Results 17,881-17,900 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Rural Schemes (13 Jul 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The Local Improvement Scheme (LIS) supports the improvement of rural roads and laneways that are not normally maintained by local authorities. As part of Our Rural Future, the Government is committed to ensuring that the LIS is funded into the future. The scheme makes an important contribution to connectivity in rural Ireland. The scheme was reintroduced in 2017 following a number of...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Staff (13 Jul 2022)

Heather Humphreys: Open recruitment for my Department is conducted through the Public Appointments Service (PAS) who have their own independent Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Strategy 2021-2023. PAS has a central role to play in recruiting diverse talent to take up public service employment opportunities. My Department recognises the importance of achieving a workforce that is responsive,...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Rural Schemes (13 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 Rural and Community Development: Departmental Strategies (13 Jul 2022)

Heather Humphreys: Our Rural Future 2021-2025 is the most ambitious and transformational policy for rural development in Ireland for decades.  The policy contains more than 150 measures for delivery across the whole of Government, with the underlying theme of economic, environmental and societal sustainability. The policy has a vision of ensuring vibrant and thriving rural towns and villages, with a...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Rights of People with Disabilities (13 Jul 2022)

Heather Humphreys: My Department occupies offices in Trinity Point, Dublin 2 and Government Buildings in Ballina, Co. Mayo. While the offices are not generally open to the public other than by appointment, accessible facilities are provided at both locations for use by staff of the Department and by visitors. In terms of the agencies under my Department’s aegis (Water Safety Ireland, Pobal, the...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Rights of People with Disabilities (13 Jul 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The Department of Rural and Community Developmentwas established on 19th July 2017 to provide a renewed and consolidated focus on rural and community development in Ireland. My Department implements Action 32 of the National Disability and Inclusion Strategy 2017 – 2021 in a number of ways. My Department has a Disability Liaison Officer (DLO) in place whose role is to assist and...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Rural Schemes (13 Jul 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Scheme (ORIS) provides funding for the development and enhancement of outdoor recreational infrastructure such as trails, walkways, cycleways, blueways and bridleways in rural areas. Earlier this year, I launched the 2022 Scheme with a budget of €15 million to support outdoor recreation projects nationwide. The Measures being funded under this...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Social Welfare Payments (14 Jul 2022)

Heather Humphreys: I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. The additional needs payment is available to people if they have expenses they cannot pay from their weekly income. In response to the cost-of-living crisis, I have taken a number of steps to simplify the process of applying for this payment. These measures include making it clear that the payment is available to both social welfare recipients...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Social Welfare Payments (14 Jul 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The Deputy raised the issue of the online application and that is why we are working on doing that. My officials are seeing how we can put it online for some people. I am trying to make it as easy as possible for people to access this payment. I understand some people do not want to have to meet somebody so we have a central phone line. If somebody cannot go to an Intreo office, he or she...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Social Welfare Payments (14 Jul 2022)

Heather Humphreys: I have done everything I can to make access to the community welfare officer as easy as possible. In terms of the Ukrainians who have come here, our social welfare staff have gone out and visited them. In terms of the numbers, between January and the end of May 2022, more than 27,800 additional needs payments were made, totalling almost €17 million. In the same period last year,...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: School Costs (14 Jul 2022)

Heather Humphreys: I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. 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. This scheme recognises the pressures families with schoolgoing children are under at...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: School Costs (14 Jul 2022)

Heather Humphreys: Any increase to capitation grants would be a matter for the Minister for Education. Free school transport will be a big boost for many families because it costs in the region of €500. That will be a big help to families who were facing that cost. It has been waived for this year so they will not have to worry. That will give them a bit of extra money that they can put towards the...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: School Costs (14 Jul 2022)

Heather Humphreys: Over recent months, the Government has announced a package of €2.4 billion to help people meet the cost of living and the cost of fuel. I am the Minister for Social Protection and my priority is to assist those on low and fixed incomes and to keep people out of poverty. That is my number one priority. We have the working family payment. I understand that there are people who do not...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Disability Services (14 Jul 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The issue of the cost of disability is broad and extends beyond the remit of the Department of Social Protection. This is why this important and much-needed research was carried out. The Cost of Disability in Ireland research report will now inform policy from a whole-of-government perspective. The Indecon report identified that additional costs of disability run across a number of areas...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Disability Services (14 Jul 2022)

Heather Humphreys: This report on the cost of disability has implications right across Government and various Departments with regard to things such as access to services, healthcare, transport, mobility grants, the housing adaptation grants available through the local authorities and so on. There is a lot there. The Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, is leading on the whole-of-government response through...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Disability Services (14 Jul 2022)

Heather Humphreys: My Department is working at present on a straw-man report as regards what this payment structure is like. The work is ongoing and very complex. The Deputy will appreciate it is also a very sensitive area. I hope we will have that report ready in the autumn. I will then be able to sit down with the various disability representative groups and the Minister of State and talk them through it...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Budget 2023 (14 Jul 2022)

Heather Humphreys: 11 o’clock The Indecon cost of disability report identified that the additional cost of disability is a wider issue than income supports and crosses a number of areas of expenditure. These include housing, equipment, aids and appliances, care and assistance services, mobility, transport, communications, medicines, and additional living expenses. The cost of disability can be...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Budget 2023 (14 Jul 2022)

Heather Humphreys: There is no recommendation to do this in the Indecon report. It states that the worst outcome for people with disabilities would be giving a little to everyone. That is not what we should do. We need to target this. We are looking at doing this better, with a tiered approach to disability payments. For example, a person with a profound disability who might never be able to work would get...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Budget 2023 (14 Jul 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, is heading a cross-departmental committee and leading the whole-of-government response through the disability inclusion strategy steering group, which she starts. In fairness to her, she is pushing that work on. She is a strong advocate and is passionate about the issue of disability. My Department is looking at the recommendations relating to the...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Social Welfare Benefits (14 Jul 2022)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 83 and 110 together. I thank the Deputy for raising this. The Parent's Leave and Benefit Act 2019 introduced two weeks of paid parent's leave for each parent to be taken in the first year after the birth or adoptive placement of a child. Following the commencement of the Family Leave and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2021, an additional three weeks of...