Results 301-320 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

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

Heather Humphreys: The estimated full year cost of increasing all social welfare payments by €5, €7, €10, €12, €15, €20, €25, €30, €40 and €50, in tabular form is as follows: Increase €5 €7 €10 €12 €15 €20 €25 €30 ...

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

Heather Humphreys: The estimated full year cost of increasing the Domiciliary Care Allowance by €10, €15, €20, €25, €30, €35, €40, €45, and €50 are as follows Increase €10 €15 €20 €25 €30 €35 €40 €45 €50 ...

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

Heather Humphreys: I am committed to improving outcomes for people with a disability. As a result, I announced an extensive range of cost of living measures to support people with disabilities in Budget 2025. These included: October 2024 cost of living bonus for people in receipt of a long term weekly social welfare payment. €400 cost of living lump sum payment for people in receipt of Disability...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Budgets (22 Oct 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. If the measure outlined by the Deputy was introduced in 2025, it is estimated...

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

Heather Humphreys: The Government acknowledges the important role played by family carers, including young carers, and is fully committed to supporting them in that role. This commitment is recognised in both the Programme for Government and the National Carers’ Strategy. Both the Carer’s Benefit and the Carer’s Support Grant are available to young carers in need of financial support. ...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (22 Oct 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. My department provides a comprehensive package of carers’ income supports including Carer’s Allowance, Carer’s Benefit, Domiciliary...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Budgets (22 Oct 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. The estimated expenditure on free travel in 2024 is €103.5 million. In 2023, the cost of the Free Travel Scheme was €92.577 million. As part of Budget 2025, I announced that all...

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

Heather Humphreys: The Treatment Benefit Scheme provides dental, optical, aural and hair replacement products and services to insured workers, the self-employed, retired people and their dependent spouse/partner who have the required number of social insurance (PRSI) contributions. The Department pays a fee to dentists providing an oral examination once per calendar year for each qualified customer. A...

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

Heather Humphreys: The Citizens Information Board (CIB) is the statutory body, under the aegis of the Department of Social Protection, that is responsible for the provision of information, advice (including money and budgeting advice) and advocacy services on a wide range of public and social services. CIB is governed by a Board of Directors, who are responsible for decisions regarding the structuring of the...

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

Heather Humphreys: A 100% October cost of living payment will be paid to recipients of long term social welfare payments on the same basis as the Christmas Bonus. Illness Benefit, Jobseeker’s Allowance, Supplementary Welfare Allowance and Daily Expenses Allowance recipients must have been in receipt of an eligible payment for at least 12 months in order to qualify for a Bonus payment. Customers...

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

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 496 to 501, inclusive, together. The matter of ‘test cases’ for use in determining employment status has been raised on multiple occasions at various Dáil Committees and elsewhere and my Department’s response remains unchanged. Decisions with respect to insurability of employment decisions are made through the application of...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals (22 Oct 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 of the available evidence,...

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

Heather Humphreys: Invalidity pension (IP) is a payment for people who are permanently incapable of work because of illness or incapacity and for no other reason and who satisfy the pay related social insurance (PRSI) contribution conditions. My Department received a claim for IP for the person concerned on 8 January 2024. Her claim was refused on 23 January 2024 on the grounds that she is not medically...

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

Heather Humphreys: The PRSI system plays a fundamental and supportive role in our society. For the PRSI contributions they make, employees and self-employed workers receive benefits for time spent out of employment during periods of unemployment, illness, or maternity, for example, and upon retirement from the workforce. People with a 'nil' PRSI contribution liability are recorded as Class M. These are:...

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

Heather Humphreys: The National Development Plan capital allocation for my Department is primarily used to deliver additional IT modernisation and carry out refurbishments on the Department’s buildings. The Department did not provide costings to the Department of Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform in the context of the National Development Plan 2021-2030 Review...

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

Heather Humphreys: State pension non-contributory is a means-tested payment for people aged 66 and over, habitually residing in the State, who do not qualify for a state pension contributory, or who only qualify for a reduced rate contributory pension based on their social insurance record. For the purposes of the means test, cash income, including income from employment, foreign pensions, the value of any...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Staff (22 Oct 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 the current number of staff working in that office is 83 (full time...

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

Heather Humphreys: I confirm that my Department received an application for the Carer’s Support Grant (CSG) from the person concerned on the 7th October 2024. The person was awarded standalone CSG for the year 2023 in the amount of €1,850 as well as the 2023 cost-of-living payment in the amount of €400. CSG in the amount of €1,850 was also awarded for 2024 with their Carer's...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Code (22 Oct 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,...

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

Heather Humphreys: It is very difficult to predict the number of people who may be or become entitled under the scheme once it is finalised as there is limited data on cohabiting couples. Following analysis carried out by my Department, it is expected that approximately 500 new surviving cohabitant recipients could be added annually to the cost of providing a survivor's pension during the initial years. The...