Results 5,801-5,820 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (23 May 2023)

Heather Humphreys: My Department is committed to providing a quality service to all its customers, ensuring that applications are processed and that decisions on entitlement are made as quickly as possible. Disability allowance (DA) is a means tested payment for people with a specified disability who are aged 16 or over and under the age of 66. The applicant must be suffering from an injury, disease,...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Employment Schemes (23 May 2023)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 118 and 512 together. The JobsPlus scheme provides a financial incentive to employers to recruit employees who have either been out of work for long periods or who are young unemployed people. It provides a monthly payment to employers over two years, with two levels of grant payable - €7,500 or €10,000 - provided that the employment is...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Consultations (23 May 2023)

Heather Humphreys: The Indecon Cost of Disability report was prepared following an extensive consultation with disabled people and disability stakeholders. This included one of the largest disability surveys ever undertaken in the State. The report identified that additional costs of disability run across a number of areas of expenditure including housing, equipment, aids and appliances, care and assistance...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (23 May 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: Departmental Policies (23 May 2023)

Heather Humphreys: Where queries arise in relation to specific cases concerning cross border workers who work remotely from home my Department liaises with the relevant bodies pertaining to that case. If the Deputy wishes to provide details of a particular case where difficulties are arising, I will have the matter looked into by my Department and followed-up with other relevant Departments. My Department...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Energy Prices (23 May 2023)

Heather Humphreys: While the State Pension is the main support provided by my Department to older people, my Department also provides further support to those who qualify through the following secondary benefits: -The Fuel Allowance which is a payment of €33 per week for 28 weeks (a total of €924 each year) from late September to April, at an estimated cost of €412 million in 2023. The...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Programmes (23 May 2023)

Heather Humphreys: The Department's Activation and Family Support Programme provides funding to assist local organisations and agencies implement training and education initiatives to address the needs of recipients of welfare payments and their families who are distant from the labour market. The Activation and Family Support Programme provided funding to 10 organisations in 2022 which provided training to...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Public Transport (23 May 2023)

Heather Humphreys: The Free Travel scheme provides free travel on the main public and private transport services for those eligible under the scheme. These include road, rail and ferry services provided by, for example, Bus Átha Cliath, Bus Éireann and Iarnród Éireann, Luas, Local Link and services provided by over 80 private transport operators. At the end of April 2023, there are nearly...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (23 May 2023)

Heather Humphreys: The number of recipients on Social Assistance schemes based on the preliminary DSP April 2023 statistical report is 546,000. These figures are subject to change based on the finalisation of the monthly report. These schemes are generally subject to means testing. Extended DSP Statistics are published quarterly on the Government web site. Finally, I have committed to a carrying out broad...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Code (23 May 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. This support was paid on a similar basis to the Christmas Bonus, including to those on jobseeker's payments or Illness Benefit for over 12 months; with the addition of recipients of the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Code (23 May 2023)

Heather Humphreys: The Government recognises the important role that family carers play in Irish society and is fully committed to supporting them through a range of payments and services. Means tests in my Department are kept under regular review and a number of significant changes have been made in recent years. In particular, I have introduced a number of changes to means testing which provide for higher...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Code (23 May 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: Departmental Reports (23 May 2023)

Heather Humphreys: The Free Travel scheme provides free travel on the main public and private transport services for those eligible under the scheme. There are over one million customers with direct eligibility. The estimated expenditure on free travel in 2023 is €95 million. It is important to note that, in general, access to a free travel pass for those aged under 66 is a secondary benefit linked...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (23 May 2023)

Heather Humphreys: The Free Travel Scheme was introduced in 1967 to promote social inclusion and prevent the isolation of elderly and disabled people by taking advantage of free space on public transport services. The Free Travel Scheme is available to all persons aged over 66 and those under age 66 on certain qualified payments, who are living legally and permanently in the State. The scheme permits those...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Code (23 May 2023)

Heather Humphreys: Domiciliary Care Allowance (DCA) is a monthly allowance payable to a parent/guardian 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 level of care and attention normally required by a child of the same age. DCA ceases to be payable when a child turns 16. A child may...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Code (23 May 2023)

Heather Humphreys: Disability Allowance is structured to support recipients to avail of work opportunities, be that self-employment or insurable employment. Changes made across a range of payments in the last three budgets have targeted employment. Budget 2023 was the third successive budget that the Government has progressively increased earnings disregards, which will see people with disabilities...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Rates (23 May 2023)

Heather Humphreys: The Fuel Allowance is a payment of €33 per week for 28 weeks (a total of €924 each year) from late September to April, at an estimated cost of €412 million in 2023. The purpose of this payment is to assist these households with their energy costs. Only one allowance is paid per household. The Fuel Allowance is paid to social welfare recipients such as pensioners, people...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Code (23 May 2023)

Heather Humphreys: The Department of Social Protection has an important role in supporting those who are most vulnerable in society. It is important to note that the Commission for the Regulation of Utilities is running a public campaign informing people of their rights if they are struggling with utility payments. It also notifies people that providers are willing and obliged to work with them on a...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Gender Recognition (23 May 2023)

Heather Humphreys: The Gender Recognition Act 2015 makes provision for a person to legally apply to have their preferred gender recognised by the State through the provision of a gender recognition certificate. The Act provides for the male gender and the female gender.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Legislative Measures (23 May 2023)

Heather Humphreys: The General Scheme of a Bill to amend the Gender Recognition Act was referred to the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection, Community and Rural Development and the Islands for pre-legislative scrutiny by my predecessor in 2019. It is not possible at present to indicate a specific timeframe for when this process will be complete. There have been no meetings between officials and...