Results 8,461-8,480 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Meetings (16 Nov 2022)

Heather Humphreys: Details of visits to County Clare by the Minister for Rural and Community Development since her appointment to the position in June 2020 are outlined in the table below: Year Number of visits to County Clare Locations visited 2020 0 2021 1 July 2021 – Kilrush, Carrigaholt, Kilmihil, Lissycasey,...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Code (15 Nov 2022)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 360 and 398 together. Budget 2023 has been designed to assist people with cost-of-living increases through a mix of lump sum payments, increases to weekly payment rates and an expansion of the Fuel Allowance scheme. Community Employment is an active labour market programme designed to provide people with an opportunity to engage in useful work within their...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (15 Nov 2022)

Heather Humphreys: Invalidity pension (IP) is a payment for people who are permanently incapable of work because of illness or incapacity and for no other reason and who satisfy the pay related social insurance (PRSI) contribution conditions. The department received a claim for IP from the person concerned on 24 June 2022.  The claim was refused on the grounds that the medical conditions for the scheme...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (15 Nov 2022)

Heather Humphreys: Fuel Allowance is a means-tested payment to assist householders on long-term social welfare payments towards the cost of their heating needs. The main eligibility conditions for receipt of Fuel Allowance are that a person must be in receipt of a qualifying payment, satisfy a means test and live alone or with other qualifying persons.  The current threshold for the fuel allowance...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Medical Aids and Appliances (15 Nov 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The Department’s Medical Appliance scheme, which provides grants to assist in the purchase of hearing aids, is available to those who have the required number of PRSI contributions and is also available to their dependant spouse/partner.  The scheme provides for a €500 grant per ear, towards the purchase of up to two hearing aids every 4 years. The scheme also...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (15 Nov 2022)

Heather Humphreys: Invalidity pension (IP) is a payment for people who are permanently incapable of work because of illness or incapacity and for no other reason and who satisfy the pay related social insurance (PRSI) contribution conditions. To qualify for IP a claimant must, inter-alia, have at least 260 (5 years) paid PRSI contributions since entering social insurance and 48 contributions paid or credited in...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Code (15 Nov 2022)

Heather Humphreys: Covid-19 does not currently constitute a prescribed disease or illness as set out in the Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005 as it does not meet the criteria laid down in the Act. Section 87 (2) of the Act states that a disease or injury shall be prescribed for the purposes of this section in relation to any insured persons, where the Minister is satisfied that— (a) it ought to be...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pensions (15 Nov 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The person concerned reached pension age on 14 November 2020 and applied for State Pension (contributory) on 31 August 2020.   According to the records of my Department, the person has a contribution record of 221 paid full-rate social insurance contributions.  As their contributions fell short of the required 520 paid full-rate contributions to qualify for State Pension...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Community Welfare Services (15 Nov 2022)

Heather Humphreys: I can assure the Deputy that when the Community Welfare Service becomes aware that a customer has an urgent or immediate need, every effort is made to ensure that the person receives a prompt service.  Where possible, this is a same-day service. Community Welfare Officers (CWOs) are available to facilitate urgent and in-person meetings in the Carlow and Kilkenny Intreo Centres, 9am...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Code (15 Nov 2022)

Heather Humphreys: In response to the ongoing cost of living pressures, my Department will spend approximately €1.2 billion in one-off measures during the coming months to help individuals and families through this difficult period.  These measures include the following lump sum payments: - €400 Fuel Allowance lump sum; - November double Child Benefit payment; - €500 Working Family...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Code (15 Nov 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The Government acknowledges the valuable role that family carers play and is fully committed to supporting carers in that role. This commitment is recognised in both the Programme for Government and the National Carers’ Strategy. My department provides a comprehensive package of carers’ income supports including Carer’s Allowance, Carer’s Benefit, Domiciliary...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (15 Nov 2022)

Heather Humphreys: A basic Supplementary Welfare Allowance (SWA) is a weekly means assessed allowance paid to people who do not have enough income to meet their needs and those of their families. According to the records of my Department, an application for a basic SWA was received from the person concerned on 24/08/2022.  Requests for further information in support of the person’s application...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (15 Nov 2022)

Heather Humphreys: According to the records of my Department, the person concerned applied for an Exceptional Needs Payment for three months’ rent arrears in September 2022.  As the matter of these rent arrears is being brought before the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB), the Department cannot progress the claim at this time.  When the outcome of the RTB case is provided to my Department, it...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Code (15 Nov 2022)

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 €366 million in 2022.  The purpose of this payment is to assist these households with their energy costs. In Budget 2023, I announced that, from January 2023, a new means threshold will be introduced for people aged 70...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (15 Nov 2022)

Heather Humphreys: Carer’s benefit (CARB) is a payment made to insured people who leave the workforce or reduce their working hours to care for a person(s) in need of full-time care and attention. A person can be considered to be providing full-time care and attention where they are engaged in employment, self-employment or on training courses for a maximum of 18.5 hours per week and the maximum weekly...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Dental Services (15 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 is qualified for life.  The scheme provides for a free...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (15 Nov 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The person concerned applied for an Exceptional Needs Payment on 14/09/2022.  Further information in support of the person’s application was requested on 05/11/2022.  When this information has been received by my Department the person’s application will be processed promptly, and they will be advised of the outcome in writing.  The delay in requesting additional...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (15 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...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pensions (15 Nov 2022)

Heather Humphreys: State pension payments are paid on Friday of each week, on a 'week-in-advance' basis, with pension entitlement covering the period from the due payment date (Friday) to the following Thursday. My Department makes every effort to prevent over-issue of pension payments, but this is sometimes not possible where the death of a pension recipient occurs in the days immediately prior to their...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Code (15 Nov 2022)

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 €366 million in 2022.  The purpose of this payment is to assist these households with their energy costs. The criteria for Fuel Allowance are framed in order to direct the limited resources available to my Department...