Results 761-780 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: School Meals Programme (2 Oct 2024)

Heather Humphreys: As announced in Budget 2025, the Hot School Meals Scheme will be extended to all remaining primary schools in 2025. This announcement now means that in total, 3,200 schools and 550,000 children are now eligible for the Hot School Meals Scheme in 2025. The expansion of the Hot School Meals Scheme will increase the School Meals budget by just over €72m to an overall budget of...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (2 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. The criteria for Fuel Allowance are framed in order to direct the limited...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Funding (2 Oct 2024)

Heather Humphreys: I introduced the Community Centre Investment Fund in 2022. Under the 2022 scheme, over €45.8 million was committed for improvement and refurbishment works on 861 existing community centres across Ireland in 2022. I approved funding of €30 million earlier this year for the construction of 12 new community centres across nine counties under CCIF 2023,. In June this year, I...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Citizens Information Services (1 Oct 2024)

Heather Humphreys: As you will be aware, the Citizens Information Service (CIS) comprises of eight regional companies that are funded by the Citizens Information Board (CIB), the statutory body funded by my Department. The Citizens Information Phone Service (CIPS) is also funded by CIB. As I have stated on many occasions, I absolutely acknowledge and value the important information, advice and advocacy...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Irish Sign Language (1 Oct 2024)

Heather Humphreys: As you will be aware, Section 9 of the Irish Sign Language (ISL) Act, 2017 assigns responsibility to the Minister for Social Protection to provide funds to facilitate users of ISL to access "social, educational and cultural events and services (including medical) and other activities". This Scheme does not replace the requirements of public bodies under the ISL Act to provide access to ISL...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (1 Oct 2024)

Heather Humphreys: As part of Budget 2025, I announced that the new Jobseeker's Pay-Related Benefit scheme will be available from 31st March 2025. I have already passed the legislation as part of the Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2024 which sets out the legislative framework for the new scheme. As this is a fundamental reform in social policy, this lead-in time is necessary to provide for...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Staff (1 Oct 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The Department has acknowledged the outcome of the adjudication hearing of 23 February 2024 and has informed Fórsa that it is committed to honouring the decision of the adjudicator dated 29 February. The Department has informed Fórsa that engagement will commence once the sectoral bargaining units referred to below have been finalised. The process of collective bargaining has...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (1 Oct 2024)

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. A person applying for DA may be disallowed on one or more of these conditions. ...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (1 Oct 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Under the law as currently enacted, entitlement to a Widows, Widowers or Surviving Civil Partner’s Contributory pension (and any related payments) is only available to a surviving partner who was party to a marriage or civil partnership. On 22nd January, the Supreme Court delivered its judgment on the entitlement of an unmarried cohabitant to a Widows, Widowers or Surviving Civil...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Code (1 Oct 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Under the law as currently enacted, entitlement to a Widows, Widowers or Surviving Civil Partner’s Contributory pension is only available to a surviving partner who was party to a marriage or civil partnership. As the Deputy is aware, on 22nd January, the Supreme Court delivered its judgment on the entitlement of an unmarried cohabitant to a Widows, Widowers or Surviving Civil...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pensions (1 Oct 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The State Pension (Contributory) is funded from the Social Insurance Fund through the contributions paid by workers. The rate of payment reflects the number of social insurance contributions paid over a working life. Eligibility for the State Pension (Contributory) (SPC) is based on a number of criteria: Being aged 66 or over. Having entered the Social Insurance system 10 years before you...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Gender Equality (1 Oct 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Progress has been made in a number of areas relevant to my Department since publication of the Special Committee's report. This year, my Department’s expenditure on Carer’s Allowance is estimated to be over €1.1 billion, supporting 97,406 people on this payment. I was the first Minister for Social Protection in 14 years to make improvements to the Carer's Allowance...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (1 Oct 2024)

Heather Humphreys: My Department is committed to providing a quality service to all of its customers. This includes ensuring that applications are processed and that decisions on entitlement are made as quickly as possible. Domiciliary Care Allowance (DCA) new claim processing activity, including associated customer requested reviews, is prioritised on an ongoing basis with particular focus on processing...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic (1 Oct 2024)

Heather Humphreys: My Department continues to provide a suite of income supports to those who cannot work due to illness or disability. These supports are available to people with COVID-19 and long COVID. Eligibility for these payments is generally not dependent on the type of illness or disability but on the extent to which a particular illness or disability impairs or restricts a person’s capacity to...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (1 Oct 2024)

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. An application for DA in respect of the person concerned was received on 08 February 2024...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Citizens Information Services (1 Oct 2024)

Heather Humphreys: As you will be aware, the Citizens Information Service (CIS) comprises of eight regional companies that are funded by the Citizens Information Board (CIB), the statutory body funded by my Department. The Citizens Information Phone Service (CIPS) is also funded by CIB. As I have stated on many occasions, I absolutely acknowledge and value the important information, advice and advocacy...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Animal Welfare (1 Oct 2024)

Heather Humphreys: I am aware of some reports in the media in relation to XL Bully type dogs that have been abandoned or allowed to stray. There are provisions within the Control of Dogs Act to deal with any owner found to be abandoning their dog or allowing it to roam, and these provisions will be fully enforced. Any dog found straying, or abandoned, will be seized by a dog warden or a member of An Garda...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Animal Welfare (1 Oct 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The XL Bully type dog ban comes into force in two stages beginning today, the 1st October 2024, with a full ownership ban coming into force on the 1st February 2025. The period between these two dates will allow current XL Bully type dog owners time to apply for a Certificate of Exemption from their local authority to permit them to keep their dog until the end of its natural life. There...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Community Development Projects (1 Oct 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The Rural Regeneration and Development Fund (RRDF) is a major programme of investment, established under the National Development Plan, to support large-scale, ambitious projects which can achieve sustainable economic and social development in rural areas. The Fund was designed to deliver on the National Strategic Objective in the National Development Plan to Strengthen Rural Economies and...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Communications (1 Oct 2024)

Heather Humphreys: I can confirm to the Deputy that neither I, nor my Department, has received or sent any correspondence to or from Eirgrid, ESB, ESB Networks, or major projects in relation to the North South Interconnector since taking office.