Results 7,361-7,380 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (19 Jan 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. The payment is made over the winter season at the weekly rate of €33.00 or, if preferred, by way of two lump sum...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (19 Jan 2023)

Heather Humphreys: Jobseekers Allowance and/or Benefit applications can be taken online via MyWelfare. When a decision has been made for the customer, he/she can manage their claim online; some of the services include: - Declare their availability for work - Apply for Holiday - Change an Address - Close Claim MyWelfare is the online home of welfare services. MyWelfare is safe, secure, and accessible anytime,...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Men's Sheds (19 Jan 2023)

Heather Humphreys: In November 2022, I was delighted to announce funding of €800,000 to support Men’s Sheds throughout the country. The initiative will see grants of up to €2,000 provided to over 400 IMSA registered Men’s Sheds nationwide to assist them with running costs such as electricity or insurance bills. The individual grants will be distributed to the over 400 Men’s...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Offshore Islands (19 Jan 2023)

Heather Humphreys: As the Deputy will be aware, the Government is committed to publishing a 10 year policy on island development with associated three year action plans. Indeed the Programme for Government includes a commitment in this regard. I can confirm to the Deputy that I received the draft Islands Policy just before Christmas and I am currently reviewing it with my officials. Once it meets with my...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Pension Provisions (18 Jan 2023)

Heather Humphreys: The Department of Social Protection provides income supports through a mixture of contributory payments (which are based on a person's social insurance record) and means-tested social assistance payments.  The State Pension (Non-contributory) is a means-tested payment for people aged 66 and over, habitually residing in the State, who do not qualify for a State Pension (Contributory), or...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (18 Jan 2023)

Heather Humphreys: According to the records of my Department, the person concerned reached pension age on 17 March 2009.  The Department has no record of an application for the State pension contributory or State Pension non-contributory.  Under current eligibility conditions, an individual must have 520 full-rate paid contributions in order to qualify for standard State pension...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Pension Provisions (18 Jan 2023)

Heather Humphreys: The person concerned reached pension age on 24 August 2022.  According to the records of my department an application for State Pension (contributory) was received on 19 September 2022. The person concerned has a total of 1,431 reckonable paid and credited social insurance contributions from 07 May 1975 to the end of December 2021.  This equates to a yearly average of 30...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Policies (18 Jan 2023)

Heather Humphreys: I was very pleased to publish the Report of the Child Maintenance Review Group in November, together with my colleague the Minister for Justice. The Government established a Child Maintenance Review Group in 2020 to examine a number of issues regarding child maintenance in Ireland and to prepare a report for the Minister for Social Protection on: (i) The current treatment within the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (18 Jan 2023)

Heather Humphreys: In response to the ongoing cost of living pressures, I announced on Budget Day that my Department would spend approximately €1.2 billion on social welfare measures to help individuals and families through this difficult period. This included a range of double payments and lump sum payments that were targeted at those who are most vulnerable including older people, families, carers and...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (18 Jan 2023)

Heather Humphreys: Fuel Allowance is a means-tested payment to assist qualified households with their winter heating costs. The qualifying conditions for the scheme are available on www.gov.ie. Applicants under age 70 must be in receipt of a qualifying payment or an equivalent payment from another country, satisfy a means test and live alone or only with other qualifying persons. The person concerned was...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals (18 Jan 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 a Carer's Allowance appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 8th November...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (18 Jan 2023)

Heather Humphreys: Carer's allowance (CA) 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. I confirm that my Department received an application for Carer's Allowance (CA) from the person concerned on 25...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Properties (18 Jan 2023)

Heather Humphreys: While the building referred to by the Deputy was closed for significant maintenance and upgrade work in April 2022, the Office of Public Works (OPW), which owns the building, advised that a situation had arisen with a requirement to source accommodation for critical units of An Garda Síochána (AGS) in North Dublin at short notice.  This requirement necessitated the sourcing of...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (18 Jan 2023)

Heather Humphreys: Working Family Payment (WFP), formerly Family Income Supplement, 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 the customer must be working a minimum of 38 hours per fortnight in ongoing insurable employment and have at least 1 qualified child who normally resides with them. An...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Community Welfare Services (18 Jan 2023)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 841 and 842 together. The Community Welfare Service (CWS) is committed to providing a quality service to all citizens, ensuring that applications are processed and that decisions on entitlement are made as quickly as possible. Where it is clear that a person has an urgent or immediate need, every effort is made to ensure that the claim is processed on the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Rates (18 Jan 2023)

Heather Humphreys: As part of the Roadmap for Social Inclusion 2020-2025, Government committed to finalising an approach for the benchmarking and indexation of pension payments. A smoothed earnings method to calculating a benchmarked/indexed rate of State Pension payments was also recommended by the Commission on Pensions. In September, I announced a series of landmark reforms to the State Pension system. ...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: School Meals Programme (18 Jan 2023)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 844 and 845 together. The School Meals Programme provides funding towards the provision of food services to some 1,600 schools and organisations benefitting 260,000 children.  The objective of the programme is to provide regular, nutritious food to children to support them in taking full advantage of the education provided to them.  The programme...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (18 Jan 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...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (18 Jan 2023)

Heather Humphreys: Carer's Allowance (CA) is a means-tested social assistance payment, made to persons who are providing full-time care and attention to a person who has a disability such that they require that level of care. It is a condition for receipt of Carers Allowance that the person being cared for must have such disability that they require full-time care and attention.  This is defined as...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Legislative Measures (18 Jan 2023)

Heather Humphreys: My Department is responsible for the legislation underpinning the social welfare code, occupational and private pensions, civil registration and gender recognition, and the Citizens Information Board/Comhairle. Section 7 of the Gender Recognition Act 2015 contains a provision for a review of the operation of the Act.  The review was completed and published in November 2019. Details of...