Results 561-580 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Rural Schemes (10 Oct 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Under the 2022 Community Centre Investment Fund, over €45.8 million was committed for improvement and refurbishment works on 861 existing community centres across Ireland. I am happy to confirm that 96 projects totaling almost €4.8 million were allocated funding in Co. Cork under CCIF 2022. In April, I approved funding of €30 million for the construction of 12 new...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Rural Schemes (10 Oct 2024)

Heather Humphreys: My Department has a number of capital programmes designed to help community groups who are carrying out large infrastructural development projects. This includes the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund (RRDF), the Town and Village Renewal Scheme (TVRS), the Community Centre Investment Fund (CCIF), the Community recognition Fund (CRF) and the LEADER programme. The LEADER programme is...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Island Communities (10 Oct 2024)

Heather Humphreys: As the Deputy is aware, Galway County Council is the responsible authority for the maintenance and development of pier infrastructure on the Aran Islands, including on Inis Oírr. There are regular meetings between officials from my department and Galway County Council to discuss and monitor the pier development on the islands. The last meeting was held on Tuesday 24 September, and the...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Rural Recreation Policy (10 Oct 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The LEADER Programme is a key intervention of Our Rural Future, the Government’s Policy for rural development which aims to deliver a range of actions to rural communities over the lifetime of the policy. It supports a broad range of activities which aim to respond to the diversity of the local needs of our rural areas. It is delivered through Local Action Groups (LAGs) across rural...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Island Communities (10 Oct 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The recent announcements made in Budget 2025, regarding free travel for children under nine years of age, relate only to PSO public transport services that are managed by the National Transport Authority (NTA) on behalf of the Department of Transport. Services provided by Iarnród Éireann, Bus Éireann, Dublin Bus, Luas, Go-Ahead Ireland and TFI Local Link are covered by the...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Social Enterprise Sector (10 Oct 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Trading for Impact, the new social enterprise policy puts forward a vision designed to help cultivate and sustain strong, impactful social enterprises in Ireland. This, in turn, will enrich the social, environmental and economic well-being of people living in our communities, both rural and urban. It will further support social enterprises to play a crucial role in promoting social...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals (10 Oct 2024)

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 30th September...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (10 Oct 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Carer's Benefit (CARB) is a payment made to insured people who leave the workforce or reduce their working hours to care for a child or an adult in need of full-time care and attention. To qualify, the carer must satisfy PRSI conditions; employment conditions; show that they are providing full-time care and attention; and must show that the care recipient requires full-time care and...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals (10 Oct 2024)

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 referred to an Appeals Officer on 7th...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Cost of Living Issues (10 Oct 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The Department of Social Protection operates a number of employment support schemes, including Community Employment (CE), Tús, and the Rural Social Scheme (RSS), for long-term unemployed persons which also assist communities across the country in the provision of vital services. Budget 2025 was designed to assist recipients of Social Protection payments through a mix of lump sum...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (10 Oct 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Under the law as currently enacted, entitlement to a Widows, Widowers or Surviving Civil Partner’s Contributory pension is only available to a surviving partner who was party to a marriage or civil partnership. As the Deputy is aware, on 22nd January, the Supreme Court delivered its judgment on the entitlement of an unmarried cohabitant to a Widows, Widowers or Surviving Civil...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Citizens Information Services (10 Oct 2024)

Heather Humphreys: As you will be aware, the Citizens Information Service (CIS) comprises of eight regional companies that are funded by the Citizens Information Board (CIB), the statutory body funded by my Department. As I have stated on many occasions, I absolutely acknowledge and value the important information, advice and advocacy services that the staff of the CIS provide right across the country. I...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pensions (10 Oct 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The State Pension (Non-Contributory) is a means-tested payment for people aged 66 and over, who have a legal right of residence and habitually reside in the State, and who do not qualify for State Pension (Contributory), or only qualify for a reduced-rate contributory pension based on their social insurance record. Social welfare legislation provides that, for social assistance schemes...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Code (10 Oct 2024)

Heather Humphreys: I recently announced that the new Jobseeker's Pay-Related Benefit scheme will be available from 31st March 2025. I have signed the Commencement Order that will allow for the new scheme to become operational from that date. This is a fundamental reform in social policy whereby the amount of benefit a person will get when they become unemployed will be directly linked to their previous...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (10 Oct 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Under the Supplementary Welfare Allowance (SWA) scheme, my Department may make an ANP to help meet essential expenditure which an eligible person could not reasonably be expected to meet from their weekly income. An ANP application can be made for assistance with funeral and burial expenses where there is an inability to pay these costs, in part or in full, by the family of the deceased...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Code (10 Oct 2024)

Heather Humphreys: While my Department has no responsibility for costs associated with inheriting a property, we do, in certain circumstances, provide the Supplementary Welfare Allowance scheme, for those whose means are insufficient to meet their needs and those of their dependants. Under the scheme, the Department may make an ‘additional needs payment’ to meet essential expenditure which a...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Reviews (10 Oct 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Details of capacity reviews conducted by my Department or on behalf of my Department or bodies under its aegis are outlined below: Development of a Strategic Workforce Plan This plan involves the development of a methodology to workforce planning that supports service delivery. The plan will include the development of an approach to digitise back office functions where possible,...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (10 Oct 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Fuel Allowance (FA) may be payable to certain households in receipt of long term social welfare payments. The allowance is subject to a means test and is paid only to those who live alone or with certain exempted people. Only one FA is payable per household. An application for FA was last received from the person concerned on 23 September 2024. The application was refused, as the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (10 Oct 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The Supplementary Welfare Allowance (SWA) scheme which is the safety net within the overall social welfare system, helps eligible people in the State whose means are insufficient to meet their needs and those of their dependents. Supports provided under the SWA scheme can consist of a basic weekly payment, a weekly or monthly supplement in respect of certain expenses, as well as single...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals (10 Oct 2024)

Heather Humphreys: My Department is responsible for the administration and payment of a range of supports to assist an eligible person who is parenting alone including the One-Parent Family Payment and Jobseeker’s Transitional Payment, described below: • One-Parent Family Payment is a payment for parents under 66 years who are parenting without the support of a partner and whose youngest child...