Results 2,341-2,360 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (2 May 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Working Family Payment (WFP) is an income-tested weekly payment which provides additional financial support to employees on low earnings with children. WFP provides financial support for employees who have low earnings/income relative to their family size. The WFP rate payable is 60% of the difference between the average weekly family income and the relevant prescribed income limit. To...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (2 May 2024)

Heather Humphreys: There is a range of supports provided by the Community Welfare Service (CWS) under the Supplementary Welfare Allowance (SWA) scheme. These supports can consist of a basic weekly payment, a weekly or monthly supplement in respect of certain expenses, as well as single Additional Needs Payments (ANPs). The basic SWA provides immediate assistance for those in need who are awaiting the outcome...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (2 May 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Disability Allowance (DA) is a weekly benefit for eligible individuals with a disability expected to last over a year, subject to medical assessment, means testing, and Habitual Residency conditions. The Department approved a DA application for this individual on 10 August 2022, granting the maximum personal rate and additional payment for qualified child from the same date. As previously...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Funding (2 May 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Under the range of capital investment programmes operated by my Department, I have prioritised the development and enhancement of community centres across the country as they are a vital resource for all of the community. Under the 2022 Community Centre Investment Fund, which was the first year of the Fund's operation, over €45.8 million was committed for improvement and...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Public Transport (1 May 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The Free Travel scheme provides free travel on the main public and private transport services for those eligible under the scheme. There are over one million customers with direct eligibility. The estimated expenditure on free travel in 2024 is €104 million. The scheme is not intended to provide transport services or to compensate for a lack of transport in rural areas. Any...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (1 May 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The Partial Capacity Benefit (PCB) scheme allows a person in receipt of an invalidity or illness benefit payment to enter employment or self-employment and continue to receive a partial or full payment. The amount of payment is set at 50%, 75% or 100% of their previous payment depending on the extent to which their condition is assessed to impair their capacity to work. PCB has also been...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Citizens Information Services (1 May 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The Citizens Information Service, or CIS, is funded by the Citizens Information Board. I deeply value the important work carried out by employees of the CIS, in providing people with free, quality and independent information, advice and advocacy services across the country. It is important to point out that employees of the CIS are not employees of my Department, nor are they public...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Staff (1 May 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The Department complies with 'Circular 09/2009: Civil Servants and Political Activity' with regards to where an employee of the Department becomes elected or co-opted to a local authority. Section 9. Participation by Civil Servants in Local Elections - the following provisions apply: a. Civil servants in the craft, state industrial and manual grades and grades below clerical grades may...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals (1 May 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 the case was referred to an Appeals Officer on 15 November 2023. A reply to...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pensions (1 May 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The Yearly Average method of calculating State Pension (Contributory) payment rates has been used since the introduction of the contributory Old Age Pension (now State Pension (Contributory)) in 1961. Under the Yearly Average approach, anomalies can arise because of the date of entry into insurable employment. A late date of entry into insurable employment can result in an unusually low...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Insurance (1 May 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Government approved the draft Heads of Bill on 9th January for the introduction of a new Pay-Related Benefit for jobseekers. The Heads of Bill containing the General Scheme for the new scheme are published on my Department's website. The committee on Social Protection, Community and Rural Development and the Islands completed the pre-legislative scrutiny of the draft bill in March and...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Gender Recognition (1 May 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Section 7 of the Gender Recognition Act 2015 (GRA 2015) required the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection to commence a review of the Act within 2 years of its coming into operation, and to report to the Oireachtas within 12 months of the commencement of the review. A review commenced in November 2017 and the review group report was published in July 2018. The then...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Gender Recognition (1 May 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The Gender Recognition Act 2015 was commenced in September 2015. The legislation enables a person to apply to my Department for a gender recognition certificate. When a gender recognition certificate is granted to a person, the person is formally recognised in their preferred gender for all purposes by the State. For the purposes of the Act, a person who applies for a gender recognition...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Citizens Information Services (1 May 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The Citizens Information Board (CIB) is the statutory body under the aegis of my Department with responsibility for supporting the provision of information, advice and advocacy on a wide range of public and social services. CIB delivers these functions primarily through a range of 22 Service Delivery Companies. These Service Delivery Companies are independent Companies Limited By Guarantee...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Postal Services (1 May 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Cash welfare payments are governed by the Department’s Cash Payment Services Contract with An Post which was signed in December 2019 following an open public procurement process. This contract came into effect on 1 January 2020. This contract is exclusively with An Post. There is no contractual relationship between my Department and post masters. The working arrangements of the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Oireachtas Committees (1 May 2024)

Heather Humphreys: My Department has not received any recommendations from the Public Accounts Committee in the context of the details supplied, therefore I am unable to provide any further information. I trust this clarifies matters for the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pensions (1 May 2024)

Heather Humphreys: State pension non-contributory is a means-tested payment for people aged 66 and over who have a legal right of residence and habitually reside in the state, and who do not qualify for a state pension contributory, or 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...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Burial Grounds (1 May 2024)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 332, 333, 334, 335 and 336 together. My Department has legislative responsibility for local authority burial grounds, however the actual operation of burial grounds (cemeteries) 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...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Staff (1 May 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The number of Whole Time Equivalent (WTE) accountants employed by my Department for the years in question is set out in the table below. Year Accountants 2022 2 2023 2 2024 2

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Schemes (1 May 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Material provided to the Deputy in Parliamentary Questions of 18th April set out details of amounts identified for recoupment on foot of inspections under the the Local Improvement Scheme across a number of years. My officials are currently collating data in relation to amounts subsequently recouped which will reflect the time lag between completion of works and inspections, the completion of...