Results 5,601-5,620 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (13 Jun 2023)

Heather Humphreys: Since 1 January 2023, customers have a right to three days’ sick pay a year under the statutory sick pay scheme. Under that scheme, sick pay may be paid by an employer at 70% of a person’s normal pay, up to a maximum of €110 a day for the first three days of an absence due to illness. The Department of Enterprise Trade and Employment has policy responsibility for...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Cost of Living Issues (13 Jun 2023)

Heather Humphreys: The €200 Spring lump sum payment was paid to 1.3 million recipients in receipt of long-term social welfare payments. This lump sum was paid in late April and cost approximately €261 million. The payment was made to primary recipients of a qualifying payments - including an estimated 98,000 recipients of the Non-Contributory State Pension. I trust this clarifies matters for the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Correspondence (13 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. I can now confirm that, following receipt of confirmation of a change in circumstances, the payment rate of CA to the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Data (13 Jun 2023)

Heather Humphreys: The Medical Review and Assessment Service (MRAS) is the principal control and medical guidance mechanism for all illness, disability and carers' schemes administered by my Department. This includes the Domiciliary Care Allowance (DCA) scheme. As part of the decision-making process, applications for DCA are referred to an MRAS departmental Medical Assessor (MA) for their professional opinion....

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Data (13 Jun 2023)

Heather Humphreys: The processing of new applications for Domiciliary Care Allowance (DCA) is a priority of my Department and is monitored on an ongoing basis with particular focus on processing times, to ensure a timely service to applicants. For the purpose of DCA claim processing, there are currently 12 deciding officers assigned on a full-time basis to assessing new applications. There are 10 deciding...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (13 Jun 2023)

Heather Humphreys: State pension non-contributory is a means-tested payment for people aged 66 and over, legally and habitually residing in the state, who do not qualify for a state pension contributory, or who only qualify for a reduced rate contributory pension based on their social insurance record. The person concerned is in receipt of state pension non-contributory. Based on their assessed weekly means,...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (13 Jun 2023)

Heather Humphreys: The person concerned made an application for a State Pension Contributory on 3 September 2018. It was determined that they had an entitlement to this payment with a yearly average of 24 social insurance contributions at a rate of €207.10. At the time of their application, the person was in receipt of the Increase for a Qualified Adult allowance on their spouse's State Pension...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (13 Jun 2023)

Heather Humphreys: Carer's Allowance 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 claims are in payment, my Department periodically reviews them to ensure that there is continued entitlement and, if so,...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (13 Jun 2023)

Heather Humphreys: Child Benefit is a universal monthly payment made to families with children up to the age of 16 years. The payment continues to be paid in respect of children until their eighteenth birthday who are in full-time education, or who have a disability. Estimated expenditure on the scheme will be approximately €2.1 billion in 2023. The €100 Child Benefit bonus payment is payable...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (13 Jun 2023)

Heather Humphreys: The Treatment Benefit Scheme provides dental, optical and aural services to insured workers, the self-employed, retired people and their dependent spouse/partner who have the required number of social insurance (PRSI) contributions. The person concerned does not qualify for treatment benefit in her own right as she paid a class of PRSI contribution which is not reckonable for treatment...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (13 Jun 2023)

Heather Humphreys: Child Benefit is a universal monthly payment made to families with children up to the age of 16 years. The payment continues to be paid in respect of children until their eighteenth birthday who are in full-time education, or who have a disability. Estimated expenditure on the scheme will be approximately €2.1 billion in 2023. There are currently no plans to extend Child Benefit in...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (13 Jun 2023)

Heather Humphreys: Child Benefit is a universal monthly payment made to families with children up to the age of 16 years. The payment continues to be paid in respect of children until their eighteenth birthday who are in full-time education, or who have a disability. Estimated expenditure on the scheme will be approximately €2.1 billion in 2023. There are currently no plans to extend Child Benefit in...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Data Protection (13 Jun 2023)

Heather Humphreys: On 12th September 2022, my Department implemented a formal Blended Working policy under which staff members may apply for a blended working arrangement, with attendance both in the office and remotely, subject to role suitability and other conditions. The Department's Blended Working Policy was developed in accordance with the Framework for Blended Working for Civil Service Organisations,...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Rural Schemes (13 Jun 2023)

Heather Humphreys: The Local Improvement Scheme, or LIS, supports the improvement of rural roads and laneways that are not normally maintained by local authorities. As part of Our Rural Future, the Government is committed to ensuring that the LIS is funded into the future. The scheme makes an important contribution to connectivity, which I view as an important issue for rural Ireland, whether it be access to...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Rural Schemes (13 Jun 2023)

Heather Humphreys: The Rural Regeneration and Development Fund provides funding for the development and construction of capital projects in towns and villages and rural areas across Ireland. To date, 215 projects have been approved for funding of €398 million for projects costing €545 million. The Fund is central to achieving the objectives and key deliverables of "Our Rural Future" – the...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Communications (13 Jun 2023)

Heather Humphreys: Between 1 May 2022 and 30 April 2023, 96% of the social media videos published on my Department’s social media accounts included closed captioning/subtitling. For the same period, 15% of the social media videos posted on my Department’s social media accounts featured translations into Irish. The corresponding information in relation to the agencies that operate under the remit...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Policies (13 Jun 2023)

Heather Humphreys: While my Department does not have a specific anti-racism policy, all staff are subject to the Dignity at Work policy which is the anti-bullying, harassment and sexual harassment policy for the Irish civil service. This policy defines nine specific discriminatory grounds of harassment, one of which is race. In addition, my Department's Customer Charter and Action Plan states that it's...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Harbours and Piers (13 Jun 2023)

Heather Humphreys: As the Deputy is aware, Galway County Council is the responsible authority for the maintenance and development of Inis Oírr pier. A steering committee consisting of representatives from my Department, Galway County Council and the Consulting Engineers meets regularly to monitor progress on the work being undertaken. Galway County Council published the Compulsory Purchase Order...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Rural Schemes (13 Jun 2023)

Heather Humphreys: Our Rural Future is the most ambitious and transformational policy for rural development in Ireland for decades. It commits to developing an effective rural proofing model to ensure the effects of significant new proposals on rural communities are fully considered, and better target the particular challenges and opportunities facing them. To advance this measure, my officials commissioned...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Harbours and Piers (13 Jun 2023)

Heather Humphreys: As the Deputy is aware, Galway County Council is the responsible authority for the maintenance and development of piers on Inis Meáin. The cargo service to Inis Meáin diverts to Céibh a' Chóra whenever it is not safe for it to berth at Céibh an Chaladh Mór. In recent years a sand bank has accumulated, from time to time, at the mouth of Céibh a' Chóra...