Results 8,101-8,120 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

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

Heather Humphreys: I announced on Budget Day that the Government will spend €2.2 billion on new Social Protection measures, including over €880 million in order to provide for a €12 increase to the weekly rate of social welfare payments from January 2023. This increase supports recipients across all Social Welfare weekly schemes including pensioners and those of working age. It also...

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

Heather Humphreys: This Government recognises the challenges people are facing with the Cost of Living. That is why we announced the largest social protection Budget package in the history of the State. The Social Protection measures announced in the Budget amounted to almost €2.2 billion. Those measures will make a real difference in terms of protecting our most vulnerable – our pensioners,...

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

Heather Humphreys: The Back to Education Allowance provides income support for jobseekers and others in receipt of certain social welfare payments who pursue courses of education at second or third level. A person may avail of this payment more than once where they meet the criteria for the scheme. People, including women returning to the workplace, wishing to pursue a course of study under the Back to...

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

Heather Humphreys: The Indecon Cost of Disability report identified that additional costs of disability run across a number of areas of expenditure, including housing, equipment, aids and appliances, care and assistance services, mobility, transport, communications, medicines, and additional living expenses. The findings of the research have implications for many areas of public policy. Based on this, one of...

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

Heather Humphreys: Community Welfare Officers (CWO) are available to facilitate urgent and in-person meetings in over 50 Intreo Centres nationwide, 9am – 5pm, Monday to Friday. In addition to meeting citizens in Intreo Centres, Branch Offices and DSP offices, CWOs can facilitate an appointment within a short time of a person requiring such a meeting, at a mutually agreed location, including at the...

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

Heather Humphreys: Farm Assist is a statutory income support specifically for farmers on low-incomes. There are approximately 4,500 claims in payment at present. Government has provided €53.9 million for the scheme for 2022. Further to commitments in the Programme for Government and in the Rural Development Policy 2021-2025, my Department reviewed the means assessment disregards for the Farm Assist....

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

Heather Humphreys: The main income supports to carers provided by my Department include Carer's Allowance, Carer's Benefit, Domiciliary Care Allowance, and the Carer's Support Grant. Spending on these payments in 2022 is expected to exceed €1.5 billion. A more generous means assessment for Carer’s Allowance has been called for over successive Budgets by organisations representing carers. In...

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

Heather Humphreys: The State Pension (Contributory) (SPC) is a PRSI-based pension, financed by contributions made by current workers and their employers, and paid to pensioners, at a rate based upon their PRSI record. Social insurance records include people who have paid contributions at various classes (e.g. Class S and Class A). They also include people who have not contributed for many years or who may now...

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

Heather Humphreys: The Indecon Cost of Disability report identified that additional costs of disability run across a number of areas of expenditure, including housing, equipment, aids and appliances, care and assistance services, mobility, transport, communications, medicines, and additional living expenses. The findings of the research have implications for many areas of public policy. Based on this, one of...

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

Heather Humphreys: The free travel scheme provides free travel on the main public and private transport services for those eligible under the scheme. These include road, rail and ferry services provided by companies such as Bus Átha Cliath, Bus Éireann and Iarnród Éireann, as well as Luas and services provided by over 80 private transport operators. There are approximately 1,050,000...

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

Heather Humphreys: The Indecon Cost of Disability report was prepared following an extensive consultation with disabled people and disability stakeholders. This included one of the largest disability surveys ever undertaken in the State. The report identified that additional costs of disability run across a number of areas of expenditure including housing, equipment, aids and appliances, care and assistance...

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

Heather Humphreys: The Department's public employment services, delivered through Intreo, are available to International Protection applicants with permission to work and to those who been granted refugee status. Employment Services staff engage systematically with refugees who are in receipt of a jobseeker payment and a walk-in service is available to all on a voluntary basis. Public Employment Services...

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

Heather Humphreys: I was pleased that Budget 2023 included a Social Welfare package of almost €2.2 billion. Many of the measures we have taken have been to assist families with children. In recognition of the higher costs associated with older children, a higher rate of Increase for a Qualified Child was introduced in respect of children aged 12 and over in 2019. That has been maintained in each Budget...

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

Heather Humphreys: This Government recognises the challenges people are facing with increases in the cost of living. That is why we announced the largest social protection Budget package in the history of the State. The Social Protection measures announced in the Budget amounted to almost €2.2 billion. Those measures will make a real difference in terms of protecting our most vulnerable – our...

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

Heather Humphreys: Registration of stillbirths in Ireland is voluntary. Access to the register is restricted to the parents of the child or authorised staff of the General Register Office (GRO) to reflect the sensitivity of parents. As a matter of practice, the GRO facilitate access to the register where the parents are unable to do so or are deceased. The General Register Office has recently examined the...

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

Heather Humphreys: Means tests and income thresholds are kept under regular review and a number of significant changes have been made in recent years. In particular, I have introduced a number of changes to means testing which provide for higher income disregards. These disregards ensure that, where people are in receipt of a social assistance payment and are working, a certain level of income from that work...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Cost of Living Issues (29 Nov 2022)

Heather Humphreys: In response to the ongoing cost of living pressures, I announced on Budget Day that my Department will spend approximately €1.2 billion on social welfare measures to help individuals and families through this difficult period. These measures include an Autumn Double Payment, which was paid in mid-October to over 1.4 million people, including pensioners, carers, people with...

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

Heather Humphreys: My Department provides a range of supports to carers, one of which is Carer's Allowance. These payments support individuals who provide care to people in need of full-time care and attention. Carer's Allowance (CA) is a means-tested payment, made to a person who is habitually resident in the State and providing full-time care and attention to a child or an adult who has such a disability...

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

Heather Humphreys: Ongoing regular reviews of internal structure and processes are normal in any operational environment. These routine operational reviews do not involve any change to customer benefits or entitlement but represent normal business process change and refinement. As part of this ongoing process in 2021 my Department reviewed management reporting lines as well as how it organised the processing...

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

Heather Humphreys: I was pleased to announce on Budget Day that a 100% Christmas Bonus will be paid this year benefitting 1.3 million people in receipt of long-term social welfare payments. The Bonus will be paid during the week beginning the 5th of December and will cost approximately €294 million. The Bonus includes payments to pensioners, people with disabilities, carers, lone parents and the...