Results 8,121-8,140 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

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

Heather Humphreys: Currently, self-employed social insurance contributors, including men and women farmers, can qualify for a wide range of benefits, including the State Pension (Contributory) and Maternity/Paternity Benefit. Since 2014, and the transposition of EU Directive 2010/41/EU on the application of equal treatment between men and women engaged in self-employment activity, the spouse or civil...

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 provides for a range of measures including PRSI credits, Homemaking Disregards and HomeCaring Periods to recognise caring periods of up to 20 years outside of paid employment in the calculation of a payment rate....

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

Heather Humphreys: Primary responsibility for the development and provision of services to support victims of domestic violence rests with the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth. The accommodation needs of victims of domestic violence are met through a joined-up service delivery model provided by Tusla with the close involvement of housing authorities nationwide and the...

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

Heather Humphreys: The Sign Language Interpreting Service (SLIS) is the national Sign Language Interpreting Service. Established in 2007, SLIS is supported and funded through the Citizens Information Board (CIB). SLIS supports high-quality Irish Sign Language (ISL) interpretation services to ensure Deaf people can access public and social services and take part in Irish society as full and equal citizens. SLIS...

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

Heather Humphreys: People on training courses, having previously been in receipt of a Disability Allowance payment, will receive the €500 Disability Support Grant. My Department has acted very quickly to deliver the Disability Support Grant and other budget measures within an exceptionally short timeframe. Wherever possible, budget measures that are usually implemented in the January to March...

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

Heather Humphreys: Pathways to Work 2021-2025 is the Government’s national employment strategy. The goal of Pathways to Work is to help ensure that as many jobs as possible go to people who are unemployed. One of the strategy’s five key strands is ‘Working for All – Leaving No One Behind’, which has the objective of promoting better labour market outcomes for all, including...

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

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 109, 112 and 133 together. As of October 2022, over 75,000 applications for Additional Need Payments (ANPs) were processed and awarded; this represents a 63% increase in awarded applications compared to 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...

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

Heather Humphreys: My Department provides a suite of income supports for those who are unable to work due to illness or disability. Entitlement to these supports is generally not contingent on the nature of the illness or disability but on the extent to which it impairs or restricts a person’s capacity to work. The two main long-term payments are Disability Allowance and Invalidity Pension. ...

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

Heather Humphreys: In response to the ongoing cost of living pressures, my Department will spend some €1.3 billion this year on cost-of-living supports to help individuals and families through this difficult period. The €500 lump sum payment to those on Disability Allowance, Blind Pension and Invalidity Pension was paid to those receiving these payments earlier this month. However, recipients of...

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

Heather Humphreys: 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 children start or return to school each autumn. The scheme operates from June to September. The allowance is payable for eligible children between the ages of 4 and 17 in respect of whom a qualified child allowance is being paid....

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

Heather Humphreys: 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 who are unable, due to lack of good quality food, to take full advantage of the education provided to them. The programme is an important component of...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (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...

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

Heather Humphreys: The Working Family Payment (WFP) is a weekly tax-free payment for employees with children which supports people in low paid employment. The WFP is designed to prevent in-work poverty for low paid workers with child dependents, and to offer a financial incentive to take up employment. It is a targeted measure that is directly linked to household income and therefore directly supports...

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

Heather Humphreys: In response to the ongoing cost of living pressures, my Department will spend approximately €1.2 billion in social welfare measures this year to help individuals and families through this difficult period. One of these measures is the Autumn Cost of Living Double Payment which was paid to those schemes which are eligible to receive the Christmas Bonus, with one amendment - the...

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

Heather Humphreys: While policy on energy poverty is primarily a matter for the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, I made a number of significant changes in Budget 2023 which will assist low-income households with rising energy costs. A number of considerable reforms were made to the Fuel Allowance scheme with up an estimated 81,000 new households to benefit from the major expansion of...

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

Heather Humphreys: In response to the ongoing cost of living pressures, my Department will spend €1.3 billion this year on cost-of-living supports to help individuals and families through this difficult period. The €500 lump sum payment to those on Disability Allowance, Blind Pension and Invalidity Pension was paid to those receiving these payments in the relevant week in November. Community...

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

Heather Humphreys: I announced on Budget Day that the Government will spend €2.2 billion on 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. Cost of living family supports include: an October cost-of-living double payment, and again in December via the payment of the Christmas...

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

Heather Humphreys: The Programme for Government and the Economic Recovery Plan include commitments to consider a pay-related jobseeker’s benefit scheme. Pathways to Work commits to using the experience from the Pandemic Unemployment Payment to inform the design of such a scheme that may be developed. The introduction of a pay-related benefit for jobseekers would bring Ireland in line with the majority...

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

Heather Humphreys: Illness Benefit is not, and has never been, a qualifying payment for the Christmas Bonus. Illness Benefit is a short-term social welfare scheme which, by its nature, has a high degree of churn with people coming onto the scheme and moving off every week. The duration of claims is often very short. For example, between July and September 2022, almost 115,000 Illness Benefit claims were...