Results 8,081-8,100 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Cost of Living Issues (29 Nov 2022)

Heather Humphreys: I had a good discussion just a couple of hours ago with the Disability Federation of Ireland, DFI, and its member organisations at a strategic general meeting. I was speaking to Mr. John Dolan from DFI. There was positive feedback on the €500 disability support grant. There was recognition that we pushed the door ajar within the system by introducing that payment. We need to keep...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Cost of Living Issues (29 Nov 2022)

Heather Humphreys: To be fair, we have done a good deal of work in supporting people with disabilities. The cost of living double payment was paid to people getting disability allowance, invalidity pension, blind pension, disablement benefit and partial capacity benefit. There was a €500 cost-of-living lump sum. The disability support grant was paid to people in receipt of a long-term disability...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Social Welfare Code (29 Nov 2022)

Heather Humphreys: My Department has no scheme in respect of uillean pipe makers. The legislative provision in the Social Welfare Bill 2022 follows directly on foot of a provision of the Finance Bill 2022, which inserted a new section 216F into the Taxes Consolidation Act 1997. 9 o’clock This new section provides for an exemption from income tax up to €20,000 for certain profits arising from...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Community Welfare Services (29 Nov 2022)

Heather Humphreys: No discretion is being taken away from the community welfare officers, I assure the Deputy, because discretion is needed. In fairness to them, they bring with them not only a lot of experience but also, most importantly, compassion.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Community Welfare Services (29 Nov 2022)

Heather Humphreys: Some people will not qualify, and I think everybody will accept that. Some requests were very vague and may not have been as detailed as they could have been, so the officers were not in a position to decide whether or not the applicants qualified until they got more information. I reassure the Deputy, however, that the community welfare officers will continue to have the discretion they...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Child Maintenance Payments (29 Nov 2022)

Heather Humphreys: I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. I am pleased to have recently published the report of the child maintenance review group, together with my colleague, the Minister, Deputy McEntee. The Government established a child maintenance review group in 2020 to examine a number of issues relating to child maintenance in Ireland and to prepare a report for the Minister for Social...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Child Maintenance Payments (29 Nov 2022)

Heather Humphreys: I know that Deputy Kerrane is passionate about this, and we have had many a good and very constructive discussion on it. Senator Ruane is also passionate about this and has done a lot of work on it also. I met her only recently. In fairness, I have always said I recognise the problem that was there. The Deputy has heard me talk about it before when I have spoken about my time working in a...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Child Maintenance Payments (29 Nov 2022)

Heather Humphreys: For three weeks.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Child Maintenance Payments (29 Nov 2022)

Heather Humphreys: I am very mindful of that. I want to move this on. I want to get the changes made as soon as possible, and administrative issues are being dealt with, specifically the liable relatives and the requirement to prove that the maintenance was sought in going to court. I think we can deal with that fairly quickly, but more work has to be done on the legislative requirements and the impact of...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Cost of Living Issues (29 Nov 2022)

Heather Humphreys: I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. The Indecon cost of disability report identified that additional costs of disability are a wider issue than income supports and run across a number of areas of government. These include housing, equipment, aids and appliances, care and assistance services, mobility, transport, communications, medicines, and additional living expenses. The cost of...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Social Welfare Payments (29 Nov 2022)

Heather Humphreys: I thank the Deputy. I have been in politics for almost 20 years. I have always dealt with local CWOs and to be fair to them they have always done their very best to help people. They give a good service. The delivery of this service is a priority for me and my Department. As of October, more than 75,000 applications for additional needs payments had been processed and awarded. This...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Social Welfare Payments (29 Nov 2022)

Heather Humphreys: Where an application is complete and the required documentation is supplied, it is processed quickly. As I have said previously, where there are delays sometimes it is due to additional information or documentation being requested from the person to support their application. My Department has taken a number of steps to simplify and streamline the process for persons who apply for...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Community Welfare Services (29 Nov 2022)

Heather Humphreys: I am happy to assure the Deputy that every resident in the State, regardless of geography, has access to a community welfare officer in their locality. CWOs are available to facilitate urgent and in-person meetings in more than 50 Intreo centres nationwide, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday to Friday. In addition to meeting citizens in Intreo centres, branch offices, outreach clinics and Department...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Community Welfare Services (29 Nov 2022)

Heather Humphreys: Timelines are in line with where they were pre-pandemic. Generally, where it is clear that a person has an immediate need, every effort is made to ensure he or she receives a payment on the same day. With regard to staffing, there are 412 people across all grades in the community welfare service. In light of the increased volume of applications, and as part of the budget, we secured...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Social Welfare Payments (29 Nov 2022)

Heather Humphreys: I thank Deputy Kerrane for raising this issue. As of 1 October 2022, over 75,000 applications for additional needs payments, ANPs, were processed and payments awarded. This represents a 63% increase in awarded payments compared with the same period in 2021. My Department has already paid an estimated €46 million in ANPs so far this year. Some of this increase can be attributed to...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (29 Nov 2022)

Heather Humphreys: Read the report.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes (29 Nov 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The Deputy will be aware that a final settlement was reached with unions at the end of 2021 to implement a 2008 Labour Court recommendation relating to the provision of a pension scheme for CE supervisors and CE assistant supervisors who are employed by CE scheme sponsoring organisations. The settlement resolves this long-standing issue through the payment of a once off ex-gratia payment to...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Budget 2023 (29 Nov 2022)

Heather Humphreys: As part of Budget 2023, I announced a number of measures in relation to supports provided by my department for carers. These measures acknowledge the important role that family carers play in our society and the particular challenges they face in light of the current cost of living crisis. The measures benefiting family carers directly include: - €500 Cost of Living lump sum payment...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pensions (29 Nov 2022)

Heather Humphreys: 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 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. However, I recognise...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (29 Nov 2022)

Heather Humphreys: 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. The Basic Supplementary Welfare Allowance Scheme (BASI) is a weekly allowance paid to people who do not have enough income to meet their needs and those of their families. Where an...