Results 4,481-4,500 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Pension Provisions (14 Nov 2023)

Heather Humphreys: Approved Retirement Funds, or ARFs, are funds managed by a qualifying fund manager into which an individual may invest the proceeds of their pension fund when they retire. Any amounts withdrawn from an ARF are referred to as a distribution. Under social welfare legislation, any payments received by way of pension are not regarded as reckonable emoluments for the purposes of self-employed...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (14 Nov 2023)

Heather Humphreys: Fuel Allowance is an administrative scheme and is payable to people who satisfy the conditions of the scheme and who either live alone or only with certain qualified people. I can confirm that my department received an application for fuel allowance from the person concerned on 17 October 2023. Based on the information provided to the Department, the person concerned does not qualify for the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (14 Nov 2023)

Heather Humphreys: Working Family Payment (WFP) is a weekly in-work support which provides an income support 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. Please see below number of Working Family Payment...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Pension Provisions (14 Nov 2023)

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. My Department received an application for IP from the person concerned on 25 September 2023. Based on the information supplied, it was refused on the grounds that the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (14 Nov 2023)

Heather Humphreys: The Report of the Child Maintenance Review Group was published last November and the Government has accepted the Group's recommendations regarding the social welfare system. The Government accepted the Group's recommendations in relation to the social welfare system. These changes will decouple child maintenance and social welfare and are significant reforms, which will be of great benefit to...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Employment Rights (14 Nov 2023)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 302, 303 and 304 together. My Department welcomes the recent judgement of the Supreme Court on the key factors to be considered when classifying an individual’s employment status and the significant clarity it provides on these matters. The matter of ‘test cases’ for use in determining employment status has been raised on multiple...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (14 Nov 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 must show that the care recipient requires full-time care and...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (14 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. I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that an Appeals Officer, having fully considered all of the available...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Pension Provisions (14 Nov 2023)

Heather Humphreys: An application for state pension non-contributory was received from the person concerned on 15 June 2023. On 21 June 2023, the case was referred to a Social Welfare Inspector to investigate the means of the person concerned, so that their entitlement to pension could be assessed. The person concerned has been awarded the maximum weekly rate of state pension (non-contributory) with effect...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Public Sector Staff (14 Nov 2023)

Heather Humphreys: The employment support team comprises Employment Personal Advisors (Higher Executive Officers), Job Coaches (Executive Officers) and administrative support staff (Higher Executive Officers, Executive Officers and Clerical Officers). Table 1 below lists the number of Whole Time Equivalent (WTE) staff by grade in each employment support team within INTREO offices within Dublin as of 8 November...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Public Sector Staff (14 Nov 2023)

Heather Humphreys: The National Intreo Contact Centre is the Department's response to the customers' need for a centralised point of contact. It has replaced all local lines and created a centralised streamlined point of contact for working age schemes with the intention of reducing footfall to INTREO offices. The NICC has approximately 98 staff with blended working arrangements. These staff answer calls for...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (14 Nov 2023)

Heather Humphreys: My Department is committed to providing a quality service to all its customers. This includes ensuring that Disability Allowance (DA) applications are processed and that decisions on entitlement are made as quickly as possible. DA has a number of complex qualifying conditions and can take longer to process. Before a decision can be made on an entitlement to DA, evidence must be...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (14 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. An application for CA was received from the person concerned on 20 July 2023. It is a condition for receipt of a CA that...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Harbours and Piers (14 Nov 2023)

Heather Humphreys: As the Deputy is aware, Galway County Council is the responsible authority for the maintenance and development of pier infrastructure on Inis Meáin. I am advised that officials from Galway County Council are preparing the necessary documents to appoint consultants to assist in preparing a Preliminary Business Case. This is required under the Public Spending Code in order to look at...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Charitable and Voluntary Organisations (14 Nov 2023)

Heather Humphreys: Since the launch of the Town and Village Renewal Scheme (TVRS) in 2016, 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, is designed to support the revitalisation of rural Ireland through a renewed focus on town centre economic and social recovery and regeneration As committed under...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Rural Schemes (14 Nov 2023)

Heather Humphreys: I launched the 2023 CLÁR Programme in March this year and the measures to be funded are:Developing Community Facilities and Amenities (Measure 1) Mobility, Cancer Care and Community First Responders Transport (Measure 2)‘Our Islands’ (Measure 3)I announced the successful projects under measure 2 in August 2023. The assessment process is underway for measure 1 and 3...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Funding (14 Nov 2023)

Heather Humphreys: The focus of the 2022 Community Centres Investment Fund was the improvement and refurbishment of existing community centres across Ireland. Over €45.8 million has been committed to this important refurbishment work. This year the focus of the Fund moved tonew builds.I want to assist community groups striving to build their own community centre to service local needs. In March, I was...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Public Inquiries (14 Nov 2023)

Heather Humphreys: I can confirm to the Deputy that currently, there are no tribunals, public investigations or commissions of investigations in process in my Department.

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Control of Dogs (14 Nov 2023)

Heather Humphreys: My Department has overall policy responsibility for the Dog Breeding Establishments Act 2010 and the Control of Dogs Acts 1986 to 2014. My officials are currently reviewing the existing legislative provisions, taking account of recommendations from the Report of the Working Group on Control of Dogs, the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Food, Agriculture and the Marine, consultation with...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Community Welfare Services (14 Nov 2023)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 632, 634, 636 and 637 together. My Department, through Budget 2024, will continue to support vibrant, inclusive and sustainable communities across Ireland. The Budget provision of €431 million for my Department provides over €205 million for rural development and over €225 million for community development. This will support...