Results 17,621-17,640 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Money Advice and Budgeting Service (28 Jun 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The Money Advice and Budgeting Service (MABS), funded by the Citizens Information Board (CIB), a statutory body under the aegis of my Department, is the State’s money advice service and provides assistance to people, in particular those on low income or dependent on social welfare supports, who are over-indebted. As part of its free services, MABS also provides support to those in...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Communications (28 Jun 2022)

Heather Humphreys: My Department provides a dedicated TD enquiry line and mailbox for each of the main schemes whereby Teachtaí Dála can raise specific queries for their constituents directly with the relevant scheme area by phone or email. The enquiry lines and mailboxes are monitored daily to ensure an efficient and effective response is provided to queries raised. With the onset of COVID-19,...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Data (28 Jun 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The Department of Social Protection is committed to delivering an excellent customer service as pledged in our Customer Service Charter. My Department always aims to ensure that all customers are served in a fair, courteous, and timely manner, are informed of their rights, provided with full and clear information regarding entitlements and have their privacy respected. All complaints...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Equality Issues (28 Jun 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The Programme for Government - Our Shared Future, contains a number of actions with respect to gender recognition. My Department is engaged in progressing these actions. The Government has approved the drafting of legislation to give effect to recommendations with respect the process of gender recognition for children aged 16 and 17. Research is being commissioned to inform policy options...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Community Development Projects (28 Jun 2022)

Heather Humphreys: I launched the Community Centres Investment Fund on the 15th April 2022.  This is a €15m fund to support community groups, particularly in disadvantaged areas, with the upgrade of their community centre facilities. To date, my Department does not appear to have received an application from the group referred to, however, applications can be made up until the closing date of...

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

Heather Humphreys: I launched the Community Centres Investment Fund on the 15th April 2022.  This is a €15m fund to support community groups, particularly in disadvantaged areas, with the upgrade of their community centre facilities. To date, my Department does not appear to have received an application from the group referred to, however, applications can be made up to 3pm on the closing...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Funding (28 Jun 2022)

Heather Humphreys: I was pleased to be in a position at the 2021 SuperValu TidyTowns awards ceremony to announce a funding package of €1.5 million to support TidyTowns groups in preparing for the 2022 competition. This brings the total funding allocated to TidyTowns groups to €6.7 million since my Department was established in 2017. To qualify, a TidyTowns group  needed to have...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: State Bodies (28 Jun 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The agencies under my Department's aegis are Water Safety Ireland (WSI), Pobal, the Western Development Commission (WDC) and the Charities Regulatory Authority (CRA). In addition, an appellate body, the Charity Appeals Tribunal, was provided for in the Charities Act of 2009. The details of each State board and the details of all the persons who are currently on each board are provided in the...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Flexible Work Practices (28 Jun 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The Department of Rural and Community Development was established in July 2017.  I can confirm that the total number of persons who are currently employed by my Department is 174. 167 of these are currently working remotely for, in the main, a maximum of three days per week pending the roll-out of my Department's Blended Working Policy in September next.  There is flexibility built...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (29 Jun 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The Jobseeker's Benefit scheme is a payment available to people under 66 years of age who become fully or partly unemployed, irrespective of the nature of their previous employment, and have paid enough pay-related social insurance (PRSI) contributions. The issue raised by the Deputy refers to the requirements as regards a public service pension.  The policy for public service...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Personal Public Service Numbers (29 Jun 2022)

Heather Humphreys: For the period, 1st January to 31st May 2022, an overall total of 129,634 (66,416 female, 63,218 male) Personal Public Service Numbers (PPSNs) have been issued by my Department. Of this overall total, 25,458 PPSNs were allocated for children (12,378 female, 13,080 male) whose births were registered with the General Register Office. Details on PPSN allocations by nationality to the end of May...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (29 Jun 2022)

Heather Humphreys: Domiciliary Care Allowance (DCA) is a monthly payment for a child, aged under 16 with a severe disability who requires continual or continuous care and attention substantially over and above the care and attention usually required by a child of the same age. An application for DCA in respect of their child was received from the person concerned on 26 May 2022. Processing times for DCA new...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (29 Jun 2022)

Heather Humphreys: Domiciliary Care Allowance (DCA) is a monthly payment for a child aged under 16 with a severe disability who requires continual or continuous care and attention substantially over and above the level of care and attention usually required by a child of the same age. Where an application for DCA is awarded, payment is effective from the first of the month following receipt of the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Reports (29 Jun 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The Pensions Commission’s Report was published on the 7th October 2021. It contained almost 250 pages of analysis, consideration and recommendations. The report established that the current State Pension system is not sustainable into the future and it has set out a recommended approach for Government. In the interests both of older people and future generations of older people,...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (29 Jun 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The Household Benefits package comprises the electricity or gas allowance, and the free television licence. The package is generally available to people living in the State aged 66 years or over who are in receipt of a social welfare type payment or who satisfy a means test. The package is also available to some people under the age of 66, who are in receipt of certain welfare type...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Disability Services (29 Jun 2022)

Heather Humphreys: This question relates to Action No. 60 of the National Disability Inclusion Strategy (Health and Wellbeing section), which is assigned to the Department of Health under the Strategy. This matter is therefore more appropriate to my colleague the Minister for Health.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (29 Jun 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 Benefits (29 Jun 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 expenses, as...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Widow's Pension (29 Jun 2022)

Heather Humphreys: In order to determine entitlement to the widow’s widower’s or surviving civil partnership pension, a Deciding Officer must first establish if the applicant is the legal spouse of the deceased. Evidence of births, marriages and deaths that occur in this state are available to the Department and certificates are not required with such applications.  However, where the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pensions (29 Jun 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The person concerned reached pension age on 17 March 2022. An application for the State Pension Contributory was received on 6 April 2022. Under current eligibility conditions, an individual must have 520 full-rate paid contributions in order to qualify for a standard contributory pension. 520 full-rate contributions equates to 10 years of full-rate insurable employment. According to...