Results 81-100 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Funding (22 Jan 2025)

Heather Humphreys: The Community Recognition Fund (CRF) was first introduced in 2023 to recognise the huge efforts made by communities in welcoming and supporting people coming to Ireland. Through the 2023 allocation, funding of €50 million was approved for some 900 projects. I was delighted to announce a further €50 million in funding under the CRF on March 15th last. Applications under the...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Funding (22 Jan 2025)

Heather Humphreys: The Rural Regeneration and Development Fund (RRDF) is a strategic capital investment fund that is key to the delivery of Ireland's rural development policy, Our Rural Future 2021-2025. RRDF provides funding for the development and construction of capital projects in towns, villages and rural areas across Ireland. Funding is allocated to local authorities and other State-funded bodies, who...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Contracts (22 Jan 2025)

Heather Humphreys: The Department of Rural and Community Development is committed to achieving value for money for the acquisition of goods and services which are essential to support its work. In this context competitive tendering for contracts is used by my Department, supported through use of the Procurement Guidelines for Goods and Services published by the Office of Government Procurement (OGP), making use...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Contracts (22 Jan 2025)

Heather Humphreys: I can confirm to the Deputy that since my Department was established in 2017, no public contracts have issued to the company referenced.

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Funding (22 Jan 2025)

Heather Humphreys: My Department's CLÁR programme provides targeted investment funding for small scale infrastructural projects in designated rural areas. The areas originally selected for inclusion in the programme in 2001 were those which suffered the greatest level of population decline from 1926 to 1996. The average population loss in the original CLÁR areas over the period 1926 to 1996 was...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (7 Nov 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Maternity Benefit is a payment made for up to 26 weeks to employed and self-employed women who are on maternity leave from work and who satisfy certain conditions including social insurance (PRSI) contribution conditions on their own insurance record. Maternity Benefit is paid by the Department of Social Protection to women who have a certain number of paid P.R.S.I. contributions on their...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Pension Provisions (7 Nov 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Disability Allowance (DA) is a means-tested payment for people with a specified disability whose income falls below certain limits and who are aged between 16 and are under 66. This disability must be expected to last for at least one year and the allowance is subject to medical assessment, means test and habitual residency conditions. The Department periodically reviews claims in payment to...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals (7 Nov 2024)

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. The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that their schedule for oral hearings is currently up to date. Oral hearings are held online, by telephone or...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (7 Nov 2024)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 252 and 253 together. I am informed by officials in my Department that this analysis will take more time to compile. My officials will therefore send the requested information directly to the Deputy as soon as it is available.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Nursing Homes (7 Nov 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Matters in relation to the Nursing Home Support Scheme (the Fair Deal scheme), including the assessment of a couple’s means under that Scheme, are a matter for the Minister for Health. My Department provides income supports through a mixture of contributory payments, which are based on a person's social insurance record, and means-tested social assistance payments. The State...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (7 Nov 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The Social Welfare Appeals Office is an Office of the Department of Social Protection which is responsible for determining appeals against decisions in relation to social welfare entitlements. Appeals Officers are independent in their decision making functions. The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered with the Appeals Office...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Pension Provisions (7 Nov 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Matters in relation to the Nursing Home Support Scheme (the Fair Deal scheme), including the assessment of a couple’s means under that Scheme, are a matter for the Minister for Health. My Department provides income supports through a mixture of contributory payments, which are based on a person's social insurance record, and means-tested social assistance payments. A State pension...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (7 Nov 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 or other personal and household resources. The scheme is demand led and payments are made at the discretion of the officers administering the scheme taking into account the requirements of the legislation and...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (7 Nov 2024)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 258, 259 and 261 together. 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). The basic SWA provides...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (7 Nov 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 (7 Nov 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: Parental Leave (7 Nov 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The range of leaves available to parents: Maternity, Paternity, and Parent’s Leaves are the responsibility of the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth. Any decision regarding the transfer of that leave to grandparent would be a matter for that Minister. The Department of Social Protection has responsibility for the associated benefit payments. ...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (7 Nov 2024)

Heather Humphreys: I am delighted, as part of Budget 2025, to have introduced a new baby grant of €280. This new payment will assist parents with the costs associated with new babies. It will provide additional financial support to a family to ensure adequate resources and that the material needs of a newborn are met. It is estimated that in 2025, the grant will be paid in respect of some 54,000...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (7 Nov 2024)

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 paid in respect of eligible children between the ages of 4 and 17 on or before 30 September and eligible...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (7 Nov 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The estimated full year cost of increasing weekly long-term unemployment payments (Jobseeker's Allowance) by €5 per week is €36.4m. This costing is based on 2024 rates and the estimated number of recipients. It should be noted that this costing is subject to change in the context of emerging trends and associated revision of the estimated numbers of recipients for 2025. It...