Results 17,681-17,700 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (6 Jul 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 in excess of the level of care and attention usually required by a child of the same age. The child must be likely to require this level of care and attention for at least 12 months. The following is the number of...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (6 Jul 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The One-Parent Family Payment is a means tested payment to support lone parents whose youngest child is aged under 7. The Jobseeker’s Transitional Payment (JST) payment is also a means tested payment but it is available to support lone parents where their youngest child is aged over 7 but under age 14. Where their youngest child is aged 14 or over, lone parents may qualify for...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (6 Jul 2022)

Heather Humphreys: There were 4,093 recipients of the benefit payment for over 65s at end May 2022. The cost to the end of June 2022 is estimated to be €23.6 million. I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Rates (6 Jul 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The estimated full year cost of increasing the weekly payment rate for Carer’s Allowance and Carer’s Benefit to €325 per week is shown in the table below. Scheme Cost (€m) Carer’s Allowance 369.0 Carer’s Benefit 18.7 Total 387.7 These costings are...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals (6 Jul 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The Social Welfare Appeals Office functions independently of the Minister for Social Protection and of the Department and is responsible for determining appeals against decisions in relation to social welfare entitlements. When an appeal is assigned to an Appeals Officer for consideration the Appeals Officer makes a summary decision on the appeal based on the documentary evidence presented...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals (6 Jul 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The Social Welfare Appeals Office functions independently of the Minister for Social Protection and of the Department and is responsible for determining appeals against decisions in relation to social welfare entitlements made by Deciding Officers or Designated Persons of the Department. The Office is committed to enhancing its operations to continue to deliver an efficient and...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (6 Jul 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 were 10,652 persons in possession...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Public Transport (6 Jul 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. Below shows the number of recipient's of...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (6 Jul 2022)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 152 and 153 together. 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...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Public Sector Staff (6 Jul 2022)

Heather Humphreys: I can confirm that there are no former County Managers or CEOs of local authorities currently employed, in any format, within my Department. My Department currently has four agencies under its remit. They are Pobal, the Western Development Commission, the Charities Regulatory Authority and Water Safety Ireland. I have set out the details in relation to each below. Pobal There are no former...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Funding (6 Jul 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The Rural Regeneration and Development Fund provides funding for the development and construction of capital projects in towns and villages and rural areas across Ireland. To date, 191 projects have been approved for funding of €278 million for projects costing €377 million. Calls for applications to the Fund are sought under two categories – Category 1 and Category 2....

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Employment Support Services (5 Jul 2022)

Heather Humphreys: My Department provides a wide range of services and supports to assist jobseekers with a disability to find work and to incentivise employers to recruit them support them in employment. Disability-related income schemes have been designed to support people with disabilities to enter or return to employment or self-employment.  Both Disability Allowance and Blind Pension are...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Community Welfare Services (5 Jul 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The Community Welfare Service of my Department delivers the Supplementary Welfare Allowance scheme which is the safety net within the overall social welfare system.  This scheme provides assistance to eligible people in the State whose means are insufficient to meet their needs and those of their dependents. The Deputy can be assured that I am committed to a Community Welfare Service...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (5 Jul 2022)

Heather Humphreys: Under the supplementary welfare allowance scheme, my Department can make additional needs payments to help meet expenses that a person cannot pay from their weekly income.  This is an administrative umbrella term used to refer to exceptional and urgent needs payments, and certain supplements to assist with ongoing or recurring costs that cannot be met from the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Citizens Information Services (5 Jul 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The Citizens Information Board (CIB) is a statutory independent body, which operates under the aegis of the Department of Social Protection.  CIB provides funding to 22 companies in order to deliver services on its behalf.  This includes eight Citizen Information Services (CIS) companies that operate a national network of Citizens Information Centres.  These eight companies are...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Appointments to State Boards (5 Jul 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The state bodies operating under the aegis of my Department are the Citizens Information Board, the Pensions Authority, the Pensions Council and the Social Welfare Tribunal.  There is currently one former Civil Servant serving on the Board of the Citizens Information Board.  No former County Managers or Chief Executive Officers of local authorities are currently serving on its...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals (5 Jul 2022)

Heather Humphreys: I confirm that my Department received an application for disability allowance (DA) from the above named person on 10 March 2022. Based on the evidence supplied in support of this person’s application, his application for disability allowance (DA) was disallowed on the grounds that the medical qualifying condition was not satisfied. The person concerned was notified in writing of this...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (5 Jul 2022)

Heather Humphreys: In order to be eligible for fuel allowance, a person must be in receipt of a qualifying payment, satisfy a household means test and live alone or only with certain other qualified people.  Under the means test, an applicant and members of his/her household may have a combined assessable income of up to €120 a week above the appropriate rate of State Pension Contributory, currently...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: School Meals Programme (5 Jul 2022)

Heather Humphreys: 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 them.  The programme is an important...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (5 Jul 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The information requested by the Deputy is set out in the tables below. Table 1 refers to recipients of Maternity Benefit and Table 2 refers to recipients of Paternity Benefit. The dates in these tables refer to instances where at least one Maternity/Paternity payment issued in a given year, and at least one means-tested payment issued to that person in that same year. It should be noted...