Results 19,261-19,280 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (22 Nov 2022)

Heather Humphreys: In response to the ongoing cost of living pressures, my Department will spend approximately €1.2 billion in social welfare measures during the coming months to help individuals and families through this difficult period. One of these measures is the Autumn Cost of Living Double Payment which was paid to those schemes which are eligible to receive the Christmas Bonus. Illness Benefit...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Schemes (22 Nov 2022)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 470 and 471 together. The Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government is the lead Department for severe weather emergencies and the Office of Public Works (OPW) has responsibility for capital flood relief activities. My Department has an important role to play in assisting households in the immediate aftermath of severe weather events, such as...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Official Travel (22 Nov 2022)

Heather Humphreys: I can confirm that no Ministers or officials from the Department of Rural and Community Development travelled to the COP 27 Convention on Climate Change held 6-18 November in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt.

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Sports Facilities (22 Nov 2022)

Heather Humphreys: Under the umbrella of Our Rural Future, funding for sports courts and all-weather pitches has been provided through my Department's Community Enhancement Programme, Community Activities Fund, LEADER Programme and the CLÁR Programme. Funding was available in 2021 under the Community Enhancement Programme (CEP) and the once off Community Activities Fund (CAF). The CEP 2021 provided...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Community Development Projects (22 Nov 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 last month. Details of successful applicants are available on my department’s website at . The group the Deputy refers to applied for Category 3...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Community Development Projects (22 Nov 2022)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 808 and 809 together. As the Deputy is aware I announced details of almost 600 successful projects to a value of over €12.5m under Category 1 of the Community Centres Investment Fund in October this year. I can confirm that the group mentioned by the Deputy were successful in their application. All successful applicants should have received...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (29 Nov 2022)

Heather Humphreys: Read the report.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Social Welfare Payments (29 Nov 2022)

Heather Humphreys: I thank Deputy Kerrane for raising this issue. As of 1 October 2022, over 75,000 applications for additional needs payments, ANPs, were processed and payments awarded. This represents a 63% increase in awarded payments compared with the same period in 2021. My Department has already paid an estimated €46 million in ANPs so far this year. Some of this increase can be attributed to...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Social Welfare Payments (29 Nov 2022)

Heather Humphreys: I thank the Deputy. I have been in politics for almost 20 years. I have always dealt with local CWOs and to be fair to them they have always done their very best to help people. They give a good service. The delivery of this service is a priority for me and my Department. As of October, more than 75,000 applications for additional needs payments had been processed and awarded. This...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Social Welfare Payments (29 Nov 2022)

Heather Humphreys: Where an application is complete and the required documentation is supplied, it is processed quickly. As I have said previously, where there are delays sometimes it is due to additional information or documentation being requested from the person to support their application. My Department has taken a number of steps to simplify and streamline the process for persons who apply for...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Community Welfare Services (29 Nov 2022)

Heather Humphreys: I am happy to assure the Deputy that every resident in the State, regardless of geography, has access to a community welfare officer in their locality. CWOs are available to facilitate urgent and in-person meetings in more than 50 Intreo centres nationwide, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday to Friday. In addition to meeting citizens in Intreo centres, branch offices, outreach clinics and Department...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Community Welfare Services (29 Nov 2022)

Heather Humphreys: Timelines are in line with where they were pre-pandemic. Generally, where it is clear that a person has an immediate need, every effort is made to ensure he or she receives a payment on the same day. With regard to staffing, there are 412 people across all grades in the community welfare service. In light of the increased volume of applications, and as part of the budget, we secured...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Community Welfare Services (29 Nov 2022)

Heather Humphreys: No discretion is being taken away from the community welfare officers, I assure the Deputy, because discretion is needed. In fairness to them, they bring with them not only a lot of experience but also, most importantly, compassion.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Community Welfare Services (29 Nov 2022)

Heather Humphreys: Some people will not qualify, and I think everybody will accept that. Some requests were very vague and may not have been as detailed as they could have been, so the officers were not in a position to decide whether or not the applicants qualified until they got more information. I reassure the Deputy, however, that the community welfare officers will continue to have the discretion they...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Child Maintenance Payments (29 Nov 2022)

Heather Humphreys: I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. I am pleased to have recently published the report of the child maintenance review group, together with my colleague, the Minister, Deputy McEntee. The Government established a child maintenance review group in 2020 to examine a number of issues relating to child maintenance in Ireland and to prepare a report for the Minister for Social...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Child Maintenance Payments (29 Nov 2022)

Heather Humphreys: I know that Deputy Kerrane is passionate about this, and we have had many a good and very constructive discussion on it. Senator Ruane is also passionate about this and has done a lot of work on it also. I met her only recently. In fairness, I have always said I recognise the problem that was there. The Deputy has heard me talk about it before when I have spoken about my time working in a...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Child Maintenance Payments (29 Nov 2022)

Heather Humphreys: For three weeks.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Child Maintenance Payments (29 Nov 2022)

Heather Humphreys: I am very mindful of that. I want to move this on. I want to get the changes made as soon as possible, and administrative issues are being dealt with, specifically the liable relatives and the requirement to prove that the maintenance was sought in going to court. I think we can deal with that fairly quickly, but more work has to be done on the legislative requirements and the impact of...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Cost of Living Issues (29 Nov 2022)

Heather Humphreys: I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. The Indecon cost of disability report identified that additional costs of disability are a wider issue than income supports and run across a number of areas of government. These include housing, equipment, aids and appliances, care and assistance services, mobility, transport, communications, medicines, and additional living expenses. The cost of...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Cost of Living Issues (29 Nov 2022)

Heather Humphreys: I had a good discussion just a couple of hours ago with the Disability Federation of Ireland, DFI, and its member organisations at a strategic general meeting. I was speaking to Mr. John Dolan from DFI. There was positive feedback on the €500 disability support grant. There was recognition that we pushed the door ajar within the system by introducing that payment. We need to keep...