Results 19,381-19,400 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (29 Nov 2022)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 410, 411 and 412 together. The Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) was introduced in an extremely short period of time in order to cushion the incomes of citizens who had lost their employment following the onset of an unprecedented public health crisis. Within 3 weeks of the payment being launched over 500,000 people had been paid. The delivery of the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pensions (29 Nov 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. An application for state pension non-contributory was received from the person concerned on 27 October 2022. On 7...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pensions (29 Nov 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. For the purposes of the means-test, at initial application stage and throughout the lifetime of the pension claim, an...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Public Services Card (29 Nov 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.ieservice without having to attend an appointment in one of our offices. Just under 37,000 online applications have been made since the beginning of this year. In some cases, there are issues with the photograph submitted and,...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (29 Nov 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The number of recipients of fuel allowance from County Clare for each of the dates requested by the Deputy are included in the attached tabular statement. End of 2020 10,187 End of 2021 9,742 As of November 2022 10,068

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Dental Services (29 Nov 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The Treatment Benefit Scheme provides dental, optical and aural services to insured workers, the self-employed, retired people and their dependant spouse/partner who have the required number of social insurance (PRSI) contributions. The person concerned is entitled to dental benefit under the Department's PRSI scheme and according to the Department’s records, the person concerned...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pensions (29 Nov 2022)

Heather Humphreys: State pension non-contributory is a means-tested payment for people aged 66 and over, legally and 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. For the purposes of the means-test, at application stage and through the lifetime of a claim, an applicant...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Medical Aids and Appliances (29 Nov 2022)

Heather Humphreys: Medical Appliance benefit can be paid to those PRSI contributors and their dependent spouses with the required number of recorded contributions. The scheme provides for a grant towards the provision of hearing aids and contact lenses required for medical reasons. The number of persons who received a grant to purchase a hearing aid under the Department’s medical appliance scheme in...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (29 Nov 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The Fuel Allowance is a contribution towards the energy costs of a household. The payment of €33 per week for 28 weeks (a total of €924 each year) is paid from late September to April. One of the conditions for receipt of fuel allowance is that a person must satisfy a means test. The fuel allowance means test is linked to the maximum rate of State pension (contributory)....

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Irish Language (29 Nov 2022)

Heather Humphreys: My Department is committed to providing a high standard of service in either Irish or English to itscustomers. The Department is aware of its obligations under the Official Languages Act 2003,the Official Languages (Amendment) Act 2021 and the commitments as set out in our Irish Language Scheme 2019-2022. In customer-facing areas - Intreo Centres and Branch Offices - staff can provide...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (29 Nov 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The claim concerned is now being investigated in full and a reply will issue to the Deputy once it has been examined. I trust this clarifies the position at this time.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (29 Nov 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The Carer's Support Grant (CSG) is an annual payment made to carers by my department. I can confirm that my department received two applications for CSG from the person concerned on 19 July, 2022 in respect of two individual Care recipients. It is a condition of CSG that the carer is not working, self-employed, or on a training or education course for more than 18.5 hours a week. The person...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Code (29 Nov 2022)

Heather Humphreys: Domiciliary Care Allowance (DCA) is a monthly payment in respect of a child aged under 16 with a severe disability who requires ongoing continual or continuous care and attention, substantially over and above the care and attention normally required by a child of the same age and the child must be likely to require this level of care and attention for at least 12 months. Eligibility for DCA...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Code (29 Nov 2022)

Heather Humphreys: Fuel Allowance is paid to social welfare recipients such as pensioners, people with disabilities, lone parents and the long-term unemployed in recognition of their long-term financial dependence on their social welfare payment for all or most of their income. The reason that Illness Benefit is not a qualifying payment for Fuel Allowance or the Household Benefits Package is that, in the vast...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes (29 Nov 2022)

Heather Humphreys: My department acted very quickly to deliver the Disability Support Grant and other budget measures within an exceptionally short timeframe. Wherever possible, budget measures that are usually implemented in the January to March period of the year following a budget announcement, have been brought forward and implemented within a period of weeks. While this early issue of payments was very...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (29 Nov 2022)

Heather Humphreys: Fuel allowance, under the National fuel scheme, may be payable to certain households in receipt of long term Social Welfare payments who are unable to provide for their heating needs. The allowance is subject to a means test and is paid only to those who live alone or with certain exempted people. Full details of the qualifying criteria for the scheme are available on the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (29 Nov 2022)

Heather Humphreys: An application for living alone allowance increase was received in my Department from the person concerned on the 29th September 2022. A living alone allowance increase was awarded at the weekly rate of €22.00 from the 1st April 2022. The allowance was backdated for 6 months in accordance with the current backdating legislative provisions. A decision to that effect issued to the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (29 Nov 2022)

Heather Humphreys: Invalidity pension (IP) is a payment for people who are permanently incapable of work because of illness or incapacity and for no other reason and who satisfy the pay related social insurance (PRSI) contribution conditions. The Department received a claim for IP for the person referred to on 15 August 2022. The claim was refused on the grounds that the medical conditions for the scheme are...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Staff (29 Nov 2022)

Heather Humphreys: My Department has appointed Access Officers in accordance with section 26(2) of the Disability Act 2005. Access Officers are responsible for providing or arranging for, and coordinating assistance and guidance to persons with disabilities, accessing services provided by the Department and generally to act as a point of contact for people with disabilities wishing to access the Department's...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (29 Nov 2022)

Heather Humphreys: Deserted Wife’s Benefit is a social protection payment made to women who were deserted by their husbands. One of the conditions for entitlement to Deserted Wife’s Benefit payment is permanent residence in the state. The scheme allows for payment in respect of a period abroad in certain limited situations. Reasonable absences of up to a maximum of 3 weeks outside the State are...