Results 4,061-4,080 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals (5 Dec 2023)

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 the evidence, disallowed the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (5 Dec 2023)

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. Two applications for CA were received from the person concerned on 19 May 2023. It is a condition for receipt of CA that...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: School Meals Programme (5 Dec 2023)

Heather Humphreys: The School Meals Programme provides funding towards the provision of food to some 1,700 schools and organisations benefitting 300,000 children at present. It provides regular, nutritious food to children who may be unable, due to lack of good quality food, to take full advantage of the education provided to them. The Programme is an important component of policies to encourage school...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (5 Dec 2023)

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 Class A, E, H or P to qualify. Currently, a person...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals (5 Dec 2023)

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 16...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals (5 Dec 2023)

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 21...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (5 Dec 2023)

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 show that the care recipient requires full-time care and attention. An...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (5 Dec 2023)

Heather Humphreys: The extension of Child Benefit to 18-year-olds in full-time education was one of my key priorities as part of Budget 2024. The measure is expected to benefit approximately 60,000 18-year-olds each year at an estimated cost of €21.6 million in 2024. With many children now starting primary school at age 5, together with the increase in pupils doing transition year, there has been an...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Advertising (5 Dec 2023)

Heather Humphreys: All campaigns are developed carefully in collaboration with our media buyer using the best mix of media formats to ensure that messages target members of the public effectively while ensuring the best value for money. The Department continues to keep its approach to advertising on this channel under ongoing review. However, I can confirm that the Department is not currently advertising on the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (5 Dec 2023)

Heather Humphreys: Rent supplement continues to play a key role in supporting families and individuals in private rented accommodation, with the scheme supporting 8,455 active recipients at the end of October 2023. The scheme provides short-term income support to eligible people living in private rented accommodation whose means are insufficient to meet their accommodation costs and who do not have...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Rural Schemes (5 Dec 2023)

Heather Humphreys: The CLÁR programme provides funding for small-scale projects in designated rural areas that have experienced significant levels of de-population over a defined period. Since the programme was relaunched in 2016, it has supported over 2,250 projects with funding of over €65.7 million. This funding is making a real difference in many of our smaller and more remote communities. ...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Schemes (5 Dec 2023)

Heather Humphreys: The Town and Village Renewal Scheme (TVRS) was launched in 2016 and since then over €156 million has been allocated to more than 1,700 projects. The 2023 Scheme, launched on 21 July 2023 with an overall fund of €15 million, places particular emphasis on projects that bring economic and social vibrancy to town centres and which will encourage more people to return to town and...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Library Services (5 Dec 2023)

Heather Humphreys: The provision of library services, including the provision of library buildings, is primarily a matter for local authorities in their capacity as library authorities under the Local Government Act 2001. Accordingly, the provision of an extension to Carlow County Library is a matter for Carlow County Council. However, I am aware that the refurbishment of the Presentation Building is...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Rural Schemes (5 Dec 2023)

Heather Humphreys: The CLÁR Programme provides funding under a number of different measures for small-scale infrastructural projects in designated rural areas that have experienced significant levels of depopulation over a defined period. The project referred to by the Deputy was approved funding of €20,000 under the 2019 CLÁR Programme. A claim for payment in respect of this project was...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Community Enterprise Centres (5 Dec 2023)

Heather Humphreys: Under the 2022 Community Centre Investment Fund, over €45.8 million has been committed to the improvement and refurbishment of existing community centres across Ireland through this fund. Following on from this, I wanted to assist community groups striving to build their own community centre to service local needs, so this year the focus of the Community Centres Investment Fund has...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Telecommunications Services (5 Dec 2023)

Heather Humphreys: WiFi4EU is an initiative funded by the European Commission and co-funded in Ireland by my Department. The initiative aims to support the development of wireless broadband by providing a high-quality internet service, free of charge, in public spaces such as main streets, public parks, libraries, museums, and other public areas of high footfall. Under the WiFi4EU scheme, local authorities...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Funding (5 Dec 2023)

Heather Humphreys: My Department provides funding through a range of schemes and programmes aimed at supporting our rural and community development objectives. Details of all schemes managed by my Department, and current and pending funding calls, can be found on our website at www.gov.ie/drcd/. Information on future funding calls will be made available on the website in due course, as the details become...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Tidy Towns (5 Dec 2023)

Heather Humphreys: The Supervalu TidyTowns competition is a unique community movement which has a huge impact on our communities throughout Ireland. It is an important and effective sustainability initiative both from an environmental and community perspective. It encourages communities to improve their local environment and make their area a better place to live, work and visit in line with the objectives of...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Communications (5 Dec 2023)

Heather Humphreys: My Department uses the following social media channels to raise awareness of our policies, the supports that we provide to communities across the State and the funding schemes that we administer;FacebookLinkedInX (formerly Twitter)InstagramNone of these accounts are verified through a subscription fee. My Department’s accounts follow other Government Departments, Houses of the...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Advertising (5 Dec 2023)

Heather Humphreys: My Department's advertising expenditure with the website concerned from 2019 to date in 2023 is set out in the table below. My Department continues to review all methods of communication with a view to maximising the accessibility and effectiveness of its communications. My Department has no plans to place advertisements on any online channel or platform in the immediate future. ...