Results 41-60 of 798 for 5 million speaker:Heather Humphreys

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Rural Schemes (14 Nov 2023)

Heather Humphreys: The Town and Village Renewal Scheme (TVRS) is one of a number of measures designed to rejuvenate rural towns and villages throughout Ireland. Since its launch in 2016, over €156 million has been allocated to more than 1,700 projects supporting towns and villages across the country. As committed in Our Rural Future, Ireland's rural development policy, TVRS priorities are reviewed at...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Rural Schemes (14 Nov 2023)

Heather Humphreys: ...that the LIS is funded into the future. LIS was reintroduced by my Department in 2017 following a number of years with no dedicated funding. Since 2017, my Department has allocated almost €130 million to the scheme, which has upgraded some 4,000 non-public roads and lanes, benefiting over 16,000 landowners and residents in these rural areas. In 2023, Meath received a total...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Library Services (14 Nov 2023)

Heather Humphreys: On 4th November, I announced funding of €1.3 million for the provision of new computers, laptops, iPads and other information and communication technology (ICT) in public libraries across the country. This funding will support the new public library strategy, ‘The Library is the Place’,which was launched in July, and it will enable public libraries to replace outdated...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (14 Nov 2023)

Heather Humphreys: ...year-olds in full-time education was one of my key priorities as part of Budget 2024. The measure is expected to benefit approximately 60,000 18 year olds each year at an estimated cost of €21.6 million in 2024. With many children now starting primary school at age 5, together with the increase in pupils doing transition year, there has been an increase in the number of...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (14 Nov 2023)

Heather Humphreys: ...year-olds in full-time education was one of my key priorities as part of Budget 2024. The measure is expected to benefit approximately 60,000 18 year olds each year at an estimated cost of €21.6 million in 2024. With many children now starting primary school at age 5, together with the increase in pupils doing transition year, there has been an increase in the number of...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Funding (14 Nov 2023)

Heather Humphreys: The focus of the 2022 Community Centres Investment Fund was the improvement and refurbishment of existing community centres across Ireland. Over €45.8 million has been committed to this important refurbishment work. This year the focus of the Fund moved tonew builds.I want to assist community groups striving to build their own community centre to service local needs. In March, I was...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (7 Nov 2023)

Heather Humphreys: ...year-olds in full-time education was one of my key priorities as part of Budget 2024. The measure is expected to benefit approximately 60,000 18 year olds each year at an estimated cost of €21.6 million in 2024. With many children now starting primary school at age 5 together with the increase in pupils doing transition year, there has been an increase in the number of...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Social Welfare Payments (24 Oct 2023)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 57, 84 and 101 together. As part of budget 2024, I secured a €2.3 billion social protection package. This is, for the second year in a row, the largest in the history of the State. This package provides a mixture of exceptional cost-of-living payments delivered over the coming weeks, along with an across-the-board €12 weekly rate increase...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Schemes (24 Oct 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. As part of Budget 2024 I was particularly pleased to extend my Department’s Free Travel Pass to support people who are...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Data (17 Oct 2023)

Heather Humphreys: ...to state that the Irish labour market is performing extremely well. The employment rate has been rising and now stands at 74.2 per cent, the highest in the history of the series, with over 2.6 million people in employment. Since Q4 2021 the unemployment rate has been below 5 per cent - beyond this level the economy is conventionally considered to be at full employment. Currently,...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Schemes (26 Sep 2023)

Heather Humphreys: ...community-based organisations, of personal alarms or pendants. This scheme is open to applications at all times. The Scheme to Strengthen and Support Volunteeringprogramme has a budget of €6.5 million in 2023. This fund supports the network of 29 Volunteer Centres across the country as well as a number of national volunteer-supporting organisations including Volunteer Ireland,...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Forestry Sector (13 Jul 2023)

Heather Humphreys: ...ensure that there is a joined up and coordinated approach to deliver maximum impact from the significant investment in the sector and to build on the natural advantages in place. In May 2022, I announced €15 million of funding for Coillte as part of a new five year strategic partnership between my Department and Coillte to enhance outdoor recreational facilities on Coillte-owned...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Data (15 Jun 2023)

Heather Humphreys: ...to the employer. The current average number of hours worked by participants in the Wage Subsidy Scheme is 31 hours per week. Over the past five years, the Wage Subsidy Scheme has paid just under €101 million to employers. The following table provides a breakdown of the Wage Subsidy Scheme drawn down by employers per year, the number of employers availing of the scheme and the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: General Register Office (14 Jun 2023)

Heather Humphreys: ..., may search the indexes to the registers held by GRO and purchase photocopies of entries in the registers. The research room holds bound volumes of indexes to the registers of births (since 1865), adoptions (since 1953), deaths (since 1865) and marriages (since 1844). Each volume represents a specific period of registrations and a customer, upon payment of the required fee, can look...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Schemes (14 Jun 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. As part of the “Make Work Pay” initiative, persons who move directly from certain long term Social Protection...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Vacant Sites (13 Jun 2023)

Heather Humphreys: ...designed to tackle vacancy and dereliction in rural Ireland. The original closing date for receipt of applications under the building acquisition measure was 28 April 2023 but this was extended to 5 May 2023 in response to requests from local authorities to extend the deadline. A total of 35 applications valued at just over €8 million were received from 22 local authorities. This...

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

Heather Humphreys: Last November, I was delighted to launch the 2022 Community Support Fund (CSF) under the Community Enhancement Programme, with funding of €10 million to assist local community and voluntary groups across the country with a multitude of costs including energy and utility bills, other operating costs, minor upgrade works and small capital purchases. The CSF funding is administered on...

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

Heather Humphreys: Our Rural Future represents the Irish Government’s blueprint for the development of rural Ireland over the next 5 years. It sets out a range of actions for delivery across Government, and sets the strategic framework for the delivery of capital investment under my Department's Rural Development Investment Programme. Over €64.2 million in funding has been allocated by my...

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

Heather Humphreys: Our Rural Future, Ireland's Rural Development Policy 2021 – 2025 sets out an overarching vision for a thriving rural Ireland which is integral to our national economic, social, cultural and environmental well-being and development. My Department's mission is to promote rural and community development and to support vibrant, inclusive and sustainable communities throughout Ireland. We...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Funding (24 May 2023)

Heather Humphreys: ...areas that have experienced significant levels of depopulation over a defined period. Since the CLÁR Programme was relaunched in 2016, it has supported a wide range of measures. Funding of over €57 million has been approved for almost 2,100 projects since its relaunch. I launched CLÁR 2023 on 29 March 2023 and the measures to be funded are:Developing Community Facilities...