Results 3,241-3,260 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (8 Feb 2024)

Heather Humphreys: An application for Domiciliary Care Allowance in respect of their child was received by my Department from the person concerned on 25 September 2023. As their application (Dom Care 1) was incomplete, written information request(s) dated 2 October 2023 and 24 November 2023 were issued to the applicant. Following receipt of all requested information and clarification from the applicant, a...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (8 Feb 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The person concerned is in receipt of Invalidity Pension with a tapered rate Qualified Adult Increase (QAI) for their spouse from 13 May 2021. The person in question has been awarded an increase in the weekly rate of QAI payable to them from 7 December 2023 to take account of a reduction in his spouse's earnings from employment. The increase in rate was included in his his weekly payment on...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (8 Feb 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Domiciliary Care Allowance (DCA) is a monthly allowance payable to a parent or guardian in respect of a child aged under 16 who has a severe disability that requires continual or continuous care and attention that is substantially over and above the level of care and attention normally required by a child of the same age and where the level of that disability is such that the child is likely...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (8 Feb 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The Fuel Allowance scheme is a means tested payment to assist pensioners and other long-term social welfare dependent householders with their winter heating costs. Further information and the qualifying conditions for this scheme can be found on www.gov.ie. According to the records of my department an application for Fuel Allowance has not been received from the person. The person...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (8 Feb 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The person concerned is employed on a Community Employment (CE) Scheme. The Department notified the employer (the CE Sponsor) on 3rd November 2023 that the person was entitled to fuel allowance with effect from 25th September 2023. I understand that the person was paid the allowance weekly from a current date and that arrears were paid in the week beginning 20th November 2023. The person...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (8 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. I confirm that my Department received an application for DA from the person concerned...

Death of Former Taoiseach: Expressions of Sympathy (7 Feb 2024)

Heather Humphreys: I also join my colleagues in paying tribute to our former Taoiseach, John Bruton. I was listening to the radio yesterday morning when we heard the sad news of the death of John, and we were reminded by Tommie Gorman of perhaps one of the lesser-known relationships that John forged during his distinguished political career. John Bruton and Billy Fox were elected to the Dáil on the same...

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 37 - Social Protection (Revised) (7 Feb 2024)

Heather Humphreys: I thank the Chairman for his words of sympathy to the Fine Gael party on the death of former Taoiseach, John Bruton. I would like to be associated with the comments that he made. I will speak later on in the Dáil on the matter. I am thinking of his family, in particular his wife, Finola; his children, Matthew, Juliana, Emily and Mary-Elizabeth; and of course, his brother, Richard, and...

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 37 - Social Protection (Revised) (7 Feb 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The working family payment is actually under the children programme. It is a very successful scheme. It helps to top up the income for the low-paid. It has not actually increased. Yet, as I said, it is a very important scheme. We continue to provide that support, which is important. It is very good in terms of combating poverty.

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 37 - Social Protection (Revised) (7 Feb 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The Deputy asked about administration in the context of the appeals office. I have also raised this issue with my officials. In many cases, appeals are being delayed because the information is not being provided. When a case goes to appeal, the appeals office sometimes has to go back to the claimant and more information has to be obtained. It is certainly something on which we keep a...

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 37 - Social Protection (Revised) (7 Feb 2024)

Heather Humphreys: To be fair, sometimes it is information they should have provided themselves in the first place and we find there is over and back with information-----

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 37 - Social Protection (Revised) (7 Feb 2024)

Heather Humphreys: I know from my own experience that applications can go in, particularly for carer's allowance, and I found that all the information was not provided by the applicant and then it has to go over and back. It is something on which we keep a close eye. The Deputy asked about the working family payment. When a child reaches 12, those families will see an increase in the working family payment...

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 37 - Social Protection (Revised) (7 Feb 2024)

Heather Humphreys: That is true. The Deputy will appreciate when it comes to budget time, there are a lot of competing priorities. I look at everything but sometimes just cannot do everything. I take his point but the families are better off on the working family payment than they are on jobseeker's transitional payment.

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 37 - Social Protection (Revised) (7 Feb 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Okay. I do not have anything further to say.

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 37 - Social Protection (Revised) (7 Feb 2024)

Heather Humphreys: I am happy to do that. I will provide the Deputy with a list of the outstanding appeals. I take his point that if people are waiting a long time, it is distressing for them.

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 37 - Social Protection (Revised) (7 Feb 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Of course, this provision was made in December before the changes that are currently going through the Houses of the Oireachtas. The numbers have continued to increase this year and, as we know, a lot more were coming in during the last quarter of 2023. We felt that was an appropriate provision at the time.

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 37 - Social Protection (Revised) (7 Feb 2024)

Heather Humphreys: It is the one-off payments. There was a one-off payment that was not included in that.

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 37 - Social Protection (Revised) (7 Feb 2024)

Heather Humphreys: We gave two in 2023. We gave the double payment just before Christmas and we gave a €100 lump sum payment last year.

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 37 - Social Protection (Revised) (7 Feb 2024)

Heather Humphreys: No, there is nothing. The double payments are finished now. We gave a double payment at the end of January for everybody on the social welfare payments, as the Deputy knows. That will be a decision. There were double payments in April last year. The cost of living and inflation were much higher than they are now and that was a once-off decision by Government to address the cost of living.

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 37 - Social Protection (Revised) (7 Feb 2024)

Heather Humphreys: No.