Results 8,161-8,180 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

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

Heather Humphreys: The Fuel Allowance is a contribution towards the energy costs of a household. The payment of €33 per week for 28 weeks (a total of €924 each year) is paid from late September to April. One of the conditions for receipt of fuel allowance is that a person must satisfy a means test. The fuel allowance means test is linked to the maximum rate of State pension (contributory)....

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

Heather Humphreys: Matters related to foster caring are the responsibility of my colleague, the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth and Tusla. More widely, 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...

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

Heather Humphreys: The person concerned is in receipt of State Pension (contributory) and an Increase for Qualified Adult allowance since 28 September 2006. The State Pension (contributory) awarded was based on a yearly average of 47 contributions. It is paid at the weekly rate of €248.30 plus an additional €10.00 over 80 allowance and the maximum Increase for Qualified Adult allowance of...

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

Heather Humphreys: The increase for Living Alone ceased on 25/05/2022 as the person concerned is no longer residing alone. They were notified in writing of this decision and informed of their right to request a review of this decision or to appeal it to the independent social welfare appeals office (SWAO). I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (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. Once awarded WFP is payable for 52 weeks. At the end of the 52-week period a customer must reapply (renew)...

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

Heather Humphreys: The delivery of crucial community welfare services to meet the challenges and the needs of citizens across the country is a priority for me and for my Department. Staffing levels have been maintained in the Community Welfare Service (CWS) nationwide in recent years, even during times when demands on the service decreased significantly. This reflects my commitment to continue to support the...

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

Heather Humphreys: Overpayments of social welfare assistance and benefit payments arise as a consequence of decisions made under the relevant sections of the Social Welfare (Consolidation) Act, 2005 (as amended). Customers who have been overpaid social welfare have a liability to refund the overpayment as they have been in receipt of a payment to which they were not entitled. Some payments can issue where a...

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

Heather Humphreys: The Fuel Allowance is a contribution towards the energy costs of a household. The payment of €33 per week for 28 weeks (a total of €924 each year) is paid from late September to April. Only one fuel allowance is payable to a household. As the Fuel Allowance is already in payment to another person in the household, the person concerned is not entitled to the allowance. I hope...

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

Heather Humphreys: While the building on the Navan Road was closed for significant maintenance and upgrade work in April 2022, the Office of Public Works (OPW), which owns the building, advised that an urgent situation had arisen where there is a requirement to source emergency accommodation for critical units of An Garda Síochána (AGS) in North Dublin at short notice. This requirement necessitated...

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

Heather Humphreys: Disablement Benefit is part of the Occupational Injuries Benefit scheme. This scheme caters for people injured or incapacitated by an accident at work or while travelling to or from work. The scheme also covers people who have contracted a disease as a result of the type of work they do. Payments under the Occupational Injuries Benefit scheme, including Disablement Benefit, did not...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (29 Nov 2022)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 410, 411 and 412 together. The Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) was introduced in an extremely short period of time in order to cushion the incomes of citizens who had lost their employment following the onset of an unprecedented public health crisis. Within 3 weeks of the payment being launched over 500,000 people had been paid. The delivery of the...

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

Heather Humphreys: 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 who only qualify for a reduced rate contributory pension based on their social insurance record. An application for state pension non-contributory was received from the person concerned on 27 October 2022. On 7...

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

Heather Humphreys: 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 who only qualify for a reduced rate contributory pension based on their social insurance record. For the purposes of the means-test, at initial application stage and throughout the lifetime of the pension claim, an...

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

Heather Humphreys: My Department has introduced an online service which allows customers with verified MyGovID accounts to renew their Public Services Cards (PSCs) through the MyWelfare.ieservice without having to attend an appointment in one of our offices. Just under 37,000 online applications have been made since the beginning of this year. In some cases, there are issues with the photograph submitted and,...

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

Heather Humphreys: The number of recipients of fuel allowance from County Clare for each of the dates requested by the Deputy are included in the attached tabular statement. End of 2020 10,187 End of 2021 9,742 As of November 2022 10,068

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

Heather Humphreys: The Treatment Benefit Scheme provides dental, optical and aural services to insured workers, the self-employed, retired people and their dependant spouse/partner who have the required number of social insurance (PRSI) contributions. The person concerned is entitled to dental benefit under the Department's PRSI scheme and according to the Department’s records, the person concerned...

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

Heather Humphreys: State pension non-contributory is a means-tested payment for people aged 66 and over, legally and habitually residing in the State, who do not qualify for a state pension contributory, or who only qualify for a reduced rate contributory pension based on their social insurance record. For the purposes of the means-test, at application stage and through the lifetime of a claim, an applicant...

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

Heather Humphreys: Medical Appliance benefit can be paid to those PRSI contributors and their dependent spouses with the required number of recorded contributions. The scheme provides for a grant towards the provision of hearing aids and contact lenses required for medical reasons. The number of persons who received a grant to purchase a hearing aid under the Department’s medical appliance scheme in...

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

Heather Humphreys: The Fuel Allowance is a contribution towards the energy costs of a household. The payment of €33 per week for 28 weeks (a total of €924 each year) is paid from late September to April. One of the conditions for receipt of fuel allowance is that a person must satisfy a means test. The fuel allowance means test is linked to the maximum rate of State pension (contributory)....