Results 681-700 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (8 Oct 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Matters related to foster caring, including any criteria relating to work and specific financial supports, are the responsibility of my colleague, the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, and Tusla. The Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance scheme provides a once-off payment to eligible families to assist with the costs of clothing and footwear when...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (8 Oct 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Fuel Allowance is a payment to help eligible people with the cost of heating their home from 23 September 2024 until 4 April 2025. The Fuel Allowance is payable to people who satisfy the conditions of the scheme and who either live alone or only with certain qualified people living at their address. Individuals under the age of 70 must be in receipt of a qualifying payment to apply for...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (8 Oct 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Working Family Payment (WFP) is a weekly in-work support which provides an income top-up for employees on low earnings with children. To qualify for Working Family Payment, a person must have at least one qualified child who normally resides with them and be working a minimum of 38 hours per fortnight in ongoing insurable employment. Budget 2025 included an increase, from January 2025, in...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Correspondence (8 Oct 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Primary weekly social welfare payments are intended to enable recipients to meet their basic day-to-day income needs. In addition to these primary payments, my Department also provides a range of other payments on a weekly, monthly, or less frequent basis. These payments are considered secondary in nature and cannot be made available to those who are not in receipt of a primary payment....

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (8 Oct 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The Treatment Benefit Scheme provides dental, optical, aural and hair replacement products and services to insured workers, the self-employed, retired people and their dependent spouse/partner who have the required number of social insurance (PRSI) contributions. To qualify for treatment benefit, the person concerned must satisfy the condition of having a total of 260 paid contributions at...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pensions (8 Oct 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The person concerned reached pension age 66 on 9 May 2019. According to the records of my Department a letter issued to the person concerned in December 2018 advising them that they may qualify for a State Pension (contributory) (SPC) and how to apply for this pension. The person concerned applied for SPC on the 12 July 2022. A reduced rate SPC was awarded. This is based on a yearly...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (8 Oct 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Carer's Allowance is a means-tested social assistance payment made to a person who is habitually resident in the State and who is providing full-time care and attention to a child or an adult who has such a disability that as a result they require that level of care. Means are any income belonging to the carer and their spouse / civil partner / cohabitant, property (except their own home)...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals (8 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 28th June 2024....

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals (8 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. The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered on the 19th June 2024. It is a...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals (8 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 27th August...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Legislative Process (8 Oct 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The Industrial Relations (Provisions in Respect of Pension Entitlements of Retired Workers) Bill 2021 is a Private Members’ Bill and it is a matter for the sponsoring deputies to progress the Bill. The Bill is primarily focused on amending industrial relations-related legislation. As such, the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, which has overall policy responsibility...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals (8 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. I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that an Appeals Officer, having fully considered all of the available evidence,...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals (8 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 Appeals Officer, having fully considered all of the available evidence,...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (8 Oct 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The Government acknowledges the valuable 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 main income supports to carers provided by my department are Carer’s Allowance, Carer’s Benefit, Domiciliary Care Allowance and the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Code (8 Oct 2024)

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 €382 million in 2024. The purpose of this payment is to assist these households with their energy costs. Only one allowance is paid per household. In 2017 my Department introduced the option that Fuel Allowance recipients may...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Health Services Staff (8 Oct 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The Household Benefits Package comprises the electricity or gas allowance, and the free television licence. The Department of Social Protection will spend approximately €294 million this year on the Household Benefits Package for over 529,000 customers. It is not the case that those who were subject to the D class stamp do not have access to any of these benefits. The Free...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Employment Schemes (8 Oct 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The Wage Subsidy Scheme (WSS) gives financial incentives to private sector employers to employ people with a disability. The work offered must be for a minimum of 15 hours per week and the subsidy is available up to 39 hours per week. The objective of the WSS is to increase the likelihood of people with disabilities obtaining and sustaining employment in the open labour market by...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals (8 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. I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that an Appeals Officer, having fully considered all of the available evidence,...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Expenditure (8 Oct 2024)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 311, 312 and 313 together. The Free Travel scheme is available to people over 66 years and to people in receipt of certain social welfare payments who are under 66 years. From 29th July 2024, Free Travel is also available to persons from age 17 to 66 who are medically certified as unfit to drive for a period of at least 12 months. Free Travel recipients must...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (8 Oct 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The Free Travel scheme provides free travel on the main public transport services provided by the State, and some private transport services, for those eligible under the scheme. The Free Travel Scheme is available to all people aged over 66 living permanently in the State. Applicants who are under 66 must be in receipt of a qualifying payment in order to qualify for the scheme. The...