Results 6,601-6,620 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Pension Provisions (21 Mar 2023)

Heather Humphreys: Invalidity Pension (IP) is payable to a person who satisfies certain Pay Related Social Insurance (PRSI) contribution conditions and who is permanently incapable of work due to an illness or incapacity and for no other reason. A person is regarded as being permanently incapable of work if: - for the period of one year immediately before the date of application the person had been...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (21 Mar 2023)

Heather Humphreys: The process in respect of all jobseeker's payments including part-time workers and early years educators in the educational sector is kept under review. In general, there is no delay in processing jobseeker benefit claims if the relevant claim application forms and supporting documentation are completed by the customer in a timely manner. Seasonal workers including early years...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (21 Mar 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 confirm that my department received an application for DA from the person concerned on...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (21 Mar 2023)

Heather Humphreys: The main social welfare schemes for people who are unable to find full-time employment are the social insurance contribution-based Jobseeker's Benefit and the means-tested Jobseeker's Allowance. These schemes allow a person to work up to three days per week, where they are fully unemployed for at least four in any seven consecutive days. Among the qualifying conditions for both schemes are...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (21 Mar 2023)

Heather Humphreys: Domiciliary Care Allowance (DCA) is payable in respect of a child aged under 16, who has a severe disability or condition and requires ongoing continual or continuous care and attention in the home, substantially in excess of that normally required by a child of the same age and the child must be likely to require this level of care and attention for at least 12 consecutive months....

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (21 Mar 2023)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 835 and 844 together. My Department provides two main payment options for its customers: payment in cash at post offices or payment directly into customer accounts by Electronic Fund Transfer (EFT). Last year, 70% of all Social Welfare payments were made by EFT and 29.5% were by cash collection at post offices. A small number of ad hoc payments were also...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (21 Mar 2023)

Heather Humphreys: I am very aware of the difficulties and additional costs that the blind and visually impaired face due to their disability. To help with these costs my Department already has a range of supports available, subject to satisfying the relevant qualification criteria. The Blind Pension is one of these supports. The Blind Pension is a means-tested payment paid to blind and visually impaired...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (21 Mar 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. There are three types of free travel pass available under the Free Travel Scheme. The first is the single type pass which...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (21 Mar 2023)

Heather Humphreys: A living alone increase is an extra payment for people who live alone, are aged 66 years or over, and are receiving certain social welfare payments. These payments include state pension (contributory and non-contributory), widow(er)’s or surviving partner’s contributory pension, widow(er)’s pension under the occupational injuries benefit scheme, incapacity supplement...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (21 Mar 2023)

Heather Humphreys: An application for fuel allowance was received from the person concerned on 1 March 2023. The payment was awarded with effect from 3 March 2023, the first Friday following receipt of the person's application. The person was notified of this decision in writing. Backdating of the payment may be considered where the person concerned provides an explanation as to why they were unable until...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (21 Mar 2023)

Heather Humphreys: Fuel Allowance is awarded from the first Friday following receipt of the fuel application. An application for Fuel Allowance was received on 7 February 2023. The Fuel Allowance was awarded from 10 February 2023, in line with current guidelines. The person concerned was notified in writing on 6 March 2023. In relation to backdating of the Fuel allowance, payments may be backdated where an...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (21 Mar 2023)

Heather Humphreys: The Social Welfare Appeals Office functions independently of the Minister for Social Protection and of the Department and is responsible for determining appeals against decisions in relation to social welfare entitlements. I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that an Appeals Officer, having fully considered all of the available evidence, decided to disallow the appeal of the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (21 Mar 2023)

Heather Humphreys: The Social Welfare Appeals Office functions independently of the Minister for Social Protection and of the Department and is responsible for determining appeals against decisions in relation to social welfare entitlements. The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an invalidity pension appeal by the person concerned was received in that office on 24 October 2022. The appeal...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (21 Mar 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. Fuel Allowance operates as part of an overall system of social protection...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (21 Mar 2023)

Heather Humphreys: The current State Pension (Contributory) system gives significant recognition to those whose work history includes an extended period outside the paid workforce, often to raise families or to provide another full-time caring role. Applicants for the State Pension (Contributory) have their entitlement assessed under two separate criteria, receiving a payment based on whichever method is...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (21 Mar 2023)

Heather Humphreys: The Department operates a range of means-tested social assistance payments. The means test takes account of the income and assets of the person (and spouse / partner, if applicable) applying for the relevant scheme. Income and assets include income from employment, self-employment, occupational pensions, maintenance payments as well as property owned (other than the family home) and capital...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (21 Mar 2023)

Heather Humphreys: The Social Welfare Appeals Office functions independently of the Minister for Social Protection and of the Department and is responsible for determining appeals against decisions in relation to social welfare entitlements. I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that an Appeals Officer, having fully considered all the evidence available, disallowed the invalidity pension appeal...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Offices (21 Mar 2023)

Heather Humphreys: Customers from the Lucan area currently avail of the Department’s services at the Clondalkin Intreo Centre, including the Community Welfare Service (CWS). The walk-in CWS in Clondalkin Intreo Centre operates alongside the Department’s national CWS contact phone line. This means customers can access CWS services in-person, over the phone and by email. A new online service for...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (21 Mar 2023)

Heather Humphreys: My Department has not issued any letters to its customers requesting them to switch their payment method from cash collection at a post office to payment by Electronic Fund Transfer (EFT) into their account in a financial institution. My Department provides two main payment options for its customers: payment in cash at post offices or payment directly into customer accounts by Electronic...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Employment Support Services (21 Mar 2023)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 851, 852 and 853 together. The Intreo Partners Local Area Employment Service (IPLAES) provides support to long-term unemployed people, especially those most distant from the labour market and others considered by the Department to warrant the provision of intensive employment support services. A Request for Tenders (RFT) for the IPLAES was published on...