Results 241-260 of 2,224 for long speaker:Heather Humphreys

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Service 2023
Vote 37 - Social Protection (Supplementary) (22 Nov 2023)

Heather Humphreys: ...in in case I have missed some of them. He asked, first of all, about the contract employment services. Those contracts are in place. We have a reduced level. We have our Intreo partners and the long-term jobseekers. They look after about 40,000 in all. We need that flexibility because you never know when people will be made redundant. We want to be able to ramp up the supports if...

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Service 2023
Vote 37 - Social Protection (Supplementary) (22 Nov 2023)

Heather Humphreys: ...scheme, a person's contribution depends on the means they have. The Deputy has a specific case that is similar to somebody having a huge amount of overtime. This Naval Service member is no longer deployed, so they do not have that income. If the Deputy sends details of that case on to me, I will be happy to look at it. In any of these things, it is done on a case-by-case basis. If we...

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Service 2023
Vote 37 - Social Protection (Supplementary) (22 Nov 2023)

Heather Humphreys: ...this in a couple years ago whereby a person did not have to be actively seeking work and he or she got the benefit for the 12 months. We we will look at that to see what we can do for people who have a long social insurance history of 40 years or more. I absolutely agree that there are cases where somebody has been doing hard manual work for 40-odd years, their back is broken and it is...

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Service 2023
Vote 42 - Rural and Community Development (Supplementary) (22 Nov 2023)

Heather Humphreys: I have no 4 x 4, but what I did have when I was growing up was a bicycle. I lived on a lane that was one mile long and there were potholes left, right and centre, and if I missed one, I was sure to hit the next one. I know all about lanes and I know there are problems when the milk lorry cannot get in to get the milk out, for example. There is a long list of lanes in every county that...

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Service 2023
Vote 42 - Rural and Community Development (Supplementary) (22 Nov 2023)

Heather Humphreys: .... I had to ring somebody one time about a small grant. I think it was €8,000 or €9,000. It could have been €10,000. It was not a big grant. They were very pleased. I cannot even remember what it was for. They said to me, "I would be a long time standing at traffic lights in Monaghan before I would get €10,000." That is the value to communities, and it is...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pensions (21 Nov 2023)

Heather Humphreys: ...over 20 years (1040 weeks). The periods of care-giving do not need to be consecutive. If the person concerned has been caring for incapacitated dependents for over 20 years, they can apply for the Long-Term Carers Contributions (LTCC). If the criteria are met, the equivalent of paid contributions may be attributed to cover gaps in their contribution record. The quickest way to apply for...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Offshore Islands (14 Nov 2023)

Heather Humphreys: ...’s Point; Clare Island; Roonagh; Inis Bigil; Inishlyre; Inish More; Ballycroy; Newport; Kildavnet; Cé Bheag. Galway: Inis Mór Árainn; Inis Meáin; Inis Oírr. Cork: Sherkin; Heir Island; Cléire; Bere Island; Dursey; Long Island.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Flexible Work Practices (14 Nov 2023)

Heather Humphreys: ...hubs have turned into landing spaces for companies that want to set up in Ireland. I have one really good example, which is a remote working hub in Cavan. PublicRelay is a US company. I met it a long time ago when I was in New York. It decided to locate to Ireland. Some of its staff are working in the remote working hub in Cavan and others are working in Dublin. There are 25 jobs in...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Road Projects (14 Nov 2023)

Heather Humphreys: ...every opportunity to put any extra resources I have in my Department into the local improvement scheme, and I will tell the House why. When I was growing up I lived on a lane that was one mile long and full of potholes. There was some scheme at that stage as well and eventually the lane got repaired, but I know what it is like. When you are on a bicycle trying to avoid potholes, it is...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (14 Nov 2023)

Heather Humphreys: ...pupils doing transition year, there has been an increase in the number of 18-year-olds still in secondary education. I believe the extension of Child Benefit to 18-year-olds in full-time education is a long-term change for the better and will support families across Ireland into the future. This is a significant change to the Child Benefit payment which will require technical and...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (14 Nov 2023)

Heather Humphreys: ...pupils doing transition year, there has been an increase in the number of 18-year-olds still in secondary education. I believe the extension of Child Benefit to 18-year-olds in full-time education is a long-term change for the better and will support families across Ireland into the future. This is a significant change to the Child Benefit scheme which will require technical and...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Digital Hubs (14 Nov 2023)

Heather Humphreys: ...strategy will help inform future decisions on the sustainable development of hubs and enable a coherent approach to planning and investment in the hub sector. My overall objective is to ensure the long term sustainability of Ireland’s hub network. I have always been clear that balanced regional development, sustainable and thriving communities, and indeed the wider national...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (8 Nov 2023)

Heather Humphreys: ...contributions have become eligible to apply for Invalidity Pension. It is not possible to apply eligibility on a retrospective basis before this point. Self-employed people may qualify for other long-term payments, such as Disability Allowance. Disability Allowance is a social assistance payment for people with a disability who are aged 16-66 and are a resident in the State. Applicants...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Equal Opportunities Employment (7 Nov 2023)

Heather Humphreys: ...from April 2024. The Green Paper on Disability Reform is my Department’s response to our commitment under the Roadmap for Social Inclusion to develop and consult on proposals to restructure long-term disability payments and to simplify the system. The Green Paper is a consultation document we developed to start a structured discussion with disabled people and stakeholder...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (7 Nov 2023)

Heather Humphreys: ...be noted that recognition confers very different entitlements in different countries. It is important to state that the European Commission has not made a recommendation about recognising long-COVID as an occupational disease and most member states have not recognised long-COVID. The UK Department of Work and Pensions presented a report to the UK parliament in November 2022 which...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Insurance (7 Nov 2023)

Heather Humphreys: ...address the "step effect" impact on employee and employer PRSI. In Budget 2024 the Government decided to increase all PRSI rates (employer and employee) by 0.1% from 1 October 2024 to address the long term sustainability of the Social Insurance Fund. The matter of addressing the employer "step effect" will be kept under consideration. I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (7 Nov 2023)

Heather Humphreys: ...conditions. Illness Benefit is paid for a maximum of two years and is classified as a short-term scheme. The Spring 2023 cost of living bonus was payable to people in receipt of certain long term social welfare payments. For customers in receipt of Illness Benefit, it was only payable if a person had been receiving this payment for at least one year. Time spent on other social...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (7 Nov 2023)

Heather Humphreys: ...the energy costs of a household. It is not intended to meet those costs in full. One allowance is paid per household. Qualifying payments for Fuel Allowance are those payments that are considered long term payments and an applicant must also satisfy a means test. The person concerned is in receipt of Illness Benefit. Illness Benefit is a short-term payment for those who are certified by...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Insurance (7 Nov 2023)

Heather Humphreys: ...in the event of certain contingencies arising during their working life such as unemployment, illness, maternity and, thereafter, upon retirement from the work force. It is essential to ensure the long-term sustainability of the Fund is financially secure to meet these benefits. The 2020 Actuarial Review of the Social Insurance Fund found that even without any economic shocks to the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (7 Nov 2023)

Heather Humphreys: ...pupils doing transition year, there has been an increase in the number of 18-year-olds still in secondary education. I believe the extension of Child Benefit to 18-year-olds in full-time education is a long-term change for the better and will support families across Ireland into the future. This is a significant change to the Child Benefit payment which will require technical and...