Results 861-880 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pensions (24 Sep 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The State Pension (Contributory) is funded from the Social Insurance Fund through the contributions paid by workers. The rate of payment reflects the number of social insurance contributions paid over a working life. However, it is recognised that people may have periods out of the workforce for reasons such as caring responsibilities, including foster caring. Accordingly, once a person has...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (24 Sep 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Disability Allowance and Carers' Allowance payments are part of the system of social assistance supports that provide payments based on an income need. The means test plays a critical role in determining whether or not an income need arises as a consequence of a particular contingency – such as unemployment, disability or caring. This ensures that resources are targeted to those who...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (24 Sep 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Under the supplementary welfare allowance scheme, my Department may make Additional Needs Payments to help meet essential expenses that a person cannot pay from their weekly income. This is an overarching term used to refer to exceptional and urgent needs payments, and certain supplements to assist with ongoing or recurring costs that cannot be met from the customer’s own resources,...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (24 Sep 2024)

Heather Humphreys: There is a range of supports provided by the Community Welfare Service (CWS) under the Supplementary Welfare Allowance (SWA) scheme. These supports can consist of a basic weekly payment, a weekly or monthly supplement in respect of certain expenses, as well as single Additional Needs Payments (ANPs). My Department may make an ANP to help meet essential expenditure which an eligible person...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (24 Sep 2024)

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. The key role of my department is to provide income supports where an income need may arise due to unemployment, illness/disability and caring...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Supreme Court Rulings (24 Sep 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Under the law as currently enacted, entitlement to a Widows, Widowers or Surviving Civil Partner’s Contributory pension is only available to a surviving partner who was party to a marriage or civil partnership. On 22nd January, the Supreme Court delivered its judgment on the entitlement of an unmarried cohabitant to a Widows, Widowers or Surviving Civil Partner’s Contributory...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (24 Sep 2024)

Heather Humphreys: In order to be eligible for a Jobseekers's payment a person must satisfy all conditions including the requirement to genuinely seek employment. To satisfy this condition, it is necessary for the person to demonstrate that they have taken some positive action and are making genuine efforts to secure employment. All schemes operated by my Department are subject to ongoing control reviews and...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Rural Schemes (24 Sep 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Last year, I secured a package of almost €2.3 billion for Social Protection measures as part of Budget 2024. This represented the largest Budget package for the Department of Social Protection in the history of the State. This package provided vital and much needed support our pensioners, carers, people with disabilities, lone parents and families. As part of this package, I...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Parental Leave (24 Sep 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Parental Leave allows both parents to take 26 weeks unpaid leave for each eligible child before their twelfth birthday, or their sixteenth birthday if the child has a disability or long-term illness. My colleague the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth holds responsibility for Parental Leave. Any decision regarding the introduction of Parental Benefit would...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Priorities (24 Sep 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The Government is committed to supporting older people to access timely, high-quality, person-centred, integrated care in the most appropriate setting and to supporting positive ageing across the lifecourse. In delivering my department's mission of supporting and enabling individuals to achieve their potential in Irish society, we are guided by our Customer Charter which sets out the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: School Meals Programme (24 Sep 2024)

Heather Humphreys: As Minister, I have grown the Hot School Meals Programme from a small pilot project to a nationwide programme now approved in 2,200 primary schools nationwide. In April 2024, my Department contacted the remaining 1,000 primary schools, who have not yet joined the Hot School Meals scheme, asking them if they wished to submit an expression of interest in commencing the provision of Hot School...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (24 Sep 2024)

Heather Humphreys: My Department has a number of supports in place to assist lone parents to obtain or retain employment. The One-Parent Family Payment (OPFP) is a means tested payment for lone parents, under 66, whose youngest child is under seven. When the youngest child is aged between 7 and 14 a lone parent can avail of the Jobseeker’s Transitional Payment (JST) which is a means-tested payment....

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (24 Sep 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The Carer’s Allowance is the main scheme by which the Department provides income support to carers in the community. In 2024 the expenditure on the Carer’s Allowance scheme is estimated to be over €1.1 billion. Eligibility for Carer’s Allowance involves satisfying a means test. Means tests are an essential component of our social welfare system - they help to...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pensions (24 Sep 2024)

Heather Humphreys: My Department makes several payments to people over the age of 66. One of these is the State Pension (Contributory), which has a number of qualifying criteria, including having a minimum of 520 paid social insurance contributions. Where a person meets the qualifying criteria, the rate of payment is calculated based on the number of contributions, paid and credited. As the actuarial value of...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: School Meals Programme (24 Sep 2024)

Heather Humphreys: I have grown the Hot School Meals Programme from a small pilot project to a nationwide programme now approved in 2,200 primary schools nationwide. Currently there are 197 primary schools in Cork eligible for Hot School Meals. A list of the schools is contained in the attached Tabular Statement. In April 2024, my Department contacted the remaining 1,000 primary schools, who have not yet...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Rates (24 Sep 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Age-related rates apply to jobseekers aged 18 to 24 years to prevent long-term welfare dependency by encouraging participation in training and employment programmes. Where a young jobseeker participates in approved full-time education or training, they will receive the standard weekly maximum rate of payment of €232. If they participate on the Work Placement Experience Programme the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (24 Sep 2024)

Heather Humphreys: A person in receipt of Jobseeker’s Allowance or Jobseeker’s Benefit must satisfy all the conditions for the payment including being available for and genuinely seeking work. To satisfy this condition, it is necessary for the person to demonstrate that they have taken some action and made genuine efforts to secure employment. The person must be able to show that they have taken...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Disability Services (24 Sep 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Firstly, I want to state that I value the important advocacy services that the National Advocacy Service (NAS) provides to adults with disabilities across the country and I am fully supportive of fair pay for these workers. The National Advocacy Service for People with Disabilities (NAS) is a Company Limited by Guarantee, and a registered charity. It is funded to provide services on behalf...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Budget 2025 (24 Sep 2024)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 53 and 272 together. Child Benefit is a monthly payment made to families with children up to the age of 16 years. The payment continues to be paid in respect of children until their 19th birthday where they are in full-time education or have a disability. The extension of Child Benefit to 18 year olds was one of my key priorities in Budget 2024 and I am very...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Air Services (24 Sep 2024)

Heather Humphreys: As the Deputy is aware, the airstrips on Inishbofin and at Cleggan on the mainland are currently unlicensed, and bringing them into compliance with the requirements of the Irish Aviation Authority would require significant investment to make them operational. This would include the provision of fire fighting vehicles, equipment and training, and could also require the construction of terminal...