Results 2,161-2,180 of 5,587 for speaker:Kevin Humphreys

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Rent Supplement Scheme Administration (15 Apr 2015)

Kevin Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 35, 50 and 51 together. The rent supplement scheme provides support to eligible people living in private rented accommodation whose means are insufficient to meet their accommodation costs and who do not have accommodation available to them from any other source. There are currently approximately 70,000 rent supplement recipients, for which Government has...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Rent Supplement Scheme Administration (15 Apr 2015)

Kevin Humphreys: The rent supplement scheme provides support to eligible people living in private rented accommodation whose means are insufficient to meet their accommodation costs and who do not have accommodation available to them from any other source. There are currently approximately 70,000 rent supplement recipients, with some 1,700 in County Kerry. The Government has provided over €298 million...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: National Internship Scheme Data (15 Apr 2015)

Kevin Humphreys: I have set out below a table giving numbers participating in activation schemes under the Department as at 9thApril, 2015. Table 1. Numbers Participating in Activation Schemes Figures as at 9thApril, 2015 Scheme Current Participants Back to Education Allowance 24,143 Community Employment 22,914 Back to Work Enterprise Allowance 11,837 (Inclusive of 465 STEA cases) TÚS 7952...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: JobsPlus Scheme (15 Apr 2015)

Kevin Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 44 and 45 together. JobsPlus provides a direct monthly financial incentive to employers who recruit employees from the Live Register and those transitioning into employment. It provides employers with two levels of payment - €7,500 or €10,000 over two years provided the employment is maintained. The rate of payment depends on the length of...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes Operation (15 Apr 2015)

Kevin Humphreys: The aim of CE is to enhance the employability and mobility of disadvantaged and unemployed persons by providing work experience and training opportunities for them within their communities. The Department’s priority in supporting CE is having access to schemes that can provide job seekers and other vulnerable groups with good quality work experience and training qualifications to...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Back to Education Allowance Eligibility (15 Apr 2015)

Kevin Humphreys: The Back to Education Allowance (BTEA) provides income support for second chance education opportunities to enable participation by jobseekers in full-time second and third level education. A person wishing to pursue a course of study under BTEA will have to satisfy a number of conditions. These include being of a certain age, in receipt of a prescribed social welfare payment for a specified...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes Eligibility (15 Apr 2015)

Kevin Humphreys: Persons signing for credits only (i.e. not in receipt of a qualifying social welfare payment) are ineligible for Community Employment. There are no plans to change this. Unemployed persons not in receipt of payments may, however, be eligible to avail of other up-skilling opportunities, for example, through ETB training for unemployed people. At present, there are 1,009 upcoming day...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Rural Social Scheme Application Numbers (15 Apr 2015)

Kevin Humphreys: The rural social scheme (RSS) provides income support for low income farmers and those engaged in fishing who have an entitlement to specified social welfare payments. Participants are engaged for 19½ hours per week to provide certain services of benefit to rural communities. The Department has engaged 35 local development companies and Údarás na Gaeltachta, known as...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes Operation (15 Apr 2015)

Kevin Humphreys: A Drugs Stakeholder Group chaired by the Department was set up in May 2013 to inform and advise on the delivery of the drugs rehabilitation response within CE. Membership includes representatives of the community and voluntary sectors, Drugs Task Forces and statutory organisations. A new Programme Framework is currently being developed for drug rehabilitation schemes. The Framework is...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes Operation (15 Apr 2015)

Kevin Humphreys: The Deputy will be aware that the individuals concerned are the employees of private companies. In the circumstances, it is not possible for the State to take over responsibility for funding pension arrangements for employees of private companies, even where those companies are reliant on State funding. This position was confirmed by the Department of Public Expenditure & Reform to...

Seanad: Department of Social Protection Payment Methods: Statements (2 Apr 2015)

Kevin Humphreys: I welcome the opportunity to address the Seanad on recent concerns about a mailshot that issued from the Department of Social Protection and quality customer service. My ministerial role is to identify the needs of the customer and tailor our services in meeting them. It would not be appropriate to be drawn into a debate on whether cash or EFT, electronic funds transfer, payments are...

Seanad: Department of Social Protection Payment Methods: Statements (2 Apr 2015)

Kevin Humphreys: Senator Whelan referred to critical mass and how services are provided. Ireland has suffered from bad planning for a long time. The death of rural towns is a serious problem. I have travelled the country for the past six months engaging with people and I have seen the empty shop units in small rural villages. I am proud that the Government has taken this issue seriously and that is why a...

Seanad: Department of Social Protection Payment Methods: Statements (2 Apr 2015)

Kevin Humphreys: I am sorry, but-----

Seanad: Department of Social Protection Payment Methods: Statements (2 Apr 2015)

Kevin Humphreys: A simple-----

Seanad: Department of Social Protection Payment Methods: Statements (2 Apr 2015)

Kevin Humphreys: A simple telephone call to the Department would have explained what we were doing and why.

Seanad: Department of Social Protection Payment Methods: Statements (2 Apr 2015)

Kevin Humphreys: Excuse me.

Seanad: Department of Social Protection Payment Methods: Statements (2 Apr 2015)

Kevin Humphreys: If my Department made that simple oversight, the Senator would have me before the House next week and the week after. Via a telephone call, we could have explained what we were doing, why we were doing it, why there was a small sample size and why the decision on transaction accounts was made. When I was asked to attend this debate, I dropped everything and automatically said, "Yes." I...

Seanad: Department of Social Protection Payment Methods: Statements (2 Apr 2015)

Kevin Humphreys: I will conclude.

Seanad: Department of Social Protection Payment Methods: Statements (2 Apr 2015)

Kevin Humphreys: I hope I have cleared up Senators' issues in this comprehensive discussion. If any Senator has other questions on this matter, I will be happy to meet him or her and answer them.

Seanad: Department of Social Protection Payment Methods: Statements (2 Apr 2015)

Kevin Humphreys: I am happy to answer. The sample size across the two schemes was 2,800. We are quite open on these matters.