Results 3,061-3,080 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Social Welfare Payments (20 Feb 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The main income supports to carers provided by my Department are the carer’s allowance, the carer’s benefit, the domiciliary care allowance and the carer’s support grant. Spending on these payments is expected to amount to more than €1.7 billion this year. Since my appointment as Minister, I have made a number of improvements in the social welfare system to...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Pension Provisions (20 Feb 2024)

Heather Humphreys: I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. One of the key pension reform measures I introduced from January this year is to enhance State pension provision for people who have been caring for incapacitated dependants for 20 years or more. To date, 2,746 applications have been received from people requesting that a caring period be included on their social insurance contribution record....

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Pension Provisions (20 Feb 2024)

Heather Humphreys: We have the applications that are in now. We opened the scheme up for applications some time ago to give people a chance. I cannot say exactly how many will apply but the good news is, as the Deputy said, that none have been disallowed to date. I do not have the specific details of the different carers who have made applications but I can ask the officials if they can give me a further...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Pension Provisions (20 Feb 2024)

Heather Humphreys: I just wanted to share that information with the Deputy. My apologies.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Pension Provisions (20 Feb 2024)

Heather Humphreys: This scheme is for over 20 years. The home caring payment or credits are in place for periods of up to 20 years. We wanted to expand that and we came up with the scheme for longer term carers. As with all schemes in my Department, there is always an appeals mechanism. The family carers register has been set up and we have worked very closely with Family Carers Ireland. In fairness to...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Public Services Card (20 Feb 2024)

Heather Humphreys: I thank Deputy Moynihan. Intreo centres manage the front-line delivery of the standard authentication framework environment - the long version of SAFE - registration. This includes registration for public service card issuing and renewal and the processing of applications for personal public service numbers. Demand for these services remains high. The public service card is a physical...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: EU Directives (20 Feb 2024)

Heather Humphreys: To say to the Deputy again, the discussions at EU level have a way to go. As for my Department, whether during the pandemic, the response to the war in Ukraine or the various cost-of-living payments we have made, the Department of Social Protection can react and respond quickly and that is what it will do. We cannot predict the future here. We have to see how the discussions play out at EU...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Children in Care (20 Feb 2024)

Heather Humphreys: I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. The guardian’s payment, contributory, and guardian’s payment, non-contributory, are, respectively, social insurance and social assistance payments made to a person caring for a child where that child is defined as an orphan under the social welfare legislation. A child is considered an orphan if they are under 18, or 22 if in...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Children in Care (20 Feb 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Yes. The means of the guardian, including any maintenance payments paid to him or her in respect of the child, are not assessed when establishing entitlement to the payment. It is a means-tested payment that is based on the means of the child. The Social Welfare and Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2023 is currently before the Oireachtas and is expected to be enacted in the...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Children in Care (20 Feb 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The only means we take account of under the guardian payment is that of the children themselves. In most cases the child has no means at all. We do not take account of the means or the income of the guardian. That does not come into play. The only case where this should arise is in respect of maintenance payments that are paid directly to the child. When the child maintenance...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Children in Care (20 Feb 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The Deputy is saying that by virtue of the fact a child got anything it disqualifies him or her because it is not then deemed as parental abandonment.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Children in Care (20 Feb 2024)

Heather Humphreys: I will speak to my officials about that. I am happy to engage with the Deputy because that is not the purpose here. We want to try to help people, especially if they have a guardian and especially now that I am removing the maintenance payment that a child may have got. That will not be taken into consideration. It is not about putting obstacles in anybody's way here. Taking on a child...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: EU Directives (20 Feb 2024)

Heather Humphreys: I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. In March 2022, the European Council adopted unanimously the implementing decision regarding the temporary protection directive, due to the mass influx of persons fleeing Ukraine as a consequence of the war. People arriving from Ukraine have been granted the status to avail of income supports from my Department under the directive. In October...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: EU Directives (20 Feb 2024)

Heather Humphreys: I appreciate the point the Deputy is making. As he knows, I have introduced legislation which will make significant changes to the payments provided to new arrivals from Ukraine. Under that legislation, new arrivals who are staying in designated State-provided accommodation will receive €38.80 per week, which is equivalent to what people in direct provision receive. That legislation...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (20 Feb 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Matters related to foster caring are the responsibility of the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, and for Tusla. This includes any supports, including financial support required by either the foster parents or the foster children that specifically relate to fostering. Tusla provides a Foster Care Allowance to foster parents in respect of each foster child in...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (20 Feb 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: Fuel Poverty (20 Feb 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The overall strategy to combat Fuel Poverty and Energy Poverty is under the remit of the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications. The Energy Poverty Action Plan was published in December 2022 and is led and monitored by a cross-departmental Steering Group under the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications, my department officials participate in that group....

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Pension Provisions (20 Feb 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The introduction of an auto-enrolment retirement savings system is a Programme for Government commitment, and a key priority for me as Minister for Social Protection. Last year, I published 'The Design Principles for Ireland’s Automatic Enrolment (AE) Retirement Savings System', which sets out the new system in detail. Under AE, employees will have access to a savings scheme,...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Rates (20 Feb 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The main income supports to carers provided by my department are Carer’s Allowance, Carer’s Benefit, Domiciliary Care Allowance and the Carer’s Support Grant. Spending in 2024 is expected to amount to over €1.7 billion on these payments. Domiciliary Care Allowance is a non means tested payable to a parent or guardian in respect of a child aged under 16 who has a...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Schemes (20 Feb 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The Free Travel scheme provides free travel on the main public and private transport services for those eligible under the scheme. There are over one million customers with direct eligibility. This increases to 1.75 million customers when spouses and companions are included. The estimated expenditure on the Free Travel in 2024 is €104 million. The objective of the Free Travel scheme is...