Results 9,821-9,840 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

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

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 615 and 616 together. Social welfare legislation provides that, for social assistance schemes such as the State Pension (Non-Contributory) and Disability Allowance, all income and capital (such as savings, investments and property other than the family home) belonging to the claimant and his or her spouse/partner/cohabitant, where applicable, are...

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

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 617 and 618 together. Significant maintenance and upgrade works to the Intreo Centre on the Navan Road in Cabra, Dublin 7, had been scheduled for 2022. The work originally planned was based on no significant changes being made to the services being provided by Navan Road Intreo Centre, the way those services are delivered and the layout of the building. Given...

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

Heather Humphreys: The estimated full-year cost of increasing disability allowance by €12.50 per week is €109.1m. This figure includes a proportionate increase for qualified adults. This costing is based on the estimated number of recipients in 2022 and is subject to change in the context of emerging trends and associated revision of the estimated numbers of recipients.

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

Heather Humphreys: Fuel Allowance is a payment of €33 per week for 28 weeks at an estimated cost of €366 million in 2022. It is a targeted payment to people dependent on specified long-term social welfare payments. The purpose of this payment is to assist those households most in need with their energy costs. In Budget 2022, the Government increased the weekly means threshold for the Fuel...

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 my Department in as targeted a manner as possible. To qualify for the fuel allowance payment, a person must satisfy all the qualifying criteria including a means test and the household composition criteria. This ensures that the fuel allowance payment goes to those who are more vulnerable to...

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

Heather Humphreys: For the purposes of providing the response to the Deputy's question, the figures used are those from my Department that relate to the State Pension (Contributory) at 31 December 2021, and are set out in the table below. The annualised expenditure estimate and breakdown by gender are based on State Pension (Contributory) recipients at 31 December 2021 and administrative data at 30 June 2022....

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

Heather Humphreys: Most weekly social welfare payments include an additional payment known as an Increase for a Qualified Child (IQC) in respect of each qualified child up to age 18. This is extended to encompass older school or college going children up to age 22 under certain circumstances. This increase provides targeted assistance that is directly linked with household income and family-size to support...

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

Heather Humphreys: The person concerned reached pension age on 10 June 2008. According to the records of my Department, they have a total of 2,162 qualifying paid and credited social insurance contributions from their date of entry into insurable employment 18/04/1960 to end December 2007, equating to a yearly average of 45 contributions. This gives entitlement to a standard State pension (contributory) at 98%...

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 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. This year, the Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance payment has been increased by €100 for the 2022 scheme year,...

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

Heather Humphreys: The information requested by the Deputy is set out in the following table, and outlines the average weeks to award for each of the named schemes, as of the end of May 2022. Table 1: Average weeks to award Scheme Average weeks to award Illness Benefit 1 Jobseeker's Benefit 1 Invalidity Pension 7 ...

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

Heather Humphreys: The Working Family Payment, previously Family Income Supplement, is an in-work support which provides an income top-up for employees, on low earnings, with children. It is designed to prevent in-work poverty for low paid workers with child dependents and to offer a financial incentive to take-up employment. Eligibility for the payment is not linked to receipt of a social welfare payment but...

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

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 629 and 630 together. The Government is acutely aware of recent price increases and their impact on low income households and those who are dependent on social welfare. For this reason, this Government did not await a further budget cycle to address these challenges but acted early. Overall, the tax and spending measures we have introduced to ease the burden...

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

Heather Humphreys: The person concerned made an application for Illness Benefit in respect of an absence that commenced on 17th January 2022. The initial medical certificate submitted by her GP to support her claim certified her as being unfit to attend work until 17th July 2022. Two further certificates, covering the periods to 7th and 10th February 2022, were subsequently submitted, however, neither of...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (12 Jul 2022)

Heather Humphreys: Claims for Illness Benefit must be accompanied by a Certificate of Incapacity for Work from the claimant's GP. This specifies the nature of the illness and the duration of the incapacity for work. In respect of Enhanced Illness Benefit (EIB), given the high rate of Covid 19 infections in the community and the strain on the health service, my Department on a temporary basis during this...

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

Heather Humphreys: My Department does not hold the information requested by the Deputy. The fuel allowance payment is typically added to the usual weekly social welfare payment as an additional payment component. This means that the fuel allowance is different to other social welfare payments in that it is operated across a variety of the Department’s payment systems, rather than one centralised...

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

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 635 to 639, inclusive, together. In 2022 my Department contracted with 22 Local Employment Services and 27 Job Clubs for the provision of employment services, originally up to 30 June and then further extended until 31 August 2022. My Department has engaged extensively with existing providers of services in regard to the restructuring of services....

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

Heather Humphreys: Carer's benefit (CARB) is a PRSI based payment, made to persons who are providing full-time care and attention to a person who has such a disability that they require that level of care. An application for CARB was received from the person concerned on 30 June 2022. The application is currently being processed and once completed, the person concerned will be notified directly of the...

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 purpose of the Exceptional Needs Payment (ENP) is to assist people with essential, once-off, exceptional expenditure, which a person could not reasonably be expected to meet out of their weekly income. The ENP is demand led and payments are made at the discretion of the officers administering the scheme considering the requirements of the legislation and all the relevant circumstances of...