Results 17,781-17,800 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (12 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 are approximately 1,034,000...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (12 Jul 2022)

Heather Humphreys: I confirm that the person concerned has made an application for Partial Capacity Benefit (PCB) on 22 June 2022. The PCB scheme allows a person who has been in receipt of Invalidity Pension or Illness Benefit (the latter for a minimum of 26 weeks), and who may not have full capacity for work, to enter or return to employment or self-employment and continue to receive a partial or full payment....

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Bodies (12 Jul 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The statutory bodies operating under the aegis of my Department are the Citizens Information Board, the Pensions Authority, the Pensions Council and the Social Welfare Tribunal. Details in relation to the current vacancies on each of these boards are set out below: Citizens Information Board There are currently four vacancies on the Board of the Citizens Information Board.These vacancies...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals (12 Jul 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The records of this Department show that Appeal 22091/20 was received following a decision to disallow a Carer’s Benefit application on 6 Feb 2020, I can confirm that this appeal was withdrawn as the claim was awarded on review and paid from 12 March 2020 to 9 March 2022 inclusive. The person concerned was notified in writing of this revised decision and the fact that the appeal had...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (12 Jul 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The process in respect of all Jobseeker's Payments including part-time workers in the educational sector is kept under review. In general, there is no delay in processing Jobseeker Benefit claims if the relevant claim application forms and supporting documentation are completed by the customer in a timely manner. Issues have arisen in the past where details of accrued holiday pay were not...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Contracts (12 Jul 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The Department of Social Protection, the Pensions Authority and the Citizens Information Board have engaged the services of Carr Communications Ltd during the period from 1 January 2020 to date, details of which follow. Department of Social Protection It should be noted that there are over 6,000 staff employed in the Department. In 2020, the Department of Social Protection engaged Carr...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (12 Jul 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 the end of September each year. The allowance is payable in respect of eligible children between the ages of 4 and 17 in respect of whom a...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pensions (12 Jul 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The below table shows the estimated cost of increasing the State Pension (Contributory) and State Pension (Non-Contributory) by €10, €20, €30, €40 and €50. €10 Increase €20 Increase €30 Increase €40 Increase €50 Increase Scheme €m ...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (12 Jul 2022)

Heather Humphreys: Fuel Allowance is a payment of €33 per week for 28 weeks at an estimated cost of €366 million in 2022. It is a targeted payment to people dependent on specified long-term social welfare payments. The purpose of this payment is to assist those households most in need with their energy costs. Taking account of the fact that the Fuel Allowance is a household-based payment and...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (12 Jul 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The estimated cost of introducing an autumn bonus across all social welfare payments, based on a double week's payment, is in the region of €313 million. This is based on the cost of last year's Christmas Bonus and assumes qualifying criteria remains the same. The costing is subject to change in the context of emerging trends and associated revision of the estimated numbers of recipients.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Schemes (12 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 are approximately 1,034,000...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (12 Jul 2022)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 614 and 651 together. 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 overarching term used to refer to exceptional and urgent needs payments, and certain supplements to assist with ongoing or recurring costs that cannot be...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (12 Jul 2022)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 615 and 616 together. Social welfare legislation provides that, for social assistance schemes such as the State Pension (Non-Contributory) and Disability Allowance, all income and capital (such as savings, investments and property other than the family home) belonging to the claimant and his or her spouse/partner/cohabitant, where applicable, are...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Offices (12 Jul 2022)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 617 and 618 together. Significant maintenance and upgrade works to the Intreo Centre on the Navan Road in Cabra, Dublin 7, had been scheduled for 2022. The work originally planned was based on no significant changes being made to the services being provided by Navan Road Intreo Centre, the way those services are delivered and the layout of the building. Given...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Rates (12 Jul 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The estimated full-year cost of increasing disability allowance by €12.50 per week is €109.1m. This figure includes a proportionate increase for qualified adults. This costing is based on the estimated number of recipients in 2022 and is subject to change in the context of emerging trends and associated revision of the estimated numbers of recipients.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (12 Jul 2022)

Heather Humphreys: Fuel Allowance is a payment of €33 per week for 28 weeks at an estimated cost of €366 million in 2022. It is a targeted payment to people dependent on specified long-term social welfare payments. The purpose of this payment is to assist those households most in need with their energy costs. In Budget 2022, the Government increased the weekly means threshold for the Fuel...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (12 Jul 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The criteria for fuel allowance are framed in order to direct the limited resources available to my Department in as targeted a manner as possible. To qualify for the fuel allowance payment, a person must satisfy all the qualifying criteria including a means test and the household composition criteria. This ensures that the fuel allowance payment goes to those who are more vulnerable to...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pensions (12 Jul 2022)

Heather Humphreys: For the purposes of providing the response to the Deputy's question, the figures used are those from my Department that relate to the State Pension (Contributory) at 31 December 2021, and are set out in the table below. The annualised expenditure estimate and breakdown by gender are based on State Pension (Contributory) recipients at 31 December 2021 and administrative data at 30 June 2022....

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (12 Jul 2022)

Heather Humphreys: Most weekly social welfare payments include an additional payment known as an Increase for a Qualified Child (IQC) in respect of each qualified child up to age 18. This is extended to encompass older school or college going children up to age 22 under certain circumstances. This increase provides targeted assistance that is directly linked with household income and family-size to support...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pensions (12 Jul 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The person concerned reached pension age on 10 June 2008. According to the records of my Department, they have a total of 2,162 qualifying paid and credited social insurance contributions from their date of entry into insurable employment 18/04/1960 to end December 2007, equating to a yearly average of 45 contributions. This gives entitlement to a standard State pension (contributory) at 98%...