Results 6,201-6,220 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Schemes (25 Apr 2023)

Heather Humphreys: The CLÁR Programme provides funding under a number of different measures for small-scale infrastructural projects in designated rural 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...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Strategies (25 Apr 2023)

Heather Humphreys: Embracing Ireland’s Outdoors, the new National Outdoor Recreation Strategy 2023-2027,was launched last November. The Strategy was developed in collaboration with Comhairle na Tuaithe and is a collaborative cross-Government, stakeholder-led strategy. It reflects the views of stakeholders, the public and the whole of Government and it sets the stage to strengthen and support the...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Rural Recreation Policy (25 Apr 2023)

Heather Humphreys: Embracing Ireland’s Outdoors, the new National Outdoor Recreation Strategy 2023-2027, was launched in November 2022. It was developed in collaboration with Comhairle na Tuaithe and is a collaborative cross-Government, stakeholder-led strategy. It reflects the views of stakeholders, the public and the whole of Government and it sets the stage to strengthen and support the sustainable...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Island Communities (25 Apr 2023)

Heather Humphreys: As the Deputy will be aware, the Government is committed to publishing an islands policy, in line with the Programme for Government commitment and commitments made in Our Rural Future. I received the initial draft of the policy before Christmas, and since then officials from my Department have engaged intensively with colleagues across Government Departments and agencies to agree firm...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Island Communities (25 Apr 2023)

Heather Humphreys: As the Deputy will be aware, the Government is committed to publishing an islands policy, in line with the Programme for Government commitment and commitments made in Our Rural Future. The process of developing the policy has taken longer than I would have liked, however I am determined to take the time necessary to get it right. I received an initial draft of the policy before Christmas...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Funding (25 Apr 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: Regeneration Projects (25 Apr 2023)

Heather Humphreys: The Town Centre First Policy is a major cross-government policy that supports the objectives of Our Rural Future by aiming at tackling vacancy, combating dereliction and breathing new life into our town centres. It applies to a wide range of towns of all sizes, from village and small towns to large towns with a population of over 10,000. A National Town Centre First Office has now been...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Programmes (25 Apr 2023)

Heather Humphreys: The CLÁR Programme provides funding under a number of different measures for small-scale infrastructural projects in designated rural 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...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Funding (25 Apr 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 Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Application Forms (25 Apr 2023)

Heather Humphreys: Disability Allowance (DA) is a weekly allowance paid to people with a specified disability who are aged 16 or over and under the age of 66. This disability must be expected to last for at least one year and the allowance is subject to a medical assessment, means test and Habitual Residency conditions. I can confirm that the Department received an application for disability allowance...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Grant Payments (25 Apr 2023)

Heather Humphreys: The aim of the Workplace Equipment/Adaptation Grant (WEAG) is to increase the job opportunities for people with a disability by supporting any additional costs, related to the disability, incurred by private sector employers employing or retaining an employee with a disability or self-employed people with a disability. The scheme applies only to the additional costs of adapting workplace...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Pension Provisions (25 Apr 2023)

Heather Humphreys: This Government acknowledges the important contribution that carers provide and is fully committed to supporting them in that role. Accordingly, the current State Pension (Contributory) system gives significant recognition to those whose work history includes an extended period of time outside the paid workplace, often to raise families or to provide another full-time caring role. PRSI...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Schemes (25 Apr 2023)

Heather Humphreys: The Fuel Allowance scheme is a means-tested payment to assist pensioners and other long-term social welfare dependent householders with their winter heating costs. The payment is a contribution towards heating costs; it is not intended to meet these costs in full. Only one Fuel Allowance is payable per household. Those who qualify for the payment do not need to reapply annually. The...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (25 Apr 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. In general, social welfare schemes which involve medical conditionality take the longest time to process. These cases have a number of complex qualifying conditions that can take longer to process. In...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (25 Apr 2023)

Heather Humphreys: Illness Benefit is the main short-term income support provided by this department to those who cannot work due to illness of any kind and who are covered by social insurance. Eligibility for Illness Benefit is based on medical certification and social insurance contribution conditions made. It is paid from the Social Insurance Fund and Pay Related Social Insurance (PRSI) paid under Classes A,...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (25 Apr 2023)

Heather Humphreys: It is understood from clarification received from the Deputy that her constituent would like clarification from the Minister on their Treatment Benefit entitlements under the Social Welfare (Convention on Social Security between the Government of Ireland and the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland) Order 2020. The Convention came into effect on the 31st...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (25 Apr 2023)

Heather Humphreys: The main income supports for carers provided by my department are Carer’s Allowance, Carer’s Benefit, Domiciliary Care Allowance and the Carer’s Support Grant. Spending in 2023 is expected to amount to almost €1.6 billion on these payments. The value of income transfers to family carers has increased by over 50% since 2015. Since my appointment as Minister, I have...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pensions (25 Apr 2023)

Heather Humphreys: Matters related to foster caring are the responsibility of my colleague, the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth and Tusla. More widely, this Government acknowledges the important role that carers play and is fully committed to supporting them in that role. Accordingly, the current State Pension (Contributory) system provides for a range of measures...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (25 Apr 2023)

Heather Humphreys: The social protection system includes a variety of social assistance payments with different rules in relation to means testing, reflecting the different contingencies under which payments are made. The means assessment reflects the fact that there is an expectation that people with reasonable amounts of income or capital are in a position to use these resources to support themselves so that...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pensions (25 Apr 2023)

Heather Humphreys: The Social Welfare Appeals Office functions independently of my Department and is responsible for determining appeals against decisions in relation to social welfare entitlements. The Appeals Office has issued their decision to the person concerned. Arrears due to the person concerned are issuing in line with this decision. My Department has requested a review of the decision to the Chief...