Results 18,821-18,840 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Community Development Projects (25 Oct 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The LEADER Programme is a key intervention of Our Rural Future, the Government’s Policy for rural development launched last year, which aims to deliver a range of actions to rural communities over the lifetime of the policy. €250m has been made available for LEADER for the period 2021 to 2027. This is comprised of €70 million for the transitional period 2021 to 2022...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Staff (25 Oct 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The Department of Rural and Community Development (DRCD) was established on 19th July 2017 to provide a renewed and consolidated focus on rural and community development in Ireland. There are currently six posts in my Department’s Communications Unit, which undertakes all of the functions specified by the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Properties (25 Oct 2022)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 801 and 802 together. My Department occupies offices in Trinity Point, Dublin 2 and Government Buildings in Ballina, Co. Mayo. Our offices in Trinity Point are leased on our behalf by the Office of Public Works (OPW) while the building we occupy in Ballina is in the ownership of the OPW. My Department does not currently own any vacant properties nor hold any...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Schemes (25 Oct 2022)

Heather Humphreys: All applications to the Community Centres Investment Fund are subject to a competitive assessment process based on the assessment criteria as set out in the fund guidelines. Category 1 applicants were notified of the outcome of this process earlier this month. Details of successful applicants are available on my department’s website at www.gov.ie/drcd. Due to the high level of...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Community Development Projects (25 Oct 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The LEADER Programme is a key intervention of Our Rural Future, the Government’s Policy for rural development launched last year which aims to deliver a range of actions to rural communities over the lifetime of the policy. €250m has been made available for the LEADER programme for the period 2021 to 2027. This is comprised of €70 million for the transitional period...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Funding (25 Oct 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. The Fund has, to date, allocated funding of €280 million for 191 projects across the country worth a total of €380 million. Calls for applications to the Fund are sought under two categories –...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Funding (25 Oct 2022)

Heather Humphreys: All applications to the Community Centres Investment Fund are subject to a competitive assessment process based on the assessment criteria as set out in the fund guidelines. Category 1 applicants were notified of the outcome of this process earlier this month. Details of successful applicants are available on my department’s website at www.gov.ie/drcd. The groups the Deputy...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Funding (25 Oct 2022)

Heather Humphreys: I launched the €15 million Community Centres Investment Fund in April 2022 and the fund closed to applications on Thursday 14th July 2022. The interest in the fund was extremely high, resulting in 1,048 applications being received under 3 Categories. To date, over €12.5 million has been awarded to 580 successful Category 1 applicants. Details of the successful applicants...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Funding (25 Oct 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The Streetscape Enhancement Measure was introduced in 2021 as part of the commitment in Our Rural Futureto upgrade and enhance shopfronts and street facades in our rural towns and villages. Under the 2022 Streetscape Enhancement Measure €2.6 million is being made available to improve the visual appearance of our urban streetscapes. Eligible local authorities have selected towns and...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Schemes (25 Oct 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The CLÁR Programme provides funding for small-scale projects in designated rural areas that have experienced significant levels of de-population over a defined period. Since the programme was relaunched in 2016, it has supported a wide range of measures. A review of CLÁR areas nationally was undertaken in 2021 using the 2016 Census of Population data. The review examined the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: School Meals Programme (26 Oct 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The School Meals Programme provides funding towards the provision of food services to some 1,700 schools and organisations and benefitting 260,000 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 component of...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Schemes (26 Oct 2022)

Heather Humphreys: My Department has introduced an online service which allows customers with verified MyGovID accounts to renew their Public Services Cards (PSCs) through the MyWelfare.ie service without having to attend an appointment in one of our offices. Customers are requested to submit a passport quality photograph which must be verified to ensure it meets certain minimum standards before the application...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals (26 Oct 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. I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that an Appeals Officer, having fully considered all the evidence, disallowed the Invalidity Pension appeal of the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (26 Oct 2022)

Heather Humphreys: As part of the overall social welfare Budget 2023 package of €2.2 Billion, I am pleased to have secured a major expansion of the fuel allowance scheme, which will benefit up to 81,000 additional households from January 2023. To assess entitlement to fuel allowance, which is a means tested payment, a Deciding Officer must have sufficient information to assess whether all necessary...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Code (26 Oct 2022)

Heather Humphreys: Child Benefit is a monthly payment made to families with children in respect of all qualified children up to the age of 16 years. The payment continues to be paid in respect of children until their 18th birthday who are in full-time education, or who have a disability. Child Benefit is currently paid to over 631,000 families in respect of almost 1.2 million children with an estimated...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (26 Oct 2022)

Heather Humphreys: Working Family Payment (WFP), formerly Family Income Supplement, is a weekly in-work support which provides an income top-up for employees on low earnings with children. To qualify for Working Family Payment the customer must have at least 1 qualified child who normally resides with them and be working a minimum of 38 hours per fortnight in ongoing insurable employment. An application...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals (26 Oct 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. The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 29 September 2022. It is a statutory...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Community Welfare Services (26 Oct 2022)

Heather Humphreys: A CWO is available to meet with customers by appointment 5 days a week at the DSP office in Killybegs or where needed, arrange to visit a person’s house by appointment. In addition any person who needs to access the Community Welfare Service (CWS) can call the national CWS freephone phoneline, which is available at 0818 60 70 80, to speak to a CWO or to make an appointment to meet...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Community Welfare Services (26 Oct 2022)

Heather Humphreys: Staffing levels have been maintained in the Community Welfare Service nationwide in recent years, even as demands on the service decreased. This reflects my commitment to continue to support the delivery of in-person services to citizens in over 50 Intreo Centres across the country as well as Social Welfare Branch Offices and Departmental public offices. There are currently over 400 staff...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: School Meals Programme (26 Oct 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The school meals programme provides funding towards the provision of food to some 1,700 schools and organisations benefitting 260,000 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 component of policies to...