Results 17,401-17,420 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

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

Heather Humphreys: Diet supplement, administered under the supplementary welfare allowance scheme, is payable to qualifying persons, in receipt of the supplement prior to February 2014, who have been prescribed a special diet because of a specified medical condition.  There are currently approximately 1,370 people in receipt of diet supplement at a cost of €0.75 million in 2021. A review of...

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

Heather Humphreys: I can advise the Deputy that my Department has engaged directly with the customer concerning the matter referred to.

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

Heather Humphreys: I can confirm that the record of the individual referred to by the Deputy has been updated on my Department's systems and that an officer of my Department contacted her on 27th May 2022 to confirm that the record referred to by the Deputy had been updated. I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

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

Heather Humphreys: According to the records of my Department, the person concerned applied for a One-Parent Family Payment (OPFP) with effect from 14/04/2022.  This claim is currently being assessed and the person concerned will be advised of the outcome in writing. The person concerned applied for a basic Supplementary Welfare Allowance (SWA) with effect from 13/04/2022.  In addition to a number...

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

Heather Humphreys: I confirm that an application from the person concerned for disability allowance (DA) was received by the Department on 21 February 2022. The processing time for individual DA claims may vary in accordance with their relative complexity in terms of the three main qualifying criteria, the person’s circumstances and the information they provide in support of their claim. The application...

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

Heather Humphreys: My Department is committed to making decisions on entitlement as quickly as possible.   In general, social welfare schemes with a number of complex qualifying conditions can take longer to process.  Before a decision can be made on entitlement to disability allowance (DA), evidence must be provided in respect of the person’s medical condition, the extent to which it restricts...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Personal Public Service Numbers (1 Jun 2022)

Heather Humphreys: A Personal Public Service (PPS) Number is a unique reference number that helps a person access social welfare benefits, public services and information in Ireland.  When applying for a PPS Number, a person must provide evidence of their identity, the reason they need a PPS Number and their address. According to the records of my Department, the person concerned applied for a PPS Number...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Cost of Living Issues (1 Jun 2022)

Heather Humphreys: On an ongoing basis, and as part of the normal budgetary cycle, my Department actively monitors key economic indicators and also 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 assessed using the SWITCH model developed by the ESRI.  It...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Expenditure (1 Jun 2022)

Heather Humphreys: One of the most important measures in the National Social Enterprise Policy 2019-2022 calls for improved data relating to the extent of social enterprise in Ireland and the areas in which they operate. Social enterprises are businesses that work primarily to improve the lives of people. Their core objective is to achieve a social, societal, or environmental impact. Like other businesses,...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (2 Jun 2022)

Heather Humphreys: Blind Pension is a means-tested payment for people aged 18 years to 66 years who are habitually residing in the State. One of the conditions for receipt of Blind Pension is that a person’s vision is impaired to such an extent that they cannot perform any work for which eyesight is essential or cannot continue in their ordinary occupation. The original ophthalmic report submitted was...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Radon Gas Levels (2 Jun 2022)

Heather Humphreys: Using the new radon map for workplaces issued by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the last 2 weeks, my Department has identified 50 offices as being located in high radon areas. In high radon areas, the EPA predicts that 10% or more of homes and other premises will exceed the national reference level for radon, 200 Becquerels per cubic metre. ...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: School Meals Programme (2 Jun 2022)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 292 and 293 together. 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...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (2 Jun 2022)

Heather Humphreys: Under the terms of the arrangements currently in place, a person who is absent from work on the grounds of having being diagnosed with Covid-19 may receive Enhanced Illness Benefit for a maximum period of 10 weeks subject to continued certification by their GP. If the  person remains out of work after the 10 week period they may be entitled...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (2 Jun 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance scheme provides a once-off payment to eligible families to assist with the costs of clothing and footwear when children start or return to school each autumn.  The scheme operates from June to September each year. The allowance is payable in respect of eligible children between the ages of 4 and 17 in respect of whom a qualified...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Inspections (2 Jun 2022)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 300 and 301 together. Social Welfare Inspectors are appointed under the provisions of Section 250(1) of the Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005 by “The Minister, or an officer authorised in that behalf by special or general directions of the Minister...” Under Section 250(2) of the Act “every Social Welfare Inspector shall...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Inspections (2 Jun 2022)

Heather Humphreys: As part of its efforts to prevent and detect social welfare fraud, the Department has always had a process of conducting reviews of claims in payment.  Cases for review of entitlement may be selected on a random or risk-based basis, or where specific information comes to the attention of the Department, for example, through inspection of employer records, inspections of places of...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Digital Hubs (2 Jun 2022)

Heather Humphreys: Our Rural Future, Ireland’s Rural Development Policy 2021-2025, recognises the opportunity for rural rejuvenation that remote working presents and commits to establishing a comprehensive and integrated network of remote working hubs over the lifetime of the policy to 2025. To date my Department has invested some €100m in the development of remote working facilities across a...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Rural Schemes (2 Jun 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The LEADER Programme is one of the key interventions of Our Rural Future, the Government’s Policy for rural development launched last year. LEADER is administered by 29 Local Action Groups (LAGs) which deliver funding in accordance with Local Development Strategies that have been agreed for each LAG area. Each LAG has a defined funding allocation for the duration of the programme....

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Radon Gas Levels (2 Jun 2022)

Heather Humphreys: My Department occupies offices in Trinity Point, Dublin 2 and Government Buildings in Ballina, Co. Mayo.  The location of our offices in Ballina is in an area where radon tests are required for workplaces.  The building is in the ownership of the Office of Public Works (OPW) and is occupied by a number of Government Departments.  The OPW undertook radon mitigation works at...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Rural Schemes (2 Jun 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. I launched this year's programme in February with a total budget of €7 million.  This represents an increase of €1.5 million on the budget for...