Results 18,581-18,600 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (13 Oct 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The Commission on Taxation and Welfare Report states that further social welfare individualisation is necessary, specifically in relation to qualified adults whose partners are in receipt of means-tested social assistance benefits. In preparing this recommendation, the Commission had regard to the recent work by NESC and the report of the Citizens Assembly on Gender Equality. The...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (13 Oct 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The Fuel Allowance is a payment of €33 per week for 28 weeks (a total of €924 each year) from late September to April, at an estimated cost of €366 million in 2022. The purpose of this payment is to assist these households with their energy costs. The allowance represents a contribution towards the energy costs of a household. Only one allowance is paid per household....

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes (13 Oct 2022)

Heather Humphreys: Following a recent competitive tendering process run by my Department in accordance with EU procurement rules, 17 community and voluntary sector organisations were successful and were awarded contracts to provide the new Intreo Partners Local Area Employment Service (IPLAES). This replaces Local Employment Service and Job Club contracts. All 17 of these contracts are now in place and the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Cost of Living Issues (13 Oct 2022)

Heather Humphreys: In response to the on-going cost-of-living pressures, as part of Budget 2023, I secured a social welfare package of more than €2.1 billion, the largest Social Protection package in the history of the state, including: - The Autumn Cost-of-Living Double Week Payment to most Social protection schemes which will be paid during the week commencing 17th of October 2022; - The Double Payment...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Domestic Violence (13 Oct 2022)

Heather Humphreys: My Officials worked closely with Officials in the Department of Children, Equality and Youth on the development of the Domestic Violence Leave Report. I welcome the report’s key recommendation that a form of domestic violence leave be introduced. Once the Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill is enacted, those who are suffering or at risk of domestic violence will be...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (13 Oct 2022)

Heather Humphreys: I'm pleased that Budget 2023 includes a social welfare package of more than €2.1 billion. This extensive package includes measures in relation to the Working Family Payment. Approximately half of the recipients of Working Family Payment are single adult households so these measures are also of benefit to lone parents. The Working Family Payment is an in-work support which...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Policies (13 Oct 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The 2021 Indecon Cost of Disability report identified that additional costs of disability run across a number of areas of expenditure including housing, equipment, aids and appliances, care and assistance services, mobility, transport, communications, medicines, and additional living expenses. It is very clear that the findings in the research have implications for many areas of public...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (13 Oct 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The Indecon Cost of Disability report identified that additional costs of disability run across a number of areas of expenditure including housing, equipment, aids and appliances, care and assistance services, mobility, transport, communications, medicines, and additional living expenses. Therefore, it is very clear that the findings in the research have implications for many areas of public...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes (13 Oct 2022)

Heather Humphreys: Following a recent competitive tendering process run by my Department in accordance with EU procurement rules, 17 community and voluntary sector organisations were successful and were awarded contracts to provide the new Intreo Partners Local Area Employment Service (IPLAES). This new service replaces both the Local Employment Service and Job Club contracts. All 17 of these contracts are...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Policies (13 Oct 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The Report of the Commission on Taxation and Welfare, which was published last month, is a significant body of work which put forward 116 recommendations. One of these is that working-age payments should be reformed to move towards a working age assistance payment available to all households. It further states that such a payment should be designed so as to avoid subsidising a low-paid...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (13 Oct 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The Government acknowledges the crucial role that family carers play and is fully committed to supporting carers in that role. This commitment is recognised in both the Programme for Government and the National Carers’ Strategy. My department provides a comprehensive package of carers’ income supports including Carer’s Allowance, Carer’s Benefit, Domiciliary Care...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (13 Oct 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 overarching 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 client’s own resources and are deemed...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (13 Oct 2022)

Heather Humphreys: My Department provides a suite of income supports for those who are unable to work due to an illness or disability. It is important to note that entitlement to these supports is generally not contingent on the nature of the illness or disability but on the extent to which a particular illness or disability impairs or restricts a person’s capacity to work. In March 2020, under the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (13 Oct 2022)

Heather Humphreys: Working Family Payment (WFP) is an in-work payment which provides additional income support to employees on low earnings with children. In order to qualify for WFP, an applicant must have a qualified child and be engaged in full-time paid employment as an employee for not less than 38 hours per fortnight. Once WFP is granted, it is payable for 52 weeks at the same rate, as long as the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Public Services Card (13 Oct 2022)

Heather Humphreys: My Department, like all Government departments and agencies, is required to operate within a staff ceiling figure and a commensurate administrative staffing budget. I am pleased to inform the Deputy that, as part of the discussions on Budget 2023, the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform sanctioned additional resources for my Department for 2023 in response to the increased demand for...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (13 Oct 2022)

Heather Humphreys: Farm Assist is a statutory income support specifically for farmers on low-incomes. There are approximately 4,500 claims in payment at present. Government has provided €53.9 million for the scheme for 2022. Further to commitments in the Programme for Government and the Rural Development Policy 2021-2025, my Department reviewed the means assessment disregards for Farm Assist. The...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Budget 2023 (13 Oct 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The Social Protection measures announced in Budget 2023 amounted to over €2.1 billion. This is the largest Social Protection Budget Day Package in the history of the State. In order to ease the pressure and stress that many households are facing, I am bringing forward a series of exceptional lump sum payments to support people. These include:A Cost of Living Double Payment in...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Nursing Homes (13 Oct 2022)

Heather Humphreys: State pension non-contributory is a means-tested payment for people aged 66 and over, habitually residing in the State, who do not qualify for a state pension contributory, or who only qualify for a reduced rate contributory pension based on their social insurance record. Recipients of state pension non-contributory are obliged, throughout the lifetime of their claim, to notify the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Policies (13 Oct 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The Indecon Cost of Disability report (2021) identified that additional costs of disability run across a number of areas of expenditure including housing, equipment, aids and appliances, care and assistance services, mobility, transport, communications, medicines, and additional living expenses. It is very clear that the findings in the research have implications for many areas of public...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Employment Schemes (13 Oct 2022)

Heather Humphreys: My Department provides a wide range of income and employment supports to assist jobseekers and employees with disabilities, and employers seeking to hire a person or support an existing employee with a disability. One of these employment supports is the Reasonable Accommodation Fund. This fund aims to support the employment of disabled people in the open labour market by providing...