Results 361-380 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (17 Oct 2024)

Heather Humphreys: A once-off payment of €400 per person to people in receipt of long-term illness and disability payments (disability allowance, blind pension and invalidity pension) will be paid in November 2024. Payments under the occupational injuries benefit scheme, including disablement benefit, do not qualify for this once-off €400 disability lump sum payment. Under the occupational...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals (17 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 an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 30th...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals (17 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 an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 4th...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (17 Oct 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The person concerned applied for a Farm Assist payment in September 2024. As this is a means-tested payment, his application was referred to a Social Welfare Inspector to prepare a report on his circumstances. As soon as this report is available, a decision on his entitlement will be made and he will be notified of the outcome without delay. In the interim, if the person concerned is...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Rates (17 Oct 2024)

Heather Humphreys: There have been increases to the core social welfare rates in the last four budgets. As part of Budget 2025, I secured a package of €2.6 billion for Social Protection measures. This represented the largest Budget package for the Department of Social Protection in the history of the State and included a €12 increase to core social welfare rates. The table below outlines social...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pensions (17 Oct 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Based on only the most recent earnings figures released by the CSO, the provisional Q2 value, average earnings (excluding irregular earnings and overtime) is €875.36, and 34% of that figure is €297.62. To meet this figure in 2025, when the 2025 State Pension (Contributory) rate will be €289.30, an increase of €8.30 on the current rate of State Pension...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Reviews (17 Oct 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Means tests and income thresholds are kept under regular review and a number of significant changes have been made in recent years. In particular, I have introduced a number of changes to means testing which provide for higher income disregards. These disregards ensure that, where people are in receipt of a social assistance payment and are working, a certain level of income from that work...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (17 Oct 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The Irish social welfare system is underpinned by a general principle of one person, one payment. Normally people qualifying for two social welfare payments only receive the higher payment for which they are eligible. However, there are a limited number of exceptions where a person may receive another payment. One such exception is half-rate Carer’s Allowance. Introduced in 2007,...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (17 Oct 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. As the Deputy is aware, on 22nd January, the Supreme Court delivered its judgment on the entitlement of an unmarried cohabitant to a Widows, Widowers or Surviving Civil...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (17 Oct 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The Telephone Support Allowance is a weekly payment of €2.50 for people on certain social welfare payments who are also getting both the Living Alone Increase and the Fuel Allowance. The primary objective of the Telephone Support Allowance is to allow the most vulnerable people at risk of isolation, including the elderly and those with disabilities, access to personal alarms or phones...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (17 Oct 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The full year cost of increasing the Qualified Child Increase, now called the Child Support Payment, in each age category by €5, €10, €15 and €20 is as follows: Rate Increase Cost € million €5 €77.3 €10 €154.6 €15 €231.9 ...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (17 Oct 2024)

Heather Humphreys: I published the Green Paper on Disability Reform in September last year. The Green Paper sought to reform my Department's system of disability payments to better target supports. The Green Paper was a consultation document. Feedback from the public consultation raised concerns about its proposals. In particular, people questioned whether it was appropriate to reform the system of...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (17 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. The person concerned has been awarded IP with effect from 5 September 2024 and will receive first payment to her nominated bank account on 24 October 2024. Any...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (17 Oct 2024)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 239 and 243 together. 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...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (17 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 is generally not dependent on the type of illness but on medical certification and the person’s PRSI record and class. The person must have made the required number of...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Enterprise Sector (17 Oct 2024)

Heather Humphreys: As per the definition of a social enterprise in the Department of Rural and Community Development’s publication Trading for Impact, the National Social Enterprise Strategy 2024 - 2027 - 'a social enterprise is defined as an enterprise whose objective is to achieve a social or environmental impact, rather than maximising profit for its owners or shareholders. It pursues its objectives...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (17 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. People must have made the required number of contributions under PRSI classes A, E, H or P to qualify. ...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals (17 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: Social Welfare Benefits (17 Oct 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The person concerned submitted a Jobseekers Transition application on 20/09/2024. As the person is self-employed the Department has been in contact with her requesting her Revenue Self Assessment for 2023. To date she has been unable to supply this and the case has been assigned to a Social Welfare Inspector to establish if means from self employment need to be assessed. My Department...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (17 Oct 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Under the Supplementary Welfare Allowance (SWA) scheme, my Department may make an Additional Needs Payment (ANP) to help meet essential expenditure which an eligible person could not reasonably be expected to meet from their weekly income. The ANP scheme is means tested and administered by Designated Persons (DPs) in the Community Welfare Service, taking into account the requirements of the...