Results 5,221-5,240 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Social Welfare Payments (6 Jul 2023)

Heather Humphreys: I accept that core payments are important. I agree with the Deputy on that. I wanted to put money into people's pockets in order that they could pay their bills. That is why the lump sums were there last year. They are also there this year. That is in addition to the electricity credits. It is about paying the bills. As I have said, if you look at the data over the year, you will see...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Social Welfare Code (6 Jul 2023)

Heather Humphreys: Definitely, new claims are not liable. We have changed the rules on the administrative basis for new claims. I will have to revert to the Deputy on whether, based on the review, it has been possible to make the changes. I will double-check. The legislation is a bit more complex than we initially thought. Different parts of it, both secondary and primary, are affected, so the officials...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Social Welfare Rates (6 Jul 2023)

Heather Humphreys: I thank Deputy Gannon for raising this matter. I recognise the challenges that the increased cost of living has brought to many households. The Parliament is very well aware of the pressures faced by households and has not been found wanting. Last September, I announced the largest social protection budget in the history of the State, comprising measures worth almost €2.2...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Social Welfare Rates (6 Jul 2023)

Heather Humphreys: I thank the Deputy. He will agree that the Government, since its formation in 2020, has provided unprecedented supports to protect people and families, first during the pandemic and then with the cost of living. We provided €19 billion in direct income supports through the pandemic unemployment payment and wage subsidy scheme. Those supports were put in place quickly and helped to...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Social Welfare Code (6 Jul 2023)

Heather Humphreys: I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. The report of the child maintenance review group was published last November. The Government accepted the group's recommendations regarding the social welfare system. I am pleased to say that, pending the introduction of the necessary legislation, my Department has already implemented some of the recommended changes on an administrative basis....

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Disability Services (6 Jul 2023)

Heather Humphreys: I thank the Deputy for raising the matter. The Indecon cost of disability report was prepared following extensive consultation with disabled people and disability stakeholders. It is one of the largest disability surveys ever undertaken in the State. The report established that additional costs of disability run across a number of policy areas, including housing, equipment, aids and...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Disability Services (6 Jul 2023)

Heather Humphreys: My plan is to publish the straw man proposal and then sit down with stakeholders to get their views on it. We want an open conversation. It worked well in the past when we sat down. The straw man proposal is just about putting out some ideas. We will take from it and add to it but we will have that conversation. I take the points raised by the Deputy. There will always be a debate on...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Disability Services (6 Jul 2023)

Heather Humphreys: It will be in the third quarter of the year. It is at an advanced stage. I am happy to hear the views of the Deputy on the matter because we want to get this right. For the first time, I will be considering tiered payments for disability. It is the right way to go. It is clear that a person with a profound disability needs more support than a person who may be able to work. We have the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Reports (6 Jul 2023)

Heather Humphreys: The Indecon Cost of Disability report was prepared following an extensive consultation with disabled people and disability stakeholders. This included one of the largest disability surveys ever undertaken in the State. The report identified that additional costs of disability run across a number of areas of expenditure including housing, equipment, aids and appliances, care and assistance...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Home Care Packages (6 Jul 2023)

Heather Humphreys: The Government acknowledges the important role that family carers play in Irish society. 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 Carer’s Support Grant. Spending in...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Schemes (6 Jul 2023)

Heather Humphreys: The main supports available to those in the private rented sector with an ongoing long-term accommodation need are the Housing Assistance Payment, which supports more than 58,000 active tenancies and the Rental Accommodation Scheme which supports more than 16,500 tenancies. The Housing Assistance Payment and Rental Accommodation Scheme are administered by Local Authorities under the aegis of...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Schemes (6 Jul 2023)

Heather Humphreys: The last review of the rent limits was completed by my department in 2016. My Department led the review because of its provision of rent supplement payments. However, since that time the number of people availing of Rent Supplement has reduced significantly. The Housing Accommodation Payment scheme and the Rental Accommodation scheme, administered by the local authorities, are now by far...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (6 Jul 2023)

Heather Humphreys: The key role of my department is to provide income supports where an income need may arise due to unemployment, illness/disability and caring responsibilities. The main income supports to carers provided by my department are Carer’s Allowance, Carer’s Benefit, Domiciliary Care Allowance and the Carer’s Support Grant. Spending in 2023 is expected to amount to almost...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (6 Jul 2023)

Heather Humphreys: The Government acknowledges the important 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 for 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 Benefits (6 Jul 2023)

Heather Humphreys: I understand that the Deputy's Office has clarified that this question relates to cases where an applicant has been refused a payment on medical grounds, and whether when reviewing or appealing that decision, an oral hearing would be given rather than summary decision as it may be viewed as more beneficial to the appellant. As part of the statutory appeals process, the appeal papers are in...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Medical Aids and Appliances (6 Jul 2023)

Heather Humphreys: In general, medical or health related benefits fall within the remit of the Department of Health and the HSE. However, my Department administers the Treatment Benefit scheme which provides dental, optical, and medical appliances benefits to insured workers, the self-employed and retired people who have the required number of PRSI contributions. These treatments are also available to their...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pensions (6 Jul 2023)

Heather Humphreys: A person must have at least 520 full-rate paid contributions to qualify for standard State pension Contributory. A full pension is payable provided a person has a contribution record of 40 years and a reduced pension is payable if a person has more than 10 but less than 40 years contributions. At present the calculation of the reduced pension rate is performed using either a yearly average...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Code (6 Jul 2023)

Heather Humphreys: It is very clear from the Indecon Cost of Disability report that the cost of disability is significantly broader than income supports and that it will not be addressed through income supports alone. Additional costs of disability arise across a number of areas of policy areas including housing; equipment, aids and appliances; mobility, transport and communications; medicines; and care among...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (6 Jul 2023)

Heather Humphreys: The total expenditure for Jobseeker's Allowance and Jobseeker's Benefit over the last ten years, and to date in 2023, is set out in the table below. The 2023 figure is the estimated expenditure over the period January to May 2023. Expenditure figures for 2022 and 2023 are provisional. Expenditure on Jobseeker's Benefit for the Self-Employed is not included in the Jobseeker's Benefit...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Legislative Measures (6 Jul 2023)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 125, 127 and 158 together. This Government acknowledges the important contribution that carers provide and is fully committed to supporting them in that role. Accordingly, the current State Pension (Contributory) system gives significant recognition to those whose work history includes an extended period of time outside the paid workplace, often to raise...