Results 4,841-4,860 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (12 Oct 2023)

Heather Humphreys: Disability Allowance is a weekly allowance paid to people with a specified disability who are aged 16 or over and under the age of 66. This disability must be expected to last for at least one year and the allowance is subject to a medical assessment, means test and Habitual Residency conditions. I can confirm that my Department received email correspondence on 18 September 2023 in relation...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (12 Oct 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. The person concerned can apply for Partial Capacity Benefit (PCB) if they wish to undertake some work. PCB extends the Illness Benefit (IB) and IP schemes to...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (12 Oct 2023)

Heather Humphreys: The Wage Subsidy Scheme is an employment support to private sector employers. The objective of the scheme is to encourage employers to employ people with disabilities and thereby increase the numbers of people with disabilities obtaining and sustaining employment in the open labour market. A Wage Subsidy Scheme application in respect of the person referred to in the Deputy’s...

Financial Resolutions 2023 - Financial Resolution No. 4: General (Resumed) (11 Oct 2023)

Heather Humphreys: My priority for budget 2024 was to support families and households throughout the winter and beyond. We have delivered a budget that puts more money back into people's pockets. As Minister for Social Protection, I advocated for the need to look after our pensioners, carers, people with disabilities, working families and vulnerable groups, and this evening I am pleased to set out the details...

Seanad: Disability Allowance: Motion (11 Oct 2023)

Heather Humphreys: First, I welcome our visitors who are here for this debate and thank them for attending. I thank Senator Clonan for raising this very important issue. I think everybody in this House agrees that we need to do more to support people with disabilities. At the outset, I will say that I do not see recipients or claimants, I see people. It has been well documented that the cost of disability...

Seanad: Disability Allowance: Motion (11 Oct 2023)

Heather Humphreys: I met leaders from the disability sector to brief them on the Green Paper and I explained that these are draft proposals for public consultation. Consequently, nothing is decided here. The Green Paper does not claim to be the best way or the only way. Its real purpose is to encourage thinking and discussion and to prompt suggestions. The draft proposals in the paper are designed to help...

Seanad: Disability Allowance: Motion (11 Oct 2023)

Heather Humphreys: I am open to-----

Seanad: Disability Allowance: Motion (11 Oct 2023)

Heather Humphreys: I am open to constructive feedback but proposals for additional expenditure on that basis are simply not affordable or realistic. The Green Paper proposes an alternative solution of increasing disability supports, be they financial or employment-related, for the benefit of people with disabilities. In budget 2024, I was keen to build on previous budgets by increasing the supports for...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: School Meals Programme (11 Oct 2023)

Heather Humphreys: The School Meals Programme provides funding towards the provision of food services to some 1,700 schools and organisations benefitting 300,000 children. The objective of the programme is to provide regular, nutritious food to children to support them in taking full advantage of the education provided to them. The programme is an important component of policies to encourage school attendance...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (11 Oct 2023)

Heather Humphreys: Carer's Benefit 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 attention. An...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (11 Oct 2023)

Heather Humphreys: Carer's Benefit 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 attention. In...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (11 Oct 2023)

Heather Humphreys: Under the supplementary welfare allowance scheme, my Department can make additional needs payments to help meet essential expenses that a person cannot pay from their weekly income. This is an overarching term used to refer to exceptional and urgent needs payments, and certain supplements to assist with ongoing or recurring costs that cannot be met from the client’s own resources and...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (11 Oct 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 decided to disallow the Disability Allowance appeal...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: European Court of Justice (11 Oct 2023)

Heather Humphreys: There have been no judgements made against Ireland in the Court of Justice of the European Union over the past five years in respect of matters which are the responsibility of the Department of Social Protection. Therefore, my Department has not paid any fines and/or penalties in the last 5 years. I trust this clarifies the position for the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: School Meals Programme (11 Oct 2023)

Heather Humphreys: The School Meals Programme provides funding towards the provision of food services to some 1,700 schools and organisations benefitting 300,000 children. The objective of the programme is to provide regular, nutritious food to children to support them in taking full advantage of the education provided to them. The programme is an important component of policies to encourage school attendance...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (11 Oct 2023)

Heather Humphreys: Matters related to foster caring are the responsibility of my colleague, the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, and for Tusla. This Government acknowledges the important role that carers, including Foster carers, play and is fully committed to supporting them in that role. Accordingly, the current State Pension (Contributory) system provides measures...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (11 Oct 2023)

Heather Humphreys: The Fuel Allowance is a payment of €33 per week for 28 weeks (a total of €924 each year) from late September to April, at an estimated cost of €412 million in 2023. The purpose of this payment is to assist these households with their energy costs. Only one allowance is paid per household. Qualifying payments for fuel allowance are those payments that are considered...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (11 Oct 2023)

Heather Humphreys: The person in question is in receipt of an Invalidity Pension from my Department. An application for Fuel Allowance under the National Fuel Scheme was received on 13 September 2023. They were found eligible for fuel allowance with effect from 14 September 2023. A notification of this allowance decision issued to them on 30 September 2023. The person concerned has opted for payment in two...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: European Court of Justice (11 Oct 2023)

Heather Humphreys: My Department was established in July 2017. Between that date and 2023 to date, I can confirm that there have been no judgements made against Ireland in the Court of Justice of the European Union in respect of matters which are the responsibility of my Department.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Disability Services (10 Oct 2023)

Heather Humphreys: My Department provides a wide range of supports for jobseekers and existing employees with disabilities. These supports include the Reasonable Accommodation Fund. The Reasonable Accommodation Fund is comprised of four grants which were designed to assist jobseekers and existing employees with disabilities, and to encourage employers in the private sector to recruit Jobseekers with...