Results 4,861-4,880 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

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

Heather Humphreys: The person concerned is in receipt of an increase for a qualified adult on their spouse’s State Pension (Contributory). An increase for qualified adult is a means-tested payment, payable to a claimant whose spouse, civil partner or cohabitant is being wholly or mainly maintained by them, and where that qualified adult’s personal means from any source does not exceed the means...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Fuel Poverty (10 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. The Job Initiative Scheme provided full-time employment for people 35 years of...

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

Heather Humphreys: Disability Allowance (DA) 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 originally received an application for DA from the person...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Low Pay Commission (10 Oct 2023)

Heather Humphreys: At the time of writing, the Low Pay Commission's 2023 report has yet to be published and no Government decision has been made on increasing the national minimum wage in 2024. However, if the national minimum wage were to increase from €11.30 to €12.70 per hour in 2024, the estimated additional full-year cost of adjusting the employer PRSI threshold from €441 to...

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

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 319, 323 and 329 together. Last September I announced a series of reforms to the State Pension system in response to the recommendations from the Commission on Pensions. As part of this, the Government committed that a smoothed earnings method to calculating a benchmarked/indexed rate of State Pension payments will be introduced as an input to the annual...

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

Heather Humphreys: Disability Allowance (DA) 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 confirm that my Department received an application for DA from the person concerned on 21...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (10 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 Eligibility (10 Oct 2023)

Heather Humphreys: The Household Benefits Package helps towards the costs of electricity or gas bills. It also includes a free television licence. Only one Household Benefits Package is payable per household. The Household Benefits Package is generally available to people living in the State aged 66 years or over, who are in receipt of a social welfare type payment, or who satisfy a means test. The package...

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

Heather Humphreys: Disability Allowance (DA) 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. The DA payment ceased in January 2022 when the person concerned informed my Department that...

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

Heather Humphreys: The Citizens Information Board (CIB) is the statutory body under the aegis of my Department, with responsibility for supporting the provision of information, advice (including money and budgeting advice) and advocacy on a wide range of public and social services. CIB has informed the Department that it does not own any buildings that are derelict or vacant.

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

Heather Humphreys: I am familiar with the documentation forwarded by the Deputy. I have met with the founders of the organisation concerned and heard first-hand their personal story. I am aware of the very valuable work they carry out in terms of easing the financial burden of families with children who have life limiting conditions. Many of the costs incurred by these families include travel, accommodation,...

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

Heather Humphreys: On 20 September, I published a Green Paper on Disability Reform and launched the associated public consultation. The Green Paper on Disability Reform was developed as a response to commitments under the Roadmap for Social Inclusion, the Pathways to Work Strategy and the Make Work Pay Report and taking account of the Cost of Disability Report. I would like to emphasise that this Green...

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

Heather Humphreys: The requirements for registration of a birth are contained in Part 3 of the Civil Registration Act 2004 (the Act), as amended, and are underpinned by Section 46 of the Status of Children Act 1987 which sets out that the husband of a marriage is presumed to be the father of the child where the mother is or was married at any time during the 10 months immediately preceding the birth. Where...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals (10 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. The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that a Disability Allowance appeal by the person concerned was registered in...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals (10 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. The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered on the 05 July 2023. It is a...

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

Heather Humphreys: The National Intreo Contact Centre (NICC) was established within my Department to respond efficiently and effectively to telephone calls made to Intreo Offices nationally. Between June 2021 and May 2022, the NICC replaced all Intreo centre main telephone numbers. It aims to deliver a cohesive cross regional service and to provide the best possible experience for customers through the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (10 Oct 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 25 September 2023. Additional information in relation to...

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

Heather Humphreys: Domiciliary Care Allowance (DCA) is an allowance payable in respect of a child aged under 16 who has a severe disability and requires continual or continuous care and attention substantially over and above the care and attention normally required by a child of the same age and the child must be likely to require this level of care for at least 12 consecutive months. An application for DCA in...

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

Heather Humphreys: With the exception of the Department headquarters in Dublin, Áras Mhic Dhiarmada, which is held by the Minister on behalf of the Social Insurance Fund, all buildings and property occupied by the Department of Social Protection, are owned or leased by the Office of Public Works. The same applies to the agencies under our remit: the Citizens Information Board and the Pensions Authority....

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Proposed Legislation (10 Oct 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, inter alia, the Report of the Working Group on Control of Dogs, the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Food, Agriculture and the Marine,...