Results 19,661-19,680 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2022: Second Stage (7 Dec 2022)

Heather Humphreys: I am very pleased to bring this year's Social Welfare Bill to Seanad Éireann. The purpose of the Bill is to give legislative effect to the comprehensive set of social protection measures announced on budget day. The Government has been listening to people throughout the country and is acutely aware of the financial pressures that many in our communities are facing. Yesterday, the...

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2022: Second Stage (7 Dec 2022)

Heather Humphreys: I thank Senators for their contributions this evening. In the past couple of years this State has had to deal with a pandemic, an energy shock, rising inflation and a war on our continent. Despite this, employment is now higher than it was before the pandemic and the Government has delivered the highest social protection budget in the 100 year history of the State. I will now respond to...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (7 Dec 2022)

Heather Humphreys: I was pleased to announce on Budget Day that a 100% Christmas Bonus will be paid this year benefitting 1.3 million people in receipt of long-term social welfare payments.  The Bonus includes payments to pensioners, people with disabilities, carers, lone parents and the long-term unemployed in recognition of their long-term financial dependence on their social welfare...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (7 Dec 2022)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 65 and 75 together. The Benefit Payment for 65 Year Olds, provided under the Jobseeker's Benefit schemes, was introduced in line with the Programme for Government commitment to address the position of people who are required to or choose to retire at age 65 before the pension age of 66. The payment is designed to bridge the gap for people who retire from...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (7 Dec 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The Fuel Allowance scheme is a means tested payment to assist pensioners and other long-term social welfare dependent householders with their winter heating costs. The payment is a contribution towards their heating costs, it is not intended to meet these costs in full. The payment is made over the winter season at the weekly rate of €33.00 or, if preferred, by way of two payment...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (7 Dec 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The Fuel Allowance scheme is a means tested payment to assist pensioners and other long-term social welfare dependent householders with their winter heating costs.  The payment is a contribution towards heating costs, it is not intended to meet these costs in full.  The payment is made at the weekly rate of €33.00; or if...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (7 Dec 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.   Following recent representations, a Fuel Allowance application issued to the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (7 Dec 2022)

Heather Humphreys: Carer's allowance (CA) is a means-tested social assistance payment made to a person who is habitually resident in the State and who is providing full-time care and attention to a child or an adult who has such a disability that as a result they require that level of care. An application for CA was received from the person concerned on 9 November 2022. CA was awarded on today's date 5 December...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (7 Dec 2022)

Heather Humphreys: Carer's allowance (CA) is a means-tested social assistance payment made to a person who is habitually resident in the State and who is providing full-time care and attention to a child or an adult who has such a disability that as a result they require that level of care. I confirm that my department received an application for carer’s allowance (CA) from the person concerned on 13...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pensions (7 Dec 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The person concerned applied for a State Pension (contributory) payment on the 10 February 2022.   Under current eligibility conditions, an individual must have 520 full-rate paid contributions in order to qualify for standard State pension (contributory).  520 full-rate contributions equate to 10 years of full-rate insurable employment.  According to the records of...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (7 Dec 2022)

Heather Humphreys: According to the records of my Department, the person concerned was in receipt of Jobseeker’s Allowance (JA) from 24/03/2022 until 26/07/2022.  Following the cancellation of her Temporary Protection Order by the Department of Justice, the person concerned was required to satisfy the Habitual Residence Condition (HRC) for continued eligibility to JA. JA is subject to the HRC,...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (7 Dec 2022)

Heather Humphreys: On behalf of this Department, I wish to offer my sincere sympathies to the family of the person concerned on their recent bereavement. I will ask my officials to examine this matter and revert to the Deputy. 

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (7 Dec 2022)

Heather Humphreys: Fuel Allowance is a payment to help with the cost of heating an individual’s home during the winter months. To qualify for Fuel Allowance, a person must satisfy the scheme criteria, which includes living alone, or living with an individual that also satisfies certain eligibility criteria. Due to a recent change in circumstances which became apparent following an interview with one of...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Dormant Accounts Fund (7 Dec 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The representation to which the Deputy refers concerns funding provided to an organisation under the Dormant Accounts Action Plan 2021, Measure to Support the Employment of People with Disabilities. A total of 45 projects, including the one referred to in the representation, were awarded up to €7.6 million in funding. The programme started on 1 September 2021 and was due to conclude at...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (7 Dec 2022)

Heather Humphreys: Disability Allowance (DA) is a weekly allowance paid to people with a specified disability who are aged 16 or over and under the age of 66.  This disability must be expected to last for at least one year and the allowance is subject to a medical assessment, means test and Habitual Residency conditions.  I can confirm that the person concerned applied for disability allowance (DA)...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (7 Dec 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The Benefit Payment for 65 Year Olds, provided under the Jobseeker's Benefit and Jobseeker’s Benefit (Self-Employed) social insurance schemes, was introduced in line with the Programme for Government commitment, to address the position of people who are required to or choose to retire at age 65 before the pension age of 66.  The payment is designed to bridge the gap for people who...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Public Services Card (7 Dec 2022)

Heather Humphreys: Historically, when some women got married they were allocated a Revenue and Social Insurance Number (RSI Number) which was linked to their husband’s RSI Number.These linked numbers (Level W numbers) were issued by the Revenue Commissioners so that they could identify spouses in a jointly assessed relationship. The Level W number was generated by adding a W to the RSI number of the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (7 Dec 2022)

Heather Humphreys: Overpayments of social welfare assistance and benefit payments arise as a consequence of decisions made under the relevant sections of the Social Welfare (Consolidation) Act, 2005 (as amended).  Customers who have been overpaid social welfare have a liability to refund the overpayment as they have been in receipt of a payment to which they were not entitled. Some payments can issue...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (7 Dec 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.  A new claim for IP was received from the person concerned on 10 November 2022.  In order to establish medical suitability two forms were sent to him on 16...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (7 Dec 2022)

Heather Humphreys: Child Benefit is a monthly payment to the parents or guardians of children under 16 years of age.  Child Benefit can also be claimed for children aged 16 and 17 if they are in full-time education or full-time training or have a disability and cannot support themselves. A manager will review the Child Benefit claim for the person concerned. The review will be prioritised for early...