Results 5,061-5,080 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Parental Leave (26 Sep 2023)

Heather Humphreys: The Government has committed to the continued support of working parents to achieve a better work-life balance. The question of extending the duration of Maternity and Paternity Leave would, in the first instance, be a matter for consideration by the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth who has policy and legal responsibility for Maternity and Paternity Leave....

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Employment Support Services (26 Sep 2023)

Heather Humphreys: The labour market recovery since the lifting of pandemic restrictions has seen employment levels rise to their highest on record in recent months. Latest CSO figures show 2.64 million people in employment in the second quarter of this year. The number of females in the labour force increased by 4.8% (+60,600) in the year to Q2, 2023 (compared to a 2.0% increase in the number of males). The...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (26 Sep 2023)

Heather Humphreys: The system of social assistance supports provides payments based on an income need. The means test plays a critical role in determining whether or not an income need arises as a consequence of a particular contingency – such as disability, unemployment or caring. This ensures that the recipient has a verifiable income need and that resources are targeted to those who need them most....

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Rates (26 Sep 2023)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 376 and 377 together. The estimated full year cost of increasing Jobseekers Benefit by €80 per week is €153.7 million. It should be noted that this cost is subject to change in the context of labour market changes, emerging trends and associated revision of the estimated numbers of recipients for 2024.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (26 Sep 2023)

Heather Humphreys: Child Benefit is a monthly payment to the parents or guardians of children under 16 years of age. Child Benefit can also be claimed for children aged 16 and 17 if they are in full-time education or full-time training or have a disability and cannot support themselves. As of 31/08/2023, there were 648,564 recipients of Child Benefit payments in respect of 1,211,902 children. I trust this...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (26 Sep 2023)

Heather Humphreys: Jobseeker's Allowance is a payment to people who are unemployed. It is a means-tested payment, so your income must be below a certain amount to get Jobseeker's Allowance. As at 15th September, there were 125,481 recipients of Jobseeker's Allowance. Of these, 9,905 were aged 18 to 24 and on the reduced rate of €129.70 per week.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (26 Sep 2023)

Heather Humphreys: Fuel Allowance is a means tested payment to assist pensioners and other longer-term social welfare dependent households with their winter heating costs. The payment is a contribution towards heating costs; it is not intended to meet these costs in full. The payment is made over the winter season at the weekly rate of €33.00 or, if preferred, by way of two instalment payments. Only...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (26 Sep 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. As of 20thSeptember 2023, there are 45,856 families...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (26 Sep 2023)

Heather Humphreys: Carers may be entitled to a number of supports from the Department. The two main Social Welfare payments for carers providing full-time care are Carer's Allowance and Carer's Benefit. 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...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (26 Sep 2023)

Heather Humphreys: The provision of fostering services is a matter for Tusla (the Child and Family Agency), including the provision of financial supports. Tusla provides a Foster Care Allowance in respect of each child in foster care. The weekly Foster Care Allowance is currently €325 per child under 12, and €352 for children aged 12 and over. Foster care allowances from Tusla are not taxable and...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Insurance (26 Sep 2023)

Heather Humphreys: Under EU regulations, EU nationals working in Ireland pay PRSI on the same basis as Irish nationals and those PRSI contributions allow them to gain entitlement to social welfare payments in the same manner. If an EU national were to claim a social welfare payment in Ireland their contribution history from abroad can be combined with their Irish contribution record to enable them qualify for a...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Irish Language (26 Sep 2023)

Heather Humphreys: The responsibility for provision of training is Solas which falls under the aegis of my colleague, Deputy Simon Harris, Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science. The role of my Department’s Public Employment Service is to encourage, support and assist jobseekers to secure and sustain employment. In that regard, the Employment Services team support...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Schemes (26 Sep 2023)

Heather Humphreys: The Treatment Benefit Scheme provides dental, optical and aural services to insured workers, the self-employed, retired people and their dependant spouse/partner who have the required number of social insurance (PRSI) contributions. The Department is not currently considering an increase in optical benefit payments. However, should a review of the optical Treatment Benefit scheme be...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (26 Sep 2023)

Heather Humphreys: Child Benefit is a universal monthly payment made to families with children in respect of all qualified children up to the age of 16 years. As a universal payment, Child Benefit assists parents with the cost associated with raising children and contributes towards alleviating child poverty. Child Benefit is paid to the person with whom the qualifying children normally resides and the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Insurance (26 Sep 2023)

Heather Humphreys: The estimated additional yield that could be raised from increasing the higher employers' PRSI rate of 11.05% to 12.05% while leaving the lower employers' rate unchanged at 8.8% would be €910 million in 2024 and €964 million in 2025. The estimated number of employments impacted by the increase would be 1.95 million in 2024 and 2.05 million in 2025. The 2024 estimate is a full...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (26 Sep 2023)

Heather Humphreys: Disability Allowance is a means-tested social assistance scheme, which is also subject to a medical assessment and habitual residency requirement. It is the nature of means-tested schemes that above a certain level of means a person is not entitled to any payment, as their means are deemed to be sufficient to provide for their needs. All income and capital, such as savings, investments and...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Regulatory and Poverty Impact Assessments (26 Sep 2023)

Heather Humphreys: I have published five Bills since taking office as Minister for Social Protection, all of which have been enacted. Details of these Bills are set out in the table below. A Regulatory Impact Analysis is not ordinarily undertaken on the package of tax, welfare and other measures announced in the annual Budget Day Statements. Three of the Social Welfare Bills, which have been published since...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (26 Sep 2023)

Heather Humphreys: My Department does not have any record of an application from the person concerned for Jobseeker's Allowance/Benefit for the period referred to. Should contact be made with the local Intreo Centre by the person concerned I have been assured that this case will be treated as priority and dealt with promptly.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (26 Sep 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 there is no record of any appeal by the person concerned having been...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (26 Sep 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 evidence, has...