Results 3,081-3,100 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Poverty Impact Assessment (20 Feb 2024)

Heather Humphreys: In Budget 2024, the Government decided to extend the payment of Child Benefit to 18-year-olds who are in full-time education or have a disability. This was one of my key priorities in the Budget. We had originally provided that the change would take effect from September this year. However, I am very pleased that we are now able to bring this important change in from an earlier date and I...

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

Heather Humphreys: My Department provides a wide range of income and employment supports to assist jobseekers and employees with disabilities, and their employers. These supports include the Reasonable Accommodation Fund and the Disability Awareness Support Scheme. The Reasonable Accommodation Fund provides financial support for people with disabilities and for employers to help make their workplaces more...

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

Heather Humphreys: Farm Assist is a statutory means-tested income support specifically for farmers on low incomes. There are just under 4,000 claims in payment at present. The Government has provided €50.93 million for the scheme in 2024. I have introduced a number of improvements to the means test for Farm Assist in recent years. Under the Farm Assist means test, income from a range of...

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

Heather Humphreys: Child Benefit is a monthly payment made to families with children up to the age of 16 years. Currently, the payment continues to be paid in respect of children until their 18th birthday where they are in full-time education, or have a disability. In Budget 2024, the Government decided to extend the payment of Child Benefit to 18-year-olds who are in full-time education or have a disability....

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

Heather Humphreys: A number of State pension reforms were enacted in the Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2023 on the 14th December 2023, which represent the biggest ever structural reform of the Irish State Pension system. Firstly, the Act introduces flexibility to the State Pension (Contributory). State Pension age remains at 66 years. However a person can now choose to defer drawing down...

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

Heather Humphreys: The Government committed as part of the Roadmap for Social Inclusion to develop and consult on proposals to restructure long-term disability payments and to simplify the system. The proposals developed are set out in the Green Paper on Disability Reform. The aim of the Green Paper is two-fold. First, it seeks to better insulate disabled people who cannot work from poverty by providing...

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

Heather Humphreys: The earnings disregard for recipients of Disability Allowance has increased by almost 38% over the last four budgets from €120 to €165 currently. This enables those on the scheme to earn more without having a negative impact on their means tested payment. For people in employment, an income disregard of €165 per week is applied. In addition, 50% of earnings between...

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

Heather Humphreys: I secured Government approval last November for the design proposals for a new Jobseeker's Pay Related Benefit scheme and approval for the draft Heads of Bill on 9th January this year. The draft legislation is currently undergoing pre-legislative scrutiny. The Department is working on the necessary arrangements to facilitate the introduction of the scheme in Q4 2024. People entering...

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

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 79 and 103 together. 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 have assigned the implementation of this important responsibility to the...

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

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 82 and 90 together. My Department administers more than 90 separate schemes and services, which affect the lives of almost every person in the State. We are fully committed to ensuring that members of the public are fully aware of the welfare supports and services available, and to ensuring key changes are communicated to them. Public information...

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

Heather Humphreys: The information requested by the Deputy is provided in the attached tabular statement. These figures are based on the most recent customer address according to the administrative data available in my Department. The January 2024 cost of living bonus figure is a count of distinct individuals. Table 1: Recipients of the double Child Benefit payment and the January cost of living bonus in Cork...

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

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 84 and 368 together. Child Benefit is a monthly payment made to families with children up to the age of 16 years. Currently, the payment continues to be paid in respect of children until their 18th birthday where they are in full-time education, or have a disability. In Budget 2024, the Government decided to extend the payment of Child Benefit to...

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

Heather Humphreys: Illness benefit is the primary short term income support provided by my Department to those who are unable to work due to illness of any type and who are covered by social insurance. Eligibility for illness benefit depends on the person’s PRSI record and class. The person must have made the required number of contributions under class A, E, H or P to qualify. In general, self-employed...

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

Heather Humphreys: I am pleased to states that there are a number of legislative proposals that I intend to progress through the Oireachtas this year: The Social Welfare and Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2024is currently before the Oireachtas and is expected to be enacted in the coming weeks. The main purpose of the Bill is to give legislative effect to changes to the social welfare system, which...

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

Heather Humphreys: One of the roles of my department is to provide income support to families with children in the State. Where a child is being cared for by someone other than their parents, the person looking after the child may apply for a guardians payment. The purpose of the guardian’s payment scheme is to provide income support in respect of those children whose parents are unable to provide for...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Medical Aids and Appliances (20 Feb 2024)

Heather Humphreys: In general, medical or health related benefits fall within the remit of the Department of Health and the HSE. However, my Department administers the treatment benefit scheme which provides certain dental, optical, and medical appliances benefits to insured workers, the self-employed and retired people who have the required number of PRSI contributions. These treatments are also available to...

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

Heather Humphreys: This Government acknowledges the vital role that family carers play and is fully committed to supporting them in that role. Accordingly, the current State Pension (Contributory) system provides measures including PRSI credits, Home-making Disregards and Home Caring Periods to recognise caring periods of up to 20 years outside of paid employment in the calculation of a payment rate. ...

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

Heather Humphreys: The Benefit Payment for 65-Year-Olds, provided for under the Jobseeker's Benefit and Jobseeker's Benefit (Self-Employed) schemes was introduced in line with the Programme for Government commitment to address the position of people who are required to or choose to retire at age 65 before the pension age of 66. The payment is designed to bridge the gap for people who retire from employment or...

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

Heather Humphreys: Under the law as currently enacted, entitlement to a Widows, Widowers or Surviving Civil Partner’s Contributory pension is only available to a surviving partner who was party to a marriage or civil partnership. On Monday 22nd January the Supreme Court delivered its judgment in relation to the entitlement of an unmarried co-habitant to a Widows, Widowers or Surviving Civil...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Poverty Impact Assessment (20 Feb 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Child Benefit is an almost universal monthly payment made to families with children up to the age of 16 years. Currently, the payment continues to be paid in respect of children until their 18th birthday where they are in full-time education, or have a disability. In Budget 2024, the Government decided to extend the payment of Child Benefit to 18-year-olds who are in full-time education or...