Results 5,401-5,420 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (27 Jun 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: State Pensions (27 Jun 2023)

Heather Humphreys: There were no structural changes introduced to the State Pension since I took office on 27thJune 2020. As part of the Budget process in January 2022, the rate of payment for the State Pension Contributory (maximum rate) increased from €248.30 to €253.30, followed by a further increase in January 2023 to €265.30. The breakdown requested by the Deputy may be found in the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (27 Jun 2023)

Heather Humphreys: Most weekly social welfare payments include provision for an additional payment of an Increase for a Qualified Child (IQC) in respect of each qualified child up to the age of 18, which is extended to encompass older children to age 22 under certain circumstances. Budget 2023 targeted social welfare measures to assist low-income families with children by providing for the rate of the Increase...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (27 Jun 2023)

Heather Humphreys: The Working Family Payment is an in-work support which is designed to prevent in-work poverty for low paid employees with child dependents, and to offer a financial incentive to take-up employment. The rate of payment a person receives is 60% of the difference between their income and the income threshold for their family size. I provided for increases to the weekly income threshold for...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (27 Jun 2023)

Heather Humphreys: The One-Parent Family Payment is a means tested payment for lone parents under 66, who are not cohabiting, and whose youngest child is under seven. There have been a number of changes to the scheme since 2020 which have had a positive impact to those in receipt of the One-Parent Family Payment. In 2020 the earnings disregard was increased by €15 to €165 per week allowing...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: School Meals Programme (27 Jun 2023)

Heather Humphreys: The School Meals Programme provides funding towards the provision of food services to some 1,600 schools and organisations benefitting 260,000 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 (27 Jun 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 scheme is under constant review to ensure people with disabilities, who cannot...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (27 Jun 2023)

Heather Humphreys: Illness Benefit is a weekly payment made to people aged under 66 who satisfy prescribed PRSI contribution conditions and who are medically certified as being unable to attend work due to illness. In January 2021, there was a €5 increase in the personal rate for Illness Benefit and increases in the rates paid in respect of qualified adult dependants and child dependants. In March 2021,...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (27 Jun 2023)

Heather Humphreys: The Government has committed to the continued support of working parents to achieve a better work-life balance. Parent’s Leave and Benefit falls into this category and encourages the sharing of parental responsibilities equally between couples. The Parent’s Leave and Benefit Act 2019 introduced two weeks of paid Parent’s Leave for each parent of a child born or adopted...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (27 Jun 2023)

Heather Humphreys: The Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance scheme provides a once-off payment to eligible families to assist with the costs of clothing and footwear when children start or return to school each autumn. The scheme operates from June to September each year. The allowance is payable in respect of eligible children between the ages of 4 and 17 in respect of whom a qualified child...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (27 Jun 2023)

Heather Humphreys: The Carer’s Support Grant (CSG) is paid to people in receipt of Carer’s Allowance, Carer’s Benefit or Domiciliary Care Allowance. Other people who are not in receipt of a social welfare payment but who are providing full time care and attention may also be eligible and can apply for the grant. The payment is made regardless of the carer's means but is subject to certain...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (27 Jun 2023)

Heather Humphreys: The widowed or surviving civil partner grant is a once-off payment of €8,000 and is available to widows, widowers or surviving civil partners who have one or more dependent children living with them at the date of death, or a widow or surviving civil partner whose child is born within 10 months of the date of death of her spouse or civil partner. The applicant must also qualify for...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (27 Jun 2023)

Heather Humphreys: Farm Assist is a statutory means-tested income support specifically for farmers on low incomes. There are just under 4,300 claims in payment at present. The Government has provided €49.4 million for the scheme in 2023. I have introduced a number of improvements to the means test for Farm Assist since 27 June 2020. Further to the commitment in the Programme for Government and in the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (27 Jun 2023)

Heather Humphreys: Maternity Benefit is paid for 26 weeks to employed and self-employed women who satisfy certain pay related social insurance (PRSI) contribution and other conditions. In Budget 2022 I provided for a €5 per week increase in the rate of Maternity Benefit bringing the rate to €250 per week from January 2022. In Budget 2023 I provided for a further increase of €12 per week,...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (27 Jun 2023)

Heather Humphreys: Adoptive Benefit is a payment made to a parent who is on Adoptive Leave from work and covered by social insurance (PRSI). Adoptive Benefit is paid for 24 weeks from the date of placement of the child. The Family Leave and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2021 amended the Adoptive Leave Act 1995 to enable adoptive couples to choose which parent may avail of Adoptive Leave and Benefit. This...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (27 Jun 2023)

Heather Humphreys: Domiciliary Care Allowance (DCA) is a monthly allowance payable in respect of a child aged under 16, who has a severe disability and requires continual or continuous care and attention in the home, substantially in excess of 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 months. As part of Budget...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (27 Jun 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. People in receipt of certain social welfare payments other than CA or carers benefit who are providing full-time care and...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: School Meals Programme (27 Jun 2023)

Heather Humphreys: The School Meals Programme provides funding towards the provision of food services to some 1,600 schools and organisations benefitting 260,000 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: Insurance Coverage (27 Jun 2023)

Heather Humphreys: The EmployAbility Service provides support to people with disabilities to secure and maintain paid employment in the open labour market. Contracts for EmployAbility service providers are agreed on an annual basis to ensure that adequate funding is available for the level of service required by the Department. Any approved expenditure incurred by the service provider, including eligible...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (27 Jun 2023)

Heather Humphreys: A disability allowance overpayment of €40,285.00 for the period 8/8/07 to 6/8/13 was incurred in this case. An appeal of the case to the independent Social Welfare Appeals Office was disallowed in March 2018. The Appeals Officer, however, recommended that the Department be cognisant of the personal circumstances of the person concerned in seeking recovery. A figure of not more than...