Results 5,441-5,460 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Employment Support Services (21 Jun 2023)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 133 and 140 together. Pathways to Work 2021-2025, the national employment services strategy, commits that “Building on the EWSS/TWSS and drawing on existing international models, explore the possibility of introducing a new Short-Time Work Support scheme to enable employers retain people on their payroll in response to short-duration shocks to...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (21 Jun 2023)

Heather Humphreys: A Jobseeker's Allowance application was registered on the 4th of May as the Person Concerned had exhausted their entitlement to Jobseekers Benefit. As Jobseekers Allowance is a means tested payment the application was referred to the Social Welfare Inspector on 9/5/23 to investigate possible self-employment. The Social Welfare Inspector interviewed The Person Concerned on the 22nd of May by...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Civil Marriages (21 Jun 2023)

Heather Humphreys: I understand that the Deputy's question relates to individual who wishes to change from a religious solemniser of marriage to a civil solemniser. The requirements for the solemnisation of marriage and registration of solemnisers is provided for in Part 6 of the Civil Registration Act, 2004, as amended. The register of solemnisers is maintained by the General Register Office, who advise that...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Employment Support Services (21 Jun 2023)

Heather Humphreys: My Department provides a range of employment services to support jobseekers in preparing for, securing and sustaining employment. These services are provided directly by my Department’s own staff or through the Intreo Partner and other services provided on behalf of my Department. The Personal Progression Plan (PPP) is a crucial element of each Jobseeker’s engagement with...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals (21 Jun 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 and insurability of employment. Appeals Officers are independent in their decision making functions. The Deputy's question relates to an appeal decision made on 20 January 2023. The Appeals Officer...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (21 Jun 2023)

Heather Humphreys: The spouse of the person concerned is in receipt of a State Pension (contributory) payment from my Department which includes an Increase for a Qualified Adult for the person concerned. The Spring Cost of Living Bonus was one of the range of measures put in place. It was one lump sum payment of €200 for each eligible person in receipt of a primary payment in their own right. Each...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Civil Marriages (21 Jun 2023)

Heather Humphreys: The requirements for solemnisation of marriage and registration of solemnisers are set out in Part 6 of the Civil Registration Act 2004, as amended. Civil marriage ceremonies are solemnised by employees of the Health Services Executive (HSE). Applications to become a registered solemniser for civil ceremonies are made by the HSE on behalf of an employee and are approved by an...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic (21 Jun 2023)

Heather Humphreys: The Occupational Injuries Benefit scheme is provided by my Department under Chapter 13 of Part 2 of the Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005. The scheme provides a range of benefits in the form of compensation or income supports to those injured by an accident at work or travelling to and from work, or who contracted a prescribed disease at work. COVID-19 is not a prescribed disease or...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Data Protection (21 Jun 2023)

Heather Humphreys: My Department provides a range of employment services to support jobseekers in preparing for, securing, and sustaining employment. These services are provided directly by my Department’s own staff or on behalf of my Department through Intreo Partners and other service providers. All jobseekers on the live register must be capable of, available for, and actively seeking full time...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Employment Support Services (21 Jun 2023)

Heather Humphreys: The primary goal of the Department’s employment support services, is to move people from unemployment to full-time and sustained employment. All jobseekers are required to engage with the Department’s employment support services and this obligation applies irrespective of whether the service is provided by the Department’s own case officers or those advisors employed by...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic (20 Jun 2023)

Heather Humphreys: The Occupational Injuries Benefit scheme is provided by my Department under Section 87 of the Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005. The scheme provides a range of benefits in the form of compensation or income supports to those injured by an accident at work or travelling to and from work, or who contracted a prescribed disease at work. COVID-19 is not a prescribed disease or illness under...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Data (20 Jun 2023)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 404 and 421 together. The Reasonable Accommodation Fund aims to support the employment of disabled people by providing financial support to help make workplaces more accessible. The review of the Reasonable Accommodation Fund is near finalisation and I expect to publish it in the coming weeks. The aim of the review is to improve the effectiveness of the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (20 Jun 2023)

Heather Humphreys: The Indecon Cost of Disability report highlighted that there is not a single typical ‘cost of disability’; rather there is a spectrum from low additional costs to extremely high extra costs of disability, depending on the individual circumstances of the person concerned. It also highlighted that the cost of disability is significantly broader than the income support system and...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (20 Jun 2023)

Heather Humphreys: The supplementary welfare allowance scheme is the safety net within the overall social welfare system in that it provides assistance to eligible people in the State whose means are insufficient to meet their needs and those of their dependents. Under the supplementary welfare allowance scheme, my Department may make Additional Needs Payments to help meet essential expenses that a person...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (20 Jun 2023)

Heather Humphreys: I can confirm that the Department received an application for Disability Allowance (DA) from the person concerned on 25 May 2023. The application was not complete as it was missing vital information, requested to make an assessment of eligibility. On 13 June 2023, the person concerned was contacted by the Disability Section to supply this supporting documentation. On receipt of this...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Pension Provisions (20 Jun 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: Public Services Card (20 Jun 2023)

Heather Humphreys: The recent finding of the Data Protection Commissioner, which was on foot of an individual complaint made a number of years ago, has been noted by my Department.  It is noteworthy that the Commissioner did not make any order following its investigation of this complaint because it found my Department had already implemented the necessary measures in relation to transparency from August...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (20 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. An application for CA was received from the person concerned on 2 February 2023. The application was referred to a local...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (20 Jun 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 and caring...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Data Protection (20 Jun 2023)

Heather Humphreys: The recent finding of the Data Protection Commissioner, which was on foot of an individual complaint made a number of years ago, has been noted by my Department.  However, it is noteworthy that the Commissioner did not make any order following its investigation of this complaint because it found my Department had already implemented the necessary measures in relation to transparency...