Department's Medical Advisor has found that a Free Travel Companion Pass on medical grounds is not warranted on the basis of the medical evidence supplied.  As a...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (28 Apr 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The Supplementary Welfare Allowance (SWA) scheme is the safety net within the overall social welfare system in that it provides assistance to eligible people in the state whose means are insufficient to meet their needs and those of their dependents.  Supports provided under the SWA scheme can consist of a basic weekly payment, a weekly or monthly supplement in respect of certain...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Rural Schemes (28 Apr 2022)

Heather Humphreys: In line with a commitment in Our Rural Future, I launched the Transitional LEADER Programme which came into effect from 1 April 2021 and will run to the end of 2022. A total of €70 million is being made available over this programming period. €65 million of this budget is available to LAGs who deliver the programme and approve projects at local level.  This allocation...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (26 Apr 2022)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 967 and 1072 together. The benefit payment for 65 year olds is provided under the Jobseeker’s Benefit and Jobseeker’s Benefit (Self-Employed) social insurance schemes in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005 as amended.  It was introduced on 25th January 2021, in line with the Programme for...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (26 Apr 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The person concerned recently applied for Fuel Allowance.  As Fuel Allowance is a means tested payment and the application was not completed in full, a request for further information was issued to the person concerned on 2 April 2022. On return of the requested information, their entitlement will be examined and the person concerned will be notified, in writing, of the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Citizens Information Services (26 Apr 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The Citizens Information Board (CIB) is a statutory independent body as set out in the Comhairle Act 2010 which operates under the aegis of my Department. CIB provides funding to 22 companies in order to deliver services on its behalf.  This includes eight CIS companies that operate a national network of Citizens Information Centres, including South Leinster CIS which encompasses Co....

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Reviews (26 Apr 2022)

Heather Humphreys: In line with Programme for Government commitments, the Government established a Child Maintenance Review Group to examine certain issues in relation to child maintenance in Ireland.  The Group was chaired by former Circuit Court Judge Catherine Murphy and included legal, policy and academic professionals as well as officials from my Department and the Department of Justice. The Group's...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (26 Apr 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The Working Family Payment (WFP) is an in-work support which provides an income top-up for employees on low earnings.  The WFP is designed to prevent in-work poverty for low paid workers with child dependents, and to offer a financial incentive to take-up employment.  There are approximately 47,000 families with 103,000 children who are currently in receipt of the WFP.  The...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (26 Apr 2022)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 975, 979 and 1024 together. Primary weekly social welfare payments are intended to enable recipients to meet their basic day-to-day income needs.  In addition to these primary payments, my Department also provides a range of other payments, both cash and non-cash, on a weekly, monthly, or less frequent basis.  These payments are considered...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (26 Apr 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. Means are any income belonging to the carer and their spouse, civil partner, or cohabitant and includes...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Gender Recognition (26 Apr 2022)

Heather Humphreys: As the Deputy is already aware, the statutory review of the Gender Recognition Act 2015 (GRA) was completed in 2018 and the Minister's response was presented to the Oireachtas.  The review recommended a number of amendments to the Act, including some relating to children.  The previous Government announced its intention to legislate to give effect to these...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (26 Apr 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The person concerned automatically transitioned from Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) on the 25/03/2022 having been in receipt PUP at a rate of €208. The person concerned was awarded Jobseekers Benefit on the 25/3/2022 at a personal rate of €134.20; this rate is based on her average weekly earning in the Governing Year (2020). On week ending 06/04/2022 the...