Results 5,261-5,280 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

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

Heather Humphreys: In September 2022, I announced a series of landmark reforms to the State Pension system. The measures are in response to the Pensions Commission’s recommendations and represent the biggest ever structural reform of the Irish State Pension system. One of the measures announced is the introduction of flexibility to the State Pension (Contributory) from January 2024, allowing a...

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

Heather Humphreys: There have been a series of reports that have contained recommendations in relation to how our social welfare system could be individualised. The Commission on Taxation and Welfare recommended that further social welfare individualisation is necessary, specifically in relation to qualified adults whose partners are in receipt of means-tested social assistance benefits. In preparing this...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Code (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 key role of my department is to provide income supports where an income need may arise due to unemployment, illness/disability or caring...

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

Heather Humphreys: The Report of the Child Maintenance ReviewGroup was published last November. The Government accepted the Group's recommendations in relation to 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. As a result, my Department is no longer...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Cost of Living Issues (6 Jul 2023)

Heather Humphreys: As part of measures to support customers through increases in the cost of living my Department was responsible for a package totaling over €2 billion, which included several lump sum payments, including the Christmas bonus and the Spring Cost of Living payment The Christmas Bonus is a double payment, whereby a person receives double their total weekly payment inclusive of any...

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

Heather Humphreys: As part of the Roadmap for Social Inclusion 2020-2025, Government committed to finalising an approach for the benchmarking and indexation of pension payments. Last September, I announced a series of landmark reforms to the State Pension system. The measures are in response to the recommendations from the Commission on Pensions and represent the biggest ever structural reform of the Irish...

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

Heather Humphreys: Maternity Benefit is a payment made for 26 weeks to self-employed women, employed women who are eligible for Maternity Leave and who satisfy certain PRSI contribution conditions. As announced in Budget 2023 the standard rate of Maternity Benefit has increased to €262 per week from January 2023. In 2023, it is estimated that my Department will spend approximately €273 million...

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

Heather Humphreys: When a customer makes a claim for a scheme administered by my Department, they are notified in writing of the formal decision on their claim application. Where a claim is awarded, the decision letter to the customer will include details of the payment amount, when the first payment will be made and, if the customer is being paid by EIT in a Post Office, where the payment can be collected....

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

Heather Humphreys: My Department currently provides employment services for people with disabilities through 23 EmployAbility contracted service providers across the State. My officials are undertaking a procurement process to update current EmployAbility services in order to comply with legal advice from the Attorney General and Chief State Solicitor’s Office and to meet the Department’s...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals (6 Jul 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 significant efforts and resources have been devoted to improvements in the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (6 Jul 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. Once Carer's Allowance claims are in payment, the Department periodically reviews them to ensure that there is a...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (6 Jul 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 27th June 2023. It...

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

Heather Humphreys: Under the Supplementary Welfare Allowance (SWA) scheme, my Department may make Additional Needs Payments (ANPs) to help meet expenses that a person cannot pay from their weekly income. Items for which an ANPs may be provided include:the increased cost of heating and electricity,essential repairs to property and replacing household appliances and furniture,assistance with deposits for private...

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

Heather Humphreys: The Social Welfare Appeals Office is an Office of the Department of Social Protection and 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,...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (6 Jul 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 17 May 2023. Following a review of their application,...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (6 Jul 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. An application for WFP has been received by the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Enterprise Support Services (6 Jul 2023)

Heather Humphreys: To date, this Department has not a notification of any proposed redundancies in respect of this Employer. When my Department receives a notification of collective redundancy from the company concerned, the Employer Relations Division of my Department makes contact with the company to provide information on income, redundancy entitlements and employment supports for their impacted...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (6 Jul 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. Under Article 13 of the Social Welfare (Appeals) Regulations, 1998 (S.I. 108/1998), if an Appeals Officer is of the opinion that...

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

Heather Humphreys: It is not possible to provide the information requested within the timeframe available. The data requested will be compiled as best as possible by my officials and will be sent to the Deputy as soon as they are available. A person is required to have a minimum of 520 paid reckonable PRSI contributions in order to qualify for the State Pension (Contributory). The actuarial value of the...

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

Heather Humphreys: My Department always seeks to ensure that claims are handled quickly and efficiently, understanding the many pressures faced by customers. I am pleased to report that claim processing is up to date, with processing targets met, or exceeded, for all the main scheme areas. Processing times vary across schemes, depending on the differing qualification criteria. Schemes that require a high...