Results 2,501-2,520 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (25 Apr 2024)

Heather Humphreys: As the details supplied within the parliamentary question for the person concerned do not match the records of my department, and without information relating to the circumstances of the person concerned, my officials are unable to advise on an income support payment. My department is responsible for the administration and payment of a range of supports to assist an eligible person who is...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Labour Market (25 Apr 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The Intreo Employment Service delivered by my Department offers a comprehensive range of employment services and supports. Employment Personal Advisors offer advice and guidance on job search tools and techniques and employment opportunities. An Employment Personal Advisor from the Maynooth Employment Services Office, located at Claremount House, Kelly’s Lane, Maynooth, Co. Kildare,...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (25 Apr 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The Government acknowledges the valuable role that family carers play and is fully committed to supporting carers in that role. This commitment is recognised in both the Programme for Government and the National Carers’ Strategy. The main income supports to carers provided by my department are Carer’s Allowance, Carer’s Benefit, Domiciliary Care Allowance and the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (25 Apr 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The Bereavement Grant, which was a once-off payment of €850 for funeral costs, was discontinued in January 2014. The number of bereavement grant claims in 2013 was 23,716 at a cost of €20.3 million. It is estimated that the cost of reintroducing the grant would be close to €31 million per annum and would increase annually. Accordingly, any decision to reinstate such a...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Priorities (25 Apr 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The Benefit Payment for 65-Year-Olds 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 State pension age of 66. The payment is designed to bridge the gap for people who retire from employment or self-employment at age 65 until they qualify for the State Pension at age 66. This...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (25 Apr 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 Chief Appeals Officer continually monitors the number of appeals on hands and processing times. Every effort is made to ensure...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Priorities (25 Apr 2024)

Heather Humphreys: This Government acknowledges the important role that family carers play and is fully committed to supporting them in that role. Accordingly, the State Pension system currently gives significant recognition to those whose work history includes an extended period outside of paid employment, often to raise families or in a full-time caring role. Despite these measures, some long-term carers...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Priorities (25 Apr 2024)

Heather Humphreys: My Department understands the many pressures faced by customers and always seeks to ensure that claims are handled quickly and efficiently. I am sure that the Deputy can appreciate how processing times can vary across schemes, depending on the differing qualification criteria. Schemes that require a high level of documentary evidence from the customer, particularly in the case of...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Priorities (25 Apr 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 below table shows a breakdown of the average processing times for all appeals over the past 10 years and from 1st January 2024...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pensions (25 Apr 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The information requested by the Deputy on those schemes is provided in the attached tabular statement. Table 1: State Pension (Contributory) claims registered, awarded, rejected and pending, by year Year Registered Awarded Rejected Pending at end December 2019 41,551 20,737 16,063 4,883 ...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Priorities (25 Apr 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Domiciliary Care Allowance (DCA) is a monthly allowance payable in respect of a child aged under 16 who has a severe disability requiring continual or continuous care and attention substantially in excess of the care and attention normally required by a child of the same age and where the level of the child's disability is such that the child is likely to require this level of care and...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Priorities (25 Apr 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The Supplementary Welfare Allowance scheme is the safety net within the overall social welfare system in that it provides assistance to eligible people in the State whose means are insufficient to meet their needs and those of their dependents. Supports provided under the scheme can consist of a basic weekly payment, a weekly or monthly supplement in respect of certain expenses, as well as...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Tidy Towns (25 Apr 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The Town and Village Renewal Scheme (TVRS) was introduced in 2016 and is one of a number of measures designed to rejuvenate rural towns and villages throughout Ireland. Since the launch of the scheme over €156 million has been allocated to more than 1,700 projects across Ireland. In line with the commitment in Our Rural Future, TVRS priorities are reviewed at the end of each scheme...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Schemes (25 Apr 2024)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 359 and 360 together. Under the range of capital investment schemes implemented by my Department I have prioritised in recent years the development and enhancement of community centres across the country as they are a vital resource for any community. Under the 2022 Community Centre Investment Fund in particular, over €45.8 million was committed...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Calafoirt agus Céanna (25 Apr 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Mar is eol don Teachta, is é Comhairle Contae na Gaillimhe atá freagrach as forbairt céanna ar na hOileáin Árainn, Inis Meáin san áireamh. Bíonn cruinnithe rialta idir feidhmeannaigh na Roinne agus Comhairle Contae na Gaillimhe chun plé agus monatóireacht a dhéanamh ar fhorbairt céanna ar Inis Oírr agus Inis Meáin....

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pensions (24 Apr 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The marriage bar was a legal requirement for women in the Irish civil service and some areas of the public service to retire from employment after marriage. While the legislation applied only to the civil and public sector, a similar policy was adopted by other sectors, such as the banking sector. The marriage bar for civil servants was removed from legislation in 1973. The impact of the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals (24 Apr 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 8th April 2024. It...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (24 Apr 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Child Benefit is a monthly payment made to families with children up to the age of 16 years. From May 2024, new legislation allows the payment to continue in respect of children until their 19th birthday who are in full-time education, or who have a disability that prevents them from attending such education. Child Benefit will resume from May for this customer and will continue until...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (24 Apr 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Partial Capacity Benefit (PCB) is a social welfare scheme which allows a person to return to work or self-employment and continue to receive a payment from my department. A person must be in receipt of Illness Benefit (IB) for a minimum of six months or Invalidity Pension (IP) in order to apply for PCB. The application process for the PCB is twofold. Initially, an applicant must inform my...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (24 Apr 2024)

Heather Humphreys: While my department has received medical certificates from the person concerned, we have not yet received an application for Illness Benefit. An application can be made online at MyWelfare.ie, or by submitting a physical IB1 application form which is available from their GP. I note that the person concerned is in receipt of Widow's Contributory Pension. A person cannot receive payment of...