Results 281-300 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2024: Second Stage (22 Oct 2024)

Heather Humphreys: We should listen to community groups, the people we meet in the supermarket and the ones walking up the street in Cootehill. They will soon tell me what is happening and what we need to change. I would not worry too much about social media. I thank Senators for all their kind comments. It has been an honour and privilege for me to serve as a Minister over ten years and, in particular,...

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2024: Committee and Remaining Stages (22 Oct 2024)

Heather Humphreys: I have made this point a few times on including commitments to producing reports in primary legislation. While I understand why the amendments have been put in, the social welfare legislation is complex already and it is best if we do not put requests for reports into legislation. The actuarial review of the Social Insurance Fund published in March 2023 is a very detailed and comprehensive...

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2024: Committee and Remaining Stages (22 Oct 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Again, I do not propose to accept amendments that put requests for reports into legislation. On the pay-related carer's benefit payment, I recently signed a commencement order confirming that the new jobseeker's pay-related benefit scheme would be available from 31 March 2025. The priority is to launch this scheme, and the Government has been clear that this experience should be used to...

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2024: Committee and Remaining Stages (22 Oct 2024)

Heather Humphreys: I will speak to the two amendments together. Regarding extending parents' leave and benefit, the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth has lead responsibility for parents' leave policy. I have responsibility for making the payments. Parents' leave and benefit are available to eligible parents within the first two years following the birth or adoption of a...

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2024: Committee and Remaining Stages (22 Oct 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The amendment the Senator proposed states that the Minister shall lay a report before the Houses of the Oireachtas on introducing a parental leave and benefit scheme to those parents who experience a stillbirth. I have said that in the case of parents who have a stillbirth after the twenty-third week of pregnancy or where the birth rate is at least 400 g, they will get their full 26 weeks of...

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2024: Committee and Remaining Stages (22 Oct 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Senators will be aware that fuel allowance is paid to social welfare recipients such as pensioners and people with disabilities in recognition of their long-term financial dependence on social welfare payments. People on long-term social welfare payments are unlikely to have additional resources of their own and are more vulnerable to poverty, including energy poverty. The working family...

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2024: Committee and Remaining Stages (22 Oct 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The reduction applied to jobseekers who do not engage with the Department of Social Protection's range of supports to get back to employment will increase to €90 from January 2025. The current rate of €44 has been in existence since 2011. Senator Higgins must acknowledge that the social welfare rates have gone up considerably since then. The aim is to prevent unemployed...

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2024: Committee and Remaining Stages (22 Oct 2024)

Heather Humphreys: I refer to what Senator Dolan said. A one-parent family with two children aged 4 and 6 will benefit from an additional €2,424 per annum as a result of this budget. They get the Christmas bonus, they get the extra €12 weekly rate increase from January, and they will get the child support payment, which has been increased - for two children under 12 they will get an extra...

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2024: Committee and Remaining Stages (22 Oct 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The current model is working in increasing lone-parent participation rates and therefore reducing poverty. The report I referred to, the ESRI report of 2022, points out that when people engage, they have better outcomes. The Department adopts a reasonable approach to reducing jobseeker rates. People are informed twice. If they have a reasonable reason as to why they cannot engage –...

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2024: Committee and Remaining Stages (22 Oct 2024)

Heather Humphreys: I will speak to both amendments, but I do not propose to accept them. It is important to note that the State pension age has never been 65 and there has been no entitlement to a contributory State pension at 65. The Pensions Commission concluded its detailed analysis of the State pension system in late 2020 and recommended increasing the State pension age rather than decreasing it. The...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: School Funding (22 Oct 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Post-primary schools are not currently eligible for hot school meals. Post-primary schools in the DEIS programme prior to 2022 can avail of the dinner option which differs from the hot school meal, in that it is generally provided by schools with onsite cooking facilities, whereas hot school meals provided to primary schools are prepared offsite. There are some 2,200 primary schools...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (22 Oct 2024)

Heather Humphreys: At the end of September 2024 there were 97,257 recipients of Carer's Allowance. Employment data available for the whole of 2023 indicates that of the 97,257 persons currently in receipt of Carer's Allowance, 20,036 (21%) had PRSI Class A earnings in 2023. A total of 20,630 persons (21%) had earnings in September or October 2024.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Application Forms (22 Oct 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 the habitual residency conditions. I confirm that my Department received an application for DA from the person...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Employment Support Services (22 Oct 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The current unemployment rate is 4.3% and has been below 5%, which is considered full employment, since early 2022. The Long-Term Unemployment rate is now at a record low of 0.9%. Intreo Employment Services engage with jobseekers on a mandatory basis to support them to find work. The Intreo service is a nationwide service and supports are provided to all jobseekers including those who...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Emergency Accommodation (22 Oct 2024)

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

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Disability Services (22 Oct 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, a means test and the habitual residency conditions. I can confirm that an application for DA was received in respect of the person...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Care Services (22 Oct 2024)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 481 and 482 together. 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,...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (22 Oct 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The Government recognises the important role that carers play in Irish society and is committed to supporting them through a range of payments and services. The annual Carer’s Support Grant, which is paid in respect of each care recipient, is not means-tested and is not taxable. The Grant was increased to €2,000 per year in Budget 2025, which is the highest rate at which it...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Budgets (22 Oct 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Income disregards ensure that, where people are in receipt of a social assistance payment and are working, their income from work to the level of the income disregard, is not assessed in the means test. As part of Budget 2025, I further increased the Carer's Allowance disregard to €625 for a single person, and €1,250 for carers with a spouse/partner, to commence in July...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Budgets (22 Oct 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The estimated full year cost of increasing the Carer’s Support Grant, by €100, €200 €300, €400, €500, €600. €700, €800, €900, €1,000, €1,500 and €2,000 is as follows Rate Increase by Cost € million €100 €16.5 ...