Results 9,941-9,960 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (30 Jun 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The Household Benefits Package (HHB) comprises the electricity or gas allowance, and the free television licence. My Department will spend approximately €273 million this year on HHB for over 492,000 customers. The package is generally available to people living in the State aged 66 years or over who are in receipt of a social welfare type payment or who satisfy a means test. The...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Cost of Living Issues (30 Jun 2022)

Heather Humphreys: Over the long term, Ireland’s social protection system has performed strongly in protecting our most vulnerable citizens. In 2021, social transfers reduced the at-risk-of-poverty rate from 38.6% to 11.6%. This represents a 70% reduction on the at-risk-of-poverty rate. Ireland is consistently one of the best performing EU countries in reducing poverty through social transfers. It...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Charitable and Voluntary Organisations (30 Jun 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The bodies operating under the aegis of the Department of Social Protection are the Citizens Information Board, the Pensions Authority, the Pensions Council and the Social Welfare Tribunal. The Citizens Information Board (CIB) is the national agency responsible for supporting the provision of information, advice and advocacy on social services, and for the provision of the Money Advice and...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (30 Jun 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The person referred to has been awarded invalidity pension with effect from 28 April 2022. Payment will issue to his nominated bank account on 14 July 2022. Any arrears due from 28 April 2022 to 13 July 2022 will issue in due course. The person in question was notified of this decision on 28 June 2022. I hope this clarifies the position for the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Money Advice and Budgeting Service (30 Jun 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The Money Advice and Budgeting Service (MABS), funded by the Citizens Information Board (CIB), a statutory body under the aegis of my Department, is the State’s money advice service and provides assistance to people, in particular those on low income or dependent on social welfare supports, who are over-indebted. As part of its free services, MABS also provides support to those in...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Administrative Arrangements (30 Jun 2022)

Heather Humphreys: Under the Irish legal system, a person’s name is the name by which they are known, or commonly use. That name does not necessarily need to be supported by any documentary evidence though such evidence is often required for a wide range of administrative and legal matters. For most people this evidence is most commonly provided and accepted in the form of a birth certificate, which may...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Schemes (30 Jun 2022)

Heather Humphreys: As the Deputy will be aware, most social welfare payment rates are provided for, and set out in, primary legislation. These statutorily defined schemes account for the vast majority of programme expenditure in my Department. Changes to payment rates on these schemes are provided for by legislative change. This approach acknowledges that it is proper that changes to rates that are set out...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (30 Jun 2022)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 220, 224, 228 and 233 together. The Government is acutely aware of recent price increases and their impact on households 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 and...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pensions (30 Jun 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The number of State Pension (Contributory) claims registered, awarded, rejected and pending by year from 2019 to 2021 is shown in Table 1. Registered, awarded and rejected figures are taken as a cumulative total for the year while the pending figure refers to 31st December each year. Table 1: The number of claims registered, awarded, rejected and pending by year from 2019 to 2021 ...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pensions (30 Jun 2022)

Heather Humphreys: My Department does not have complete data in respect of the information requested by the Deputy.  However, based on the data that is available, it is estimated that at least 80% of SPC applications, which have been refused over the last five years have been as a result of insufficient PRSI contributions.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pensions (30 Jun 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The information requested by the Deputy is currently being complied by my officials and will be provided to the Deputy as soon as possible.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Cost of Living Issues (30 Jun 2022)

Heather Humphreys: Over the long term, Ireland’s social protection system has performed strongly in protecting our most vulnerable citizens.  In 2021, social transfers reduced the at-risk-of-poverty rate from 38.6% to 11.6%.  This represents a 70% reduction on the at-risk-of-poverty rate.  Ireland is consistently one of the best performing EU countries in reducing poverty through social...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (30 Jun 2022)

Heather Humphreys: For the week ending 26th June 2022, there were 119,631 individuals in receipt of Jobseeker's Allowance on a short or long-term basis.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (30 Jun 2022)

Heather Humphreys: For the week ending 26th June 2022, there were 29,636 individuals in receipt of Jobseeker's Benefit.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pensions (30 Jun 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The State Pension (Contributory) is a PRSI-based pension, financed by contributions made by current workers and their employers, and paid to pensioners at a rate based upon their PRSI record. A person is required to have a minimum of 520 paid reckonable PRSI contributions in order to qualify for the State Pension (Contributory). The actuarial value of the State Pension is circa...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (30 Jun 2022)

Heather Humphreys: To qualify for a Disability Allowance (DA) payment a person must: be substantially restricted in undertaking suitable employment; be aged between 16 and 66; satisfy a means test; and be habitually resident in the State. The total number of DA applications disallowed in 2021 was 13,989. Invalidity pension (IP) is a payment for people who are permanently incapable of work because of illness or...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (30 Jun 2022)

Heather Humphreys: Carer’s Allowance is the primary income support through which the Department supports carers in the community. Carer’s Allowance is a payment to people on low incomes who are caring full-time for a person who needs support because of age, disability or illness (including mental illness). The person being cared for must require full-time care and attention. There are currently...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals (30 Jun 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The Social Welfare Appeals Office functions independently of the Minister for Social Protection and of the Department and is responsible for determining appeals against decisions in relation to social welfare entitlements. All claim decisions taken by the Department’s Deciding Officers and Designated Persons are appealable to the Chief Appeals Officer. In any year about 85% of all...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (30 Jun 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The Bereavement Grant, which was a once-off payment for funeral costs, was discontinued in January 2014. The number of bereavement grant claims in 2013 was 23,716 at a cost of €20.3 million. It is estimated that the cost of reintroducing the grant would be close to €30 million per annum and increasing annually. Any decision to reinstate the grant would have to be considered in...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Code (30 Jun 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The supplementary welfare allowance (SWA) scheme is the safety net within the overall social welfare system in that it provides assistance to eligible people in the State whose means are insufficient to meet their needs and those of their dependents. The basic supplementary welfare allowance provides immediate assistance for those in need who are awaiting the outcome of a claim or an appeal...