Results 3,001-3,020 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (27 Feb 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Section 9 of the Irish Sign Language (ISL) Act, 2017 assigns responsibility to the Minister for Social Protection to provide funds to facilitate users of ISL to access social, educational and cultural events and services (including medical) and other activities. I assigned the implementation of this responsibility to the Citizens Information Board (CIB), the statutory body under the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (27 Feb 2024)

Heather Humphreys: My Department is committed to providing a quality service to all its customers. This includes ensuring that accurate decisions on entitlement are made as quickly as possible. The January 2024 bonus was paid to over 1.2 million recipients of long-term social welfare, and the majority of these payments were automatically attached to recipients’ regular weekly payments. The...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals (27 Feb 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. I understand that the Social Welfare Appeals Office have contacted the Deputy in this matter and it has been explained that it...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (27 Feb 2024)

Heather Humphreys: I recently published and laid a report before the Oireachtas entitled ‘Report on measures to include long COVID in the Occupational Injuries Benefit Regulations’. This report concluded that COVID-19 does not satisfy the criteria for recognition as an occupational illness under the Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005. A copy of the report can be found at:...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (27 Feb 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The Back to Education Allowance provides income support for jobseekers and others in receipt of certain social welfare payments who pursue courses of education at further and higher level. The focus of the scheme is to assist people to improve their qualifications and as a result improve their access to sustainable employment. There are currently some 3,500 people claiming the Back to...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals (27 Feb 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. I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that an Appeals Officer, having fully considered all the evidence, disallowed...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (27 Feb 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The Household Benefits Package (HBP) comprises of the electricity or gas allowance, and the free television licence. Only one Household Benefits Package is payable per household. - For those aged 70 or over, the HBP is not means tested and there is no requirement to be getting a qualifying payment. - For those aged 66 years or over, the HBP may be payable to those who are...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (27 Feb 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Domiciliary Care Allowance (DCA) is 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 the level of that disability is such that the child is likely to require this level of care and attention for at least 12 consecutive...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Staff (27 Feb 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Carer's Allowance is a means-tested social assistance payment made to a person who is habitually resident in the State and who is providing full-time care and attention to a child or an adult who has such a disability that as a result they require that level of care. The Department is committed to providing a quality service to all its customers, ensuring that applications are processed and...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (27 Feb 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The Sick Leave Act 2022 introduced the concept of statutory sick leave. The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment has policy responsibility for statutory sick leave. In 2023, workers had an entitlement to 3 days statutory sick leave in a calendar year which, since 1 January 2024, has now increased to 5 days. Under the scheme, sick pay may be paid by an employer at 70% of a...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals (27 Feb 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 22nd February 2024....

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (27 Feb 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The Fuel Allowance is a payment of €33 per week for 28 weeks (a total of €924 each year) from late September to April, at an estimated cost of €382 million in 2024. The purpose of this payment is to assist these households with their energy costs. Only one allowance is paid per household. The criteria for Fuel Allowance are framed in order to direct the limited...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (27 Feb 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Domiciliary Care Allowance (DCA) is payable in respect of a child aged under 16, who has a severe disability requiring continual or continuous care and attention substantially over and above the care and attention normally required by a child of the same age and the level of that disability is such that the child is likely to require this level of care and attention for at least 12 months. ...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Staff (27 Feb 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The staffing numbers and grades in respect of the Special Investigations Unit (SIU) within the Department of Social Protection are outlined in the table below. Grade No. of officers serving Principal 1 Assistant Principal 6 Higher Executive Officer 53 Executive Officer 33 ...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (27 Feb 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Where an application for Domiciliary Care Allowance (DCA) is successful, DCA is awarded with effect from the first of the month following receipt of the application. However, DCA applications may be backdated in cases where good cause for the delay in making the claim can be shown to the satisfaction of a Deciding Officer or Appeals Officer. This maximum permitted period is governed by...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Energy Prices (27 Feb 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The Household Benefits Package comprises the electricity or gas allowance, and the free television licence. The Department of Social Protection will spend approximately €294 million this year on the Household Benefits Package for over 521,000 customers. People over the age of 70 receive the Household Benefits Package, with one package provided per household. The package is also...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Data (27 Feb 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 Habitual Residency conditions. Disability Allowance is not payable for any period outside the State, under Section...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Schemes (27 Feb 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: Data Centres (27 Feb 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Data stored by the department is stored electronically on our internal ICT (Information and Communications Technologies) systems located in secure, department owned and operated, data centres. The Deputy will understand that it is not the practice, for sound operational and security reasons, to disclose the detail of these locations.

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Schemes (27 Feb 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The Community Recognition Fund recognises the huge efforts made by communities in welcoming and supporting people coming to Ireland. Funding of €50 million for some 900 projects is supporting towns and villages nationwide that have welcomed people from Ukraine and other countries. The Fund aims to support the development of facilities that will be used in the future by all members of...