Results 2,581-2,600 of 5,587 for speaker:Kevin Humphreys

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Rent Supplement Scheme Administration (10 Dec 2014)

Kevin Humphreys: There have been more than 300 applicants in relation to the protocol and it can be extended. To give the Deputy two direct answers to two direct questions, "Yes", and "We are very aware". There is a long-term problem, a medium-term problem and a current problem in the market. The Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Deputy Alan Kelly, announced a comprehensive...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Rent Supplement Scheme Administration (10 Dec 2014)

Kevin Humphreys: I agree with the Deputy that local authorities should negotiate. That is what is proposed in HAP to which the Deputy objected and which he opposed when it was going through the House. HAP will provide rent certainty to tenants, allow local authorities to negotiate directly with landlords and end the poverty trap inherent in rent supplement, which often prevents people from going back to...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Rent Supplement Scheme Administration (10 Dec 2014)

Kevin Humphreys: I thank Deputy O'Dea for his question. He is probably aware that approximately 71,800 people currently receive rent supplement. Of particular interest to Deputy O'Dea is the fact that there are approximately 2,500 rent supplement recipients in Limerick, of whom 860 came into the scheme in the past year. Obviously people are able to access the rent supplement scheme, given that 34% of...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Rent Supplement Scheme Administration (10 Dec 2014)

Kevin Humphreys: I am aware of the difficulties which exist throughout the country because of the lack of supply. Having said that, families and single people are still moving into the rent supplement scheme. As I pointed out earlier, 860 people in Limerick joined the rent supplement scheme in the past year and moved into accommodation in the Limerick area. We were in contact with the regional managers in...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Rent Supplement Scheme Administration (10 Dec 2014)

Kevin Humphreys: The majority of those in receipt of rent supplement are single parents with one child or single people. On the issue of flexibility, I will ensure that it is being exercised. However, if the Deputy is aware of specific cases in Limerick which indicate that it is not being exercised, I would be happy to look into that and talk to regional managers again, if necessary. The priority is to...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Rent Supplement Scheme Payments (10 Dec 2014)

Kevin Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 40 and 56 together. The purpose of the rent supplement scheme is to provide short-term income support to assist with reasonable accommodation costs of eligible people living in private rented accommodation who are unable to provide for their accommodation costs from their own resources. There are approximately 71,800 rent supplement recipients for which the...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Back to Work Allowance Application Numbers (10 Dec 2014)

Kevin Humphreys: The Back to Work schemes, the Back to Work Enterprise Allowance (BTWEA) and the Short Term Enterprise Allowance (STEA) assist those on certain social welfare payments who wish to become self-employed. The BTWEA is designed to provide a monetary incentive for people who are dependent on certain social welfare payments to develop a business while allowing them to retain a reducing proportion...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Work Placement Programmes (10 Dec 2014)

Kevin Humphreys: JobBridge was introduced to provide opportunities for jobseekers to gain real workplace experience and is not an unemployment support payment. As at 4 December, 2014, 35,833 individual internships had commenced, and 6,729 individuals were actually on internships. An independent evaluation of the scheme found that 61% of interns had moved into employment 5 or more months after finishing...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Exceptional Needs Payments (10 Dec 2014)

Kevin Humphreys: Under the supplementary welfare allowance (SWA) scheme, the Department may make a single exceptional needs payment (ENP) to help meet essential, once-off and unforeseen expenditure which a person could not reasonably be expected to meet out of their weekly income. The Government has provided €31.3 million for the scheme in 2014. In 2012 a Departmental working group made up of staff...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Rent Supplement Scheme Administration (10 Dec 2014)

Kevin Humphreys: The Government decided in 1997 to approve the redevelopment of Ballymun and a regeneration programme commenced in 1998. The provision of rent supplement in the Ballymun designated area was identified by housing authorities as a risk to the tenure diversity objective of the project which is to achieve a more balanced tenure mix by providing additional private market housing. In response to...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Work Placement Programmes (10 Dec 2014)

Kevin Humphreys: Tús, the community work placement initiative introduced during 2011, was established to provide short-term, quality work opportunities for those who are unemployed for more than a year. As of the week ending 5 December 2014. 7,892 jobseekers are engaged on Tús. Since its commencement some 23,000 jobseekers have participated on this initiative. A key feature of Tús is that...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Intestate Estates (9 Dec 2014)

Kevin Humphreys: Under the supplementary welfare allowance (SWA) scheme, the Department may make a single exceptional needs payment (ENP) to help meet essential, once-off and unforeseen expenditure which a person could not reasonably be expected to meet out of their weekly income. The Government has provided €31.3 million for the ENP scheme in 2014. An application can be made under the ENP scheme...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Labour Activation Measures (9 Dec 2014)

Kevin Humphreys: Following a procurement process conducted in accordance with EU and Irish procurement rules, the company in question was selected as one of the preferred tenderers for the provision of employment services under the JobPath programme. JobPath is a new programme of employment activation aimed specifically at the long-term unemployed (over 12 months) and those most distant from the labour...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Employment Support Services (9 Dec 2014)

Kevin Humphreys: ‘Counselling’ in the context of activation generally refers to the provision of guidance and advice with respect to the pursuit of employment options. It does not involve the provision of personal counselling (e.g. addiction, bereavement, anxiety, depression etc.) of the type which I understand is provided as an online service by the organisation referenced in the question. ...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes Eligibility (9 Dec 2014)

Kevin Humphreys: I can confirm that community employment (CE) participants who commenced prior to 16 January 2012, who are in receipt of one of the specified concurrent payments, and who have had continuous service on CE since that date, may retain their primary social welfare payment alongside the CE personal rate allowance until they finish their time on CE. The number of participants affected by this is...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes Eligibility (9 Dec 2014)

Kevin Humphreys: The Budget of 2012 announced the disqualification from certain welfare payments for welfare recipients while participating on Community Employment (CE). Up until 16th January 2012, certain social welfare payments could be retained in part, or in full, when participating on CE. The CE personal rate of €208.00 was applicable to these participants, as any dependants were covered under the...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Social Welfare Code (9 Dec 2014)

Kevin Humphreys: The means of the person concerned have been reassessed and found to be correct in accordance with current legislation governing jobseekers allowance.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: National Internship Scheme Administration (9 Dec 2014)

Kevin Humphreys: The JobBridge scheme provides internship opportunities for persons in receipt of one of the qualifying social welfare payments. The qualifying payments are Jobseekers Allowance, Jobseekers Benefit, One Parent Family Payment and Disability Allowance. Accordingly people on Disability Allowance who wish to participate in JobBridge can apply for an internship. As is the case in respect of...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Scéim Shóisialta na Tuaithe (9 Dec 2014)

Kevin Humphreys: Déanann an Roinn athbhreithniú rialta ar na rialacha a rialaíonn oibriú a scéimeanna éagsúla fostaíochta lena chinntiú go bhfuil siad oiriúnach don chuspóir agus go léiríonn siad athruithe sa chás go bhféadfaidís impleachtaí a bheith acu i leith rochtana ar scéimeanna áirithe nó oibriú...

Water Services Bill 2014: Second Stage (Resumed) (5 Dec 2014)

Kevin Humphreys: The Deputy might consider using one sometime.