Results 4,221-4,240 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

Select Committee on Social Protection: Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2023: Committee Stage (29 Nov 2023)

Heather Humphreys: I move amendment No. 10: In page 22, to delete line 10 and substitute “5A;”.

Select Committee on Social Protection: Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2023: Committee Stage (29 Nov 2023)

Heather Humphreys: I move amendment No. 11: In page 22, between lines 10 and 11, to insert the following: “ ‘yearly average approach’ means the rate of State pension (contributory) to which a claimant would be entitled to on the basis of the claimant’s yearly average or alternative yearly average whichever is more favourable to him or her;”,”.

Select Committee on Social Protection: Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2023: Committee Stage (29 Nov 2023)

Heather Humphreys: We have just had the biggest report ever on pensions, which is the Pensions Commission report. I believe we have responded comprehensively to that in terms of retaining the pension age at 66, introducing the new flexibility to allow people to defer their pension, providing a pension to long-term carers and the small incremental increases in PRSI over the next five years, which will make the...

Select Committee on Social Protection: Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2023: Committee Stage (29 Nov 2023)

Heather Humphreys: Yes, it is paid at a lower rate but it is not means tested. There is a big difference in changing the State pension age to 65, because if we did that, it would cost somewhere in the region of €355 million a year, and that figure will grow every year due to an ageing population. To get clarity on one thing, is the Deputy’s position that everyone should get a pension at age 65?

Select Committee on Social Protection: Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2023: Committee Stage (29 Nov 2023)

Heather Humphreys: Everybody should get it who wants to retire at 65.

Select Committee on Social Protection: Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2023: Committee Stage (29 Nov 2023)

Heather Humphreys: If we did that, it would cost another €355 million a year. It is going to be difficult to pay for it; that is the point. It is important to point out that when the old transition pension was there, many people did not qualify for it anyway because they needed a lot more contributions for it compared with the State pension. In fact, the old transition pension was not available for...

Select Committee on Social Protection: Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2023: Committee Stage (29 Nov 2023)

Heather Humphreys: I accept that.

Select Committee on Social Protection: Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2023: Committee Stage (29 Nov 2023)

Heather Humphreys: I accept that this is the way the Deputy has to put these amendments in. My point is the pension age is at 66 and it cannot be reduced to 65 across the board because that would have huge cost implications. It would come to €355 million per year to change it, which is a lot of money, and that would increase as the years go on. For those specific cases the Deputy is talking about, the...

Select Committee on Social Protection: Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2023: Committee Stage (29 Nov 2023)

Heather Humphreys: I move amendment No. 13: In page 25, to delete lines 23 to 27 and substitute the following: “(a) in subsection (1)— (i) by the substitution of the following paragraph for paragraph (a): “(a) subject to subsection (3), that the claimant has entered into insurance at least 10 years before attaining pensionable age or deferred pensionable age, as the case may...

Select Committee on Social Protection: Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2023: Committee Stage (29 Nov 2023)

Heather Humphreys: I move amendment No. 14: In page 25, after line 41, to insert the following: “(c) in subsection (6A) by the substitution of “Subject to subsection (6D), in the case of” for “In the case of”,”.

Select Committee on Social Protection: Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2023: Committee Stage (29 Nov 2023)

Heather Humphreys: I move amendment No. 15: In page 26, line 4, to delete “and”.

Select Committee on Social Protection: Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2023: Committee Stage (29 Nov 2023)

Heather Humphreys: I move amendment No. 16: In page 26, between lines 4 and 5, to insert the following: “(d) by the insertion of the following subsection after subsection (6C): “(6D) Notwithstanding any other provision in this Chapter, the rate of State pension (contributory) payable to a claimant who attains pensionable age or deferred pensionable age, as the case may be, on or after 1...

Select Committee on Social Protection: Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2023: Committee Stage (29 Nov 2023)

Heather Humphreys: I move amendment No. 17: In page 26, between lines 25 and 26, to insert the following: “Amendment of section 113A of Principal Act 49.Section 113A of the Principal Act is amended, in subsection (3), by the substitution of “in accordance with the age referenced rate for age 66 years specified in section 111.” for “in accordance with the rate specified in...

Select Committee on Social Protection: Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2023: Committee Stage (29 Nov 2023)

Heather Humphreys: The point is it is the base rate. If inflation goes up, that would be a budgetary decision for the Government of the day to increase the base rate and therefore the other rates, so it all depends.

Select Committee on Social Protection: Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2023: Committee Stage (29 Nov 2023)

Heather Humphreys: We felt it was important to put in an actuarial review to keep it in check all the time.

Select Committee on Social Protection: Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2023: Committee Stage (29 Nov 2023)

Heather Humphreys: The base rate. The option to defer will only apply to people turning 66 from January so the earliest anybody can qualify for the 67-years-old payment will be from January 2025 onwards. It means all of these rates will change again as part of next year's budget, and hopefully we will be giving more increases then. I thought it was important that we would give that clarity to people who are...

Select Committee on Social Protection: Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2023: Committee Stage (29 Nov 2023)

Heather Humphreys: I move amendment No. 18: In page 27, between lines 16 and 17 to insert the following: “Amendment of Part 1 of Schedule 2 to Principal Act 51. (1) The Principal Act is amended, in Part 1 of Schedule 2 (amended by section 17), by the insertion of the following references after reference 3(a)(ii): “ (b)(i) Age referenced rate for age 67 years (ii) Additional...

Select Committee on Social Protection: Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2023: Committee Stage (29 Nov 2023)

Heather Humphreys: I move amendment No. 19: In page 5, line 10, after “and” where it firstly occurs to insert the following: “for the phased transition to the total contributions approach in relation to the calculation of the State pension (contributory) and”.

Select Committee on Social Protection: Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2023: Committee Stage (29 Nov 2023)

Heather Humphreys: All of these things are looked at. I will have to get back to the Deputy on the wage subsidy scheme. I am not sure on this and I do not want to give him a wrong answer.

Select Committee on Social Protection: Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2023: Committee Stage (29 Nov 2023)

Heather Humphreys: Yes, it increased, but the Deputy is saying because the minimum wage has gone up-----