Results 9,781-9,800 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Strategies (13 Jul 2022)

Heather Humphreys: Our Rural Future 2021-2025 is the most ambitious and transformational policy for rural development in Ireland for decades.  The policy contains more than 150 measures for delivery across the whole of Government, with the underlying theme of economic, environmental and societal sustainability. The policy has a vision of ensuring vibrant and thriving rural towns and villages, with a...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Rights of People with Disabilities (13 Jul 2022)

Heather Humphreys: My Department occupies offices in Trinity Point, Dublin 2 and Government Buildings in Ballina, Co. Mayo. While the offices are not generally open to the public other than by appointment, accessible facilities are provided at both locations for use by staff of the Department and by visitors. In terms of the agencies under my Department’s aegis (Water Safety Ireland, Pobal, the...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Rights of People with Disabilities (13 Jul 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The Department of Rural and Community Developmentwas established on 19th July 2017 to provide a renewed and consolidated focus on rural and community development in Ireland. My Department implements Action 32 of the National Disability and Inclusion Strategy 2017 – 2021 in a number of ways. My Department has a Disability Liaison Officer (DLO) in place whose role is to assist and...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Rural Schemes (13 Jul 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Scheme (ORIS) provides funding for the development and enhancement of outdoor recreational infrastructure such as trails, walkways, cycleways, blueways and bridleways in rural areas. Earlier this year, I launched the 2022 Scheme with a budget of €15 million to support outdoor recreation projects nationwide. The Measures being funded under this...

Confidence in Government: Motion (12 Jul 2022)

Heather Humphreys: In the eyes of Sinn Féin, €385 is not good enough for a child south of the Border but £42 is enough for a child in Northern Ireland.

Confidence in Government: Motion (12 Jul 2022)

Heather Humphreys: As usual with Sinn Féin, it is a case of "Do as we say, not as we do." It is the flip-flop party. During Covid, when the Government closed the pubs, it wanted them open. When we opened the pubs, it wanted them closed. When we do universal measures, it wants targeted measures. When we do targeted measures, it wants universal measures. Last week, it wanted an emergency budget. This...

Confidence in Government: Motion (12 Jul 2022)

Heather Humphreys: Just over two years ago, Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil and the Green Party formed a Government. It was not easy, but we did it for one overriding reason. We believe that people enter politics to improve people’s lives. Putting people first was our number one interest during the Covid-19 crisis. The priority of this Government now is to protect families against the unprecedented...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Code (12 Jul 2022)

Heather Humphreys: My Department provides a number of income supports for those unable to work due to illness or disability. There is a range of benefits available to people who make Pay Related Social Insurance (PRSI) contributions. Entitlement to such benefits is dependent on the individual's social insurance contribution record, the class of social insurance paid as well as satisfying other...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: School Meals Programme (12 Jul 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The school meals programme provides funding towards the provision of food to some 1,800 schools and organisations benefitting 290,000 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 policies to...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Code (12 Jul 2022)

Heather Humphreys: My Department provides a number of income supports for those unable to work due to illness or disability. There is a range of benefits available to people who make Pay Related Social Insurance (PRSI) contributions. Entitlement to such benefits is dependent on the individual's social insurance contribution record, the class of social insurance paid as well as satisfying other qualification...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (12 Jul 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 each year. The allowance is payable in respect of eligible children between the ages of 4 and 17 in respect of whom a qualified child...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (12 Jul 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The criteria for Fuel Allowance are framed in order to direct the limited resources available to the Department in as targeted a manner as possible. This ensures that the Fuel Allowance payment goes to those who are more vulnerable to fuel poverty including those reliant on social protection payments for longer periods and who are unlikely to have additional resources of their own. ...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Schemes (12 Jul 2022)

Heather Humphreys: My Department does not have all the information requested by the Deputy. The tables below outline the number of applications received, awarded and rejected in 2021 and to end May 2022 for the main disability related social welfare schemes. Table 1: Claims registered for the main disability related social welfare schemes Scheme 2021 2022 (to end May) ...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (12 Jul 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The estimated full year costs of providing an additional €10 per week payment to recipients of a disability or illness related payment with a proportionate increase for qualified adults are shown in the table below. Scheme Cost (€m) Disability Allowance 87.2 Illness Benefit 26.1 Invalidity...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (12 Jul 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The person concerned is currently in receipt of the maximum rate Carers Allowance. This allowance can be paid concurrently with certain social welfare payments where the qualifying conditions for both schemes are satisfied. The person concerned reached pension age on 18 March 2022. An application for State pension (contributory) was received on 24 May 2022. According to the records...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Employment Schemes (12 Jul 2022)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 587 and 634 together. My Department is currently at an advanced stage in significantly expanding our public employment services. In particular, specialised employment services for those farthest from the labour market - previously available in just twelve counties - will soon be available State-wide for the first time. In the first phase of this...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (12 Jul 2022)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 588, 593 and 609 together. The estimated cost of extending Child Benefit to 18-year olds in secondary school is €61.5m. This costing is based on the estimated school enrolment numbers and is subject to change in light of emerging trends and subsequent revisions. Any extension of Child Benefit would need to be considered in an overall budgetary and...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Public Services Card (12 Jul 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.ie service without having to attend an appointment in one of our offices. Customers are requested to submit a passport quality photograph which must be verified by software before the application can be accepted. This...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (12 Jul 2022)

Heather Humphreys: My Department provides a suite of income supports for those who are unable to work due to an illness or disability. Illness Benefit is the primary income support payment for people who cannot work due to illness of any type and are covered by social insurance. Self-employed people who make PRSI contributions at Class S do not qualify for Illness Benefit. This is due to the fact that...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (12 Jul 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The development of services and policies to prevent social exclusion and improve employment opportunities for people with disabilities operates through a cross government framework which includes relevant departments, agencies and, importantly, disability sector representatives, under a number of key national strategies and action plans. The two main national strategies in this area are the...