Results 4,281-4,300 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (28 Nov 2023)

Heather Humphreys: Jobseeker’s Allowance (JA) is a means-tested payment made to people who are unemployed and who do not qualify for Jobseeker’s Benefit (JB) or who choose to apply for JA instead of JB. Jobseeker’s aged 18 to 24 are eligible for the full personal rate of €220 of JA if they meet any of the following conditions: •they have a qualified child. •they are...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals (28 Nov 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 2...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (28 Nov 2023)

Heather Humphreys: Working Family Payment (WFP) is a weekly in-work support which provides an income top-up for employees on low earnings with children. To qualify for Working Family Payment, the customer must be working a minimum of 38 hours per fortnight in ongoing insurable employment and have at least one qualified child who normally resides with them. The Cost-of-living payment under the Working...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (28 Nov 2023)

Heather Humphreys: My Department received an application for Illness Benefit from the person concerned on 16th November 2023. The first 3 days of Illness Benefit are waiting days and as such are unpaid. Sunday is not counted as a payable day for Illness Benefit. This means the person concerned is entitled to payment of Illness Benefit from 20th November 2023. There was a delay in processing their...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: International Protection (28 Nov 2023)

Heather Humphreys: The provision of material reception conditions, including food and health services, for applicants for International Protection who are awaiting a decision on their application, is the responsibility of the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth and the International Protection Accommodation Services (IPAS). My Department administers the daily expenses allowance...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Reports (28 Nov 2023)

Heather Humphreys: My Department has commissioned eight reports conducted by external consultants during the period in question. Details of these are set out in tabular format below: TITLE OF REPORT NAME OF CONSULTANT PUBLICATION DATE Procedural Review of the Department of Social Protection’s Supplier Payments KOSI Corporation Ongoing ...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (28 Nov 2023)

Heather Humphreys: The Government acknowledges the valuable role that family carers play and is fully committed to supporting carers in that role. This commitment is recognised in both the Programme for Government and the National Carers’ Strategy. The main income supports to carers provided by my department are Carer’s Allowance, Carer’s Benefit, Domiciliary Care Allowance and the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (28 Nov 2023)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 390 to 392, inclusive, together. Overpayments of social welfare entitlements can occur where a person provides false or misleading information in their application or through error on the part of either the claimant or the Department. Persons who have been overpaid social welfare have a liability to refund the overpayment as they have been in receipt of a...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (28 Nov 2023)

Heather Humphreys: My department provides a comprehensive package of carers’ income supports including Carer’s Allowance, Carer’s Benefit, Domiciliary Care Allowance and the Carer’s Support Grant. Combined spending on these payments to carers in 2023 is estimated at almost €1.6 billion. Carer's Benefit is a payment made to insured people who leave the workforce to care for...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (28 Nov 2023)

Heather Humphreys: The Free Travel Scheme allows those eligible to travel, free of charge, on all public transport owned by the State. This includes bus, rail, Local Link and the Luas, with some exceptions. Free travel is also available on some services operated by private bus and ferry transport operators. To qualify for Free Travel, a person aged under 66 must satisfy the relevant qualifying criteria. From...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals (28 Nov 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 10...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (28 Nov 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. Domiciliary Care Allowance (DCA) is a monthly payment for a child aged under 16 with a severe disability, who requires...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Personal Public Service Numbers (28 Nov 2023)

Heather Humphreys: An application for a Personal Public Service Number from the person concerned is currently being processed by my Department. The individual was contacted on 11th October 2023 requesting further information. A response to that request is awaited. Upon receipt of the requested information, the application will be reviewed and the person will be notified directly of the outcome. I trust...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Programmes (28 Nov 2023)

Heather Humphreys: The LEADER Programme is a key intervention of Our Rural Future, the Government’s Policy for rural development which aims to deliver a range of actions to rural communities over the lifetime of the policy. It supports a broad range of activities which aim to respond to the diversity of the local needs of our rural areas. The process to select the Local Action Groups (LAGs) to...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Freedom of Information (28 Nov 2023)

Heather Humphreys: My Department received a total of 46 Freedom of Information requests in 2022, of which 6 were refused. In 2023, to date, my Department has received 48 Freedom of Information requests, of which 10 have been refused. Requests are refused where records are withheld under the various exemptions under the Freedom of Information Act. In respect of the requests where no records were released the...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Advertising (28 Nov 2023)

Heather Humphreys: My Department has not placed any advertisements with RTÉ for the period in question.

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Communications (28 Nov 2023)

Heather Humphreys: I can confirm to the Deputy that neither my Department nor the four agencies under the remit of my Department - the Charities Regulator, Pobal, Water Safety Ireland, the Western Development Commission - have facilitated in-person or remote briefings on any issue with the organisations referenced.

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Funding (28 Nov 2023)

Heather Humphreys: My Department provides a range of supports which are available to Women’s Sheds, depending on the works being completed. The Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme (SICAP) has provided supports to 60 Women’s Sheds, for example in facilitating training courses and holding focus groups. To date the programme also awarded small grants totalling over €9,000 to 6...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Arts Centres (28 Nov 2023)

Heather Humphreys: A vital part of my Department's mission is to support vibrant and sustainable communities across this country. While funding for arts and culture would mainly be the responsibility of the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sports and Media, I am happy to confirm that there are competitive funding streams provided by my Department which could contribute to supporting the...

Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2023: Second Stage (23 Nov 2023)

Heather Humphreys: I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time." As Deputies know, the purpose of the Bill is to give legislative effect to the changes announced on budget day. In addition, this year reforms to the State pension are included in the Bill. These measures form part of the Government’s response to the Pensions Commission’s recommendations. One of the most important of...