Results 201-220 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals (5 Nov 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The Social Welfare Appeals Office is an Office of the Department of Social Protection which is responsible for determining appeals against decisions in relation to social welfare entitlements. Appeals Officers are independent in their decision making functions. The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered on the 22nd May 2024. It...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Schemes (5 Nov 2024)

Heather Humphreys: In general, medical or health related benefits fall within the remit of the Department of Health and the HSE. However, my Department administers the treatment benefit scheme which provides certain dental, optical, and medical appliances benefits to insured workers, the self-employed and retired people who have the required number of PRSI contributions. These treatments are also available to...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals (5 Nov 2024)

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. Arising from successful appeal, an option letter was sent to the person concerned on 30...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Pension Provisions (5 Nov 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The State Pension (Contributory) is funded from the Social Insurance Fund through the contributions paid by workers. The rate of payment reflects the number of social insurance contributions paid over a working life. Eligibility for the State Pension (Contributory) (SPC) is based on a number of criteria: Being aged 66 or over. Having entered the Social Insurance system 10 years before you...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Inspections (5 Nov 2024)

Heather Humphreys: There are two Carers' schemes administered by my Department - Carer's Benefit which is linked to the customer's PRSI contribution record and Carer's Allowance which is a means-tested income support scheme. Decisions on customers' applications for these Carers' schemes are made by Deciding Officers based in the Department's Longford office. On occasions, an application for a Carer's...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals (5 Nov 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The person concerned made an application for Jobseekers Benefit (JB) for 65-Year-Olds on 12/08/2024. In order to qualify for this payment a person must have ceased employment and self-employment. According to the PRSI contribution information available to the Department the person concerned continues to pay Class S PRSI as a self-employed person. The person therefore cannot be...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Schemes (5 Nov 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The Fuel Allowance is a payment of €33 per week for 28 weeks (a total of €924 each year) from late September to April, at an estimated cost of €382 million in 2024. The purpose of this payment is to assist these households with their energy costs. Only one allowance is paid per household. Following Budget 2022, in October 2021 the weekly rate of Fuel Allowance was...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Schemes (5 Nov 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The Free Travel scheme is available to all persons aged over 66 and those aged under 66 on certain qualifying payments, who are living legally and permanently in the State. From 29th of July 2024, the scheme was extended to people who are medically certified as unfit to drive for a period of at least 12 months. The scheme permits those who are eligible to travel for free on most CIE...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Schemes (5 Nov 2024)

Heather Humphreys: My Department is committed to providing a quality service to all its customers. This includes ensuring that applications are processed and that decisions on entitlement are made as quickly as possible. The average number of weeks to award a Disability Allowance claim is currently 7 weeks. My Department understands the many pressures faced by people and always seeks to ensure that claims...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (5 Nov 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The person concerned will reach pension age on 15 January 2025. An application for State Pension (contributory) was received on 16 August 2024. To be eligible for the standard state pension (contributory) an individual must have at least 520 full-rate contributions. To qualify for a mixed insurance pension, 520 employment contributions are required, of which at least 260 must be...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (5 Nov 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Miner’s compensation is not a payment made by the Department of Social Protection. The person concerned is in receipt of a State Pension Contributory at a rate of €271.90 per week and a Disablement Benefit payment of €78.90 per week. He is also in receipt of Fuel Allowance of €33 per week during the Fuel season and qualifies for the Household Benefits package...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (5 Nov 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Carer's Allowance 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. Means are any income belonging to the carer and their spouse / civil partner / cohabitant, property (except their own home)...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (5 Nov 2024)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 699 and 700 together. Persons 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. Overpayments of social welfare entitlements can occur where a person provides false or misleading information in their application or through error on the part of either the...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Social Enterprise Sector (5 Nov 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Trading for Impact, the second National Social Enterprise Policy was launched in July 2024. Similar to the first policy, it was developed in partnership with the sector, and its development included bi-lateral meetings with key stakeholders, regional stakeholder engagement events, and a public consultation. Implementation of the actions under the policy will also require a collaborative...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Funding (5 Nov 2024)

Heather Humphreys: My Department recognises the importance of playgrounds in communities throughout Ireland. Applications for the delivery and upgrade of playgrounds are welcome under a number of schemes operated by my Department such as the CLÁR Programme, the Town and Village Renewal Scheme (TVRS), the LEADER programme, the Community Enhancement Programme (CEP) and the Community Recognition Fund (CRF). ...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Grant Payments (5 Nov 2024)

Heather Humphreys: My Department has a number of capital programmes designed to support community groups wishing to purchase a site for the development of new centres. Subject to meeting individual scheme requirements, applications for the purchase of land to develop new centres can be made under the Town and Village Renewal Scheme (TVRS), the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund (RRDF), the LEADER...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Staff (5 Nov 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Since the establishment of my Department in 2017 the deployment of staffing resources is under constant review with bi-annual workforce planning meetings held between Human Resources and each business unit. Where there are vacancies identified, recruitment processes are in place. If absolutely necessary, staff members can serve in an acting capacity on a short term basis to ensure...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Policies (5 Nov 2024)

Heather Humphreys: My Department has legislative responsibility for burial grounds, however the actual operation of burial grounds (graveyards) is the responsibility of the local authorities. Under the Local Government (Sanitary Services) Acts, 1878 to 2001, local authorities are deemed to be burial boards for their respective functional areas. Acting in their capacity as burial boards, local authorities are...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Staff (5 Nov 2024)

Heather Humphreys: There were five staff on career break in 2023 and six to date in 2024 within my Department, details are set out below. There were no staff on career breaks of five years or more in length in 2023 or 2024. 2023 (five) 2024 (six) Assistant Principal Officer Assistant Principal Officer (two) Administrative Officer (two) ...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Civil Service (5 Nov 2024)

Heather Humphreys: I can confirm that all provisions set out in the Department of Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform Circular 4/2013 are implemented within my Department. My Department currently has six staff members on career breaks. All staff nearing the end of their career break have notified the Department of their intentions to return and my Department has the...