Results 361-380 of 1,033,098 for in 'Dáil debates' OR (speaker:Mary White OR speaker:Niall Collins) in 'Committee meetings'
- Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Social Welfare Benefits (24 Sep 2024)
Peadar Tóibín: We accept that this is enormously valuable work.
- Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Social Welfare Benefits (24 Sep 2024)
Heather Humphreys: Yes, absolutely.
- Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Social Welfare Benefits (24 Sep 2024)
Peadar Tóibín: That is really important to say. We also accept that the care that is actually provided saves the State a considerable amount of money. The Minister would have to recognise that the tens of thousands of men and women throughout the State who are caring are saving the State possibly billions of euro in terms of care that would otherwise have to be provided by the State. We know that...
- Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Social Welfare Benefits (24 Sep 2024)
Heather Humphreys: I thank the Deputy. I recognise and value the work of our carers. I mean that. We all know carers who are doing wonderful work. My Department will spend more than €1.7 billion this year on our support payments to carers. If you look at my record, improving supports for our carers has been a key priority for me as Minister for Social Protection. I might also say that I was...
- Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Social Welfare Benefits (24 Sep 2024)
Peadar Tóibín: I will be honest with the Minister - there is a crisis in care right across the State at the moment. If you look at childcare, for example, childcare units are closing on a weekly basis. Even though the people who provide childcare are professionals, they get some of the lowest wages in the State. Children in State care are in crisis at the moment. The State is putting children who are in...
- Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Social Welfare Benefits (24 Sep 2024)
Seán Ó Fearghaíl: We are going beyond the scope of the question.
- Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Social Welfare Benefits (24 Sep 2024)
Peadar Tóibín: We do have an issue with care in this country and we have to value care more than we do.
- Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Social Welfare Benefits (24 Sep 2024)
Seán Ó Fearghaíl: The question is specific.
- Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Social Welfare Benefits (24 Sep 2024)
Peadar Tóibín: The question is, do we value care that is being delivered, sometimes by family members and oftentimes by non-family members, to people who are in need right across the country? The measure of the value a government places on a particular issue is through the financial contribution it will make to the delivery of that care. It is very clear that many people are suffering financially because...
- Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Social Welfare Benefits (24 Sep 2024)
Heather Humphreys: The Government and I personally value the work that carers do. As I said, this year alone €1.7 billion be spent on supporting our carers. We have done a lot, including through lump sum payments for carers, pensions for carers and major changes to the means test. Weekly payments have been increased by €29 over the past three years. I assure the Deputy that supporting our...
- Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Social Welfare Benefits (24 Sep 2024)
Question No. 12 taken with Written Answers.
- Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Emergency Accommodation (24 Sep 2024)
Emergency Accommodation
- Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Emergency Accommodation (24 Sep 2024)
Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: 13. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the supports in place in terms of free travel access for people currently living in emergency accommodation. [37681/24]
- Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Emergency Accommodation (24 Sep 2024)
Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: Emergency accommodation is an issue that has been brought up with me by a number of groups. There are pilot programmes running in some areas of the country through which people who are living in emergency accommodation are able to get free travel. Very often, they are provided accommodation that is very far from areas where there might be schools, etc. It is a significant constraint on...
- Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Emergency Accommodation (24 Sep 2024)
Joe O'Brien: I thank the Deputy for his question. The free travel scheme provides free travel on the main public and private transport services for those eligible under the scheme. There are more than one million customers with direct eligibility. In budget 2024 we expanded the free travel scheme to support people who are medically certified as unable to drive. The estimated expenditure on free travel...
- Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Social Welfare Code (24 Sep 2024)
Heather Humphreys: It has been increased over the years. It started at ten hours, then went to 15 hours and the most recent increase was to 18.5 hours. We need to strike a balance here because a person needs to provide full-time care and attention and when that 18.5 hours is added to the 34 or 35 hours of care that must be provided, that is a good few hours. There are a lot of things I would like to do in...
- Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Social Welfare Code (24 Sep 2024)
Denis Naughten: I will raise it tomorrow morning, early.
- Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Social Welfare Code (24 Sep 2024)
Heather Humphreys: I increased the income disregards in the last budget and I always look at everything. I have taken a number of steps in recent budgets. In November, a €400 lump sum was paid to people who receive the carer's support grant. A Christmas bonus of a double payment was paid to people who are in receipt of carer's allowance and carer's benefit. I have increased the domiciliary care...
- Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Social Welfare Code (24 Sep 2024)
Denis Naughten: What I am looking for here is a small bit of discretion with the social welfare officers rather than having the 18.5 hours set in stone. We are probably speaking about maybe 15 or 20 people in total across the State who would avail of this where their son or daughter is in full-time education or training, he or she is picked up in the morning and dropped home in the evening and for the rest...
- Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Social Welfare Code (24 Sep 2024)
Heather Humphreys: A person has to be caring for 35 hours to qualify for the carer's allowance. He or she is allowed to work for 18.5 hours, so that brings it up to 53.5 hours per week. That is a fair week's work, in fairness, when both are done. The Deputy made a point and I do not disagree with him. Sometimes discretion can be great and then sometimes it can land you into a lot of bother, depending on who...