Results 3,161-3,180 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (15 Feb 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Maternity Benefit is a payment made for up to 26 weeks to employed and self-employed women who are on maternity leave from work and who satisfy certain qualifying conditions including social insurance (PRSI) contribution conditions on their own insurance record. To qualify for Maternity Benefit, a woman must be in insurable employment that is covered by the Maternity Protection Act, 1994,...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (15 Feb 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Child Benefit is a monthly payment to the parents or guardians of children under 16 years of age. Child Benefit can also be claimed for children aged 16 and 17, if they are in full-time education or full-time training or have a disability and cannot support themselves. No Child Benefit claim has been received from the person concerned. An application for Child Benefit can be made by...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pensions (15 Feb 2024)

Heather Humphreys: State pension contributory entitlement depends on factors such as a person’s social insurance record, their attachment to the workforce and their countries of employment. To date, the person concerned has not made an application for a state pension contributory. It is open to the person to do so and on receipt of the application, their eligibility, if any, to this payment can be...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Pension Provisions (15 Feb 2024)

Heather Humphreys: State pension (non-contributory) is a means-tested payment for people aged 66 and over, who have a legal right of residence and habitually reside in the state, and who do not qualify for a state pension contributory, or only qualify for a reduced-rate contributory pension based on their social insurance record. Following previous representations from the Deputy in this matter, on 19 June...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (15 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. Eligibility for DA is conditional on satisfying the medical criteria, a means test and...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Water Safety (15 Feb 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Water Safety Ireland (WSI) is the statutory, voluntary body and registered charity established to promote water safety and reduce drownings in Ireland. WSI’s remit includes public awareness and education. It strives to reduce drownings further by changing attitudes and behaviours so that our aquatic environments can be enjoyed by all with confidence and safety. WSI has statutory...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Rural Schemes (15 Feb 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The Rural Regeneration and Development Fund provides funding for the development and construction of capital projects in towns and villages and rural areas across Ireland. Calls for applications to the Fund are sought under two categories – Category 1 and Category 2. Category 1 relates to large scale ambitious capital projects with all necessary planning and other consents in...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (14 Feb 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Some social welfare payments, mainly contributory pensions and long-term benefits payable under the social insurance fund, are payable while the recipient is absent from the State. Other, mainly short-term and mans tested payments, may be payable in respect of periods a person is temporarily absent from the State for up to two weeks subject to the qualifying conditions continuing to be met....

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (14 Feb 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The purpose of the Humanitarian Assistance Scheme (HAS) is to prevent hardship by providing income tested financial support to people whose homes are damaged from flooding and severe weather events and who are not able to meet costs for essential needs, household items and in some instances structural repair. The scheme is administered by the Community Welfare Service (CWS) in this...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (14 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...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (14 Feb 2024)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 231 and 232 together. The rules governing the assessment of means for the purposes of means tested Social Welfare payments are given under Schedule 3 of the Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005 (as amended). These rules provide for the assessment of all capital and income, with some legislated exceptions. Distributed profits or drawings from a limited...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (14 Feb 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The key role of my department is to provide income support where an income need arises because of a particular contingency – be that illness, disability, caring or unemployment. 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...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Referendum Campaigns (14 Feb 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The judgement in McKenna stated that the Government has a duty to give information to the electorate as well as to clarify issues which may arise in the course of the campaign, and must do so without advocating a particular position. Governments have carried out this role in all Referenda since the McKenna Judgement. My Department provides funding to a wide variety of employment...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Schemes (14 Feb 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The Free Travel scheme provides free travel on the main public transport services provided by the State, and some private transport services, for those eligible under the scheme. Currently, applicants who are under 66 must be in receipt of a qualifying payment in order to qualify for the scheme. The qualifying payments for those aged under 66 are Invalidity Pension, Blind Pension (or...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (14 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 Benefits (14 Feb 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Carer's benefit (CARB) is a payment made to insured people who leave the workforce or reduce their working hours to care for a child or an adult in need of full-time care and attention. To qualify, the carer must satisfy PRSI conditions, employment conditions, show that they are providing full-time care and attention and must show that the care recipient requires full-time care and attention....

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (14 Feb 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Carer's Allowance (CA) 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. Please find attached the most recent figure on the number of carers in receipt of CA, excluding those on a half-rate CA;...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (14 Feb 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Carer's Allowance (CA) 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. Please find attached the most recent figure on the number of carers receiving a half-rate carer’s allowance; the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (14 Feb 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The Housing Assistance Payment scheme and the Rental Accommodation scheme, administered by the local authorities, are now by far the largest schemes providing rental supports. The Housing Assistance Payment continues to provide long term housing to those who have verifiable long term housing needs. Policy relating to the Housing Assistance Payment is a matter for the Department of...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pensions (14 Feb 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The Roadmap for Social Inclusion contains a commitment to develop a benchmarking approach for use in adjusting the value of State pension payments. The approach proposed by the Department, known as the smoothed earnings approach, was subsequently endorsed by the Pensions Commission. Government subsequently decided that the Department of Social Protection would, in submitting budget...