Results 9,001-9,020 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (13 Oct 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 allowance represents a contribution towards the energy costs of a household. Only one allowance is paid per household....

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (13 Oct 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The system of social assistance supports provides 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 disability, unemployment or caring. This ensures that the recipient has a verifiable income need and that resources are targeted to those who need them most....

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Disability Services (13 Oct 2022)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 40 and 72 together. As stated in the 2021 Indecon Cost of Disability report, measures to address the additional costs of disability should be based on a multi-faceted approach involving increased cash payments, enhanced access to service provision and specific targeted grant programmes. The report also made clear that the cost of disability has implications...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (13 Oct 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The system of social assistance supports provides 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 disability, unemployment or caring. This ensures that the recipient has a verifiable income need and that resources are targeted to those who need them most....

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Budget 2023 (13 Oct 2022)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 43 and 45 together. 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 allowance represents a contribution towards the energy costs of a...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Disability Services (13 Oct 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The Roadmap for Social Inclusion 2020 – 2025 includes a commitment to develop and consult on a ‘strawman’ proposal for the restructuring of long-term disability payments to simplify the system and take account of the concerns expressed in the Make Work Pay report. The Cost of Disability research report was published by my Department in December 2021, which is feeding...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (13 Oct 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. The means test for Carer’s Allowance not only ensures that the recipient has a verifiable income need but that resources are targeted to those...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Energy Prices (13 Oct 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The Government is acutely aware of the impact that the recent increases in global energy prices is having on households. This is why the Government introduced a €2.4 billion package of supports in 2022 and a package of one-off measures worth €2.5 billion in the Budget 2023 cost of living package. This includes a new Electricity Cost Emergency Benefit Scheme through which...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Citizens Information Services (13 Oct 2022)

Heather Humphreys: It is important to recognise and protect the statutory independence of the Citizens Information Board and the separation between it and the eight independent regional Citizen Information Service (CIS) companies, which it funds, and which operate the national network of Citizens Information Centres on its behalf. Section 7(1) of the Comhairle Act charges CIB with the provision of...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (13 Oct 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. One of these measures is the Autumn Cost of Living Double Payment. This will be paid to those schemes which are eligible to receive the Christmas Bonus, with one...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Budget 2023 (13 Oct 2022)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 53 and 55 together. 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 allowance represents a contribution towards the energy costs of a...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Rural Schemes (13 Oct 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The Fuel Allowance is a payment of €33 per week for 28 weeks (a total of €924 each year) from early 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 allowance represents a contribution towards the energy costs of a household. Only one allowance is paid per household....

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Budget 2023 (13 Oct 2022)

Heather Humphreys: I announced on Budget Day that the Government will spend more than €2.1 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. This supports both pensioners and those of working age and includes a proportionate increase for qualified adults. This is the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (13 Oct 2022)

Heather Humphreys: My Department is committed to providing a quality service to all customers, ensuring that claims are processed as quickly as possible and that backlogs are kept to a minimum. Processing times for new applications vary across schemes, depending on the differing qualification criteria. Schemes that require a high level of documentary evidence from the customer, particularly in the case of...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Budget 2023 (13 Oct 2022)

Heather Humphreys: I am pleased that Budget 2023 includes a social welfare package of almost €2.2 billion. This extensive package includes measures in relation to the Working Family Payment which is an in-work support which provides an income top-up for employees on low earnings. The Working Family Payment is designed to prevent in-work poverty for low paid workers with child dependents, and to...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (13 Oct 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The Commission on Taxation and Welfare Report states that further social welfare individualisation is necessary, specifically in relation to qualified adults whose partners are in receipt of means-tested social assistance benefits. In preparing this recommendation, the Commission had regard to the recent work by NESC and the report of the Citizens Assembly on Gender Equality. The...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (13 Oct 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 allowance represents a contribution towards the energy costs of a household. Only one allowance is paid per household....

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes (13 Oct 2022)

Heather Humphreys: Following a recent competitive tendering process run by my Department in accordance with EU procurement rules, 17 community and voluntary sector organisations were successful and were awarded contracts to provide the new Intreo Partners Local Area Employment Service (IPLAES). This replaces Local Employment Service and Job Club contracts. All 17 of these contracts are now in place and the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Cost of Living Issues (13 Oct 2022)

Heather Humphreys: In response to the on-going cost-of-living pressures, as part of Budget 2023, I secured a social welfare package of more than €2.1 billion, the largest Social Protection package in the history of the state, including: - The Autumn Cost-of-Living Double Week Payment to most Social protection schemes which will be paid during the week commencing 17th of October 2022; - The Double Payment...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Domestic Violence (13 Oct 2022)

Heather Humphreys: My Officials worked closely with Officials in the Department of Children, Equality and Youth on the development of the Domestic Violence Leave Report. I welcome the report’s key recommendation that a form of domestic violence leave be introduced. Once the Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill is enacted, those who are suffering or at risk of domestic violence will be...