Results 9,981-10,000 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (29 Jun 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The Carer's Support Grant (CSG) is an annual payment for carers who look after a person in need of full-time care and attention. The payment is made regardless of the carer's means but is subject to certain conditions. CSG is paid automatically to all recipients of Carer’s Allowance (whether full rate or half rate), Carer’s Benefit, or Domiciliary Care Allowance. It is also...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Offices (29 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. The Office is committed to enhancing its operations to continue to deliver an efficient and effective appeals service to its customers. To support this goal a programme...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Cost of Living Issues (29 Jun 2022)

Heather Humphreys: I am acutely aware of the increase in consumer prices in recent months, especially the increase in fuel and other energy prices including home heating oil. The Government has designed a package of measures to alleviate the impact of increased energy prices on all households, both rural and urban. The package of measures includes: - an energy credit of €200 including VAT, estimated...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Digital Hubs (29 Jun 2022)

Heather Humphreys: Our Rural Future, Ireland’s Rural Development Policy 2021-2025, recognises the opportunity for rural rejuvenation that remote working presents and commits to establishing a comprehensive and integrated network of remote working hubs over the lifetime of the policy to 2025. In furtherance of this commitment, my Department continues to focus on strategically developing the national...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Gender Recognition (28 Jun 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The Programme for Government - Our Shared Future, contains a number of actions with respect to gender recognition. My Department is engaged in progressing these actions. The Government has approved the drafting of legislation to give effect to recommendations with respect the process of gender recognition for children aged 16 and 17. Research is being commissioned to inform policy options...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (28 Jun 2022)

Heather Humphreys: According to the records in my Department, the person concerned was awarded a basic Supplementary Welfare Allowance (SWA) with effect from 03/09/2021 while awaiting the outcome of an application for Disability Allowance (DA). The person's DA application was subsequently disallowed. The Designated Person is currently awaiting confirmation that an appeal for DA has been lodged with the Social...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (28 Jun 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The purpose of the Additional Needs payment (ANP), including 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 scheme is demand led and payments are made at the discretion of the officers administering the scheme considering the requirements of...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (28 Jun 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The Carer's Support Grant is an annual payment made to carers by my Department. I can confirm that my Department received an application for the Carer's Support Grant (CSG) from the person concerned on 3 May 2022. It is a condition for receipt of a CSG that the person being cared for must have such disability that they require full-time care and attention. This is defined as requiring...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Rates (28 Jun 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The estimated full year cost of a €20 increase to the Disability Allowance, Domiciliary Care Allowance and Carer's Allowance payments is as shown in the table below. Domiciliary care allowance is paid monthly, while Disability Allowance and Carer's Allowance are weekly payments. These costings are based on the estimated number of recipients in 2022 and are subject to change in the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Pension Provisions (28 Jun 2022)

Heather Humphreys: Invalidity pension (IP) is a payment for people who are permanently incapable of work because of illness or incapacity and for no other reason and who satisfy the pay related social insurance (PRSI) contribution conditions. The Department received a claim for IP for the person concerned on 04 April 2022. On 09 May 2022, a deciding officer (DO) wrote to the person concerned requesting he...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Redundancy Payments (28 Jun 2022)

Heather Humphreys: I can confirm that no application under the Redundancy Payments Scheme has been submitted or received by my Department in respect of the person concerned. It is an employer's responsibility to pay all eligible employees their statutory redundancy entitlements in the first instance should a redundancy arise. If an employer is in financial difficulty and unable to make this statutory payment...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (28 Jun 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The Person Concerned made a Jobseeker's Application on 7th January 2022. While they had an entitlement to a reduced rate of Jobseeker's Benefit they were given the option of applying for Jobseeker's Allowance. The person Concerned was awarded Jobseeker's Allowance from 7th January at a rate of €208. In March 2022, it became apparent that they had been awarded the incorrect rate of...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Bodies (28 Jun 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The statutory bodies operating under the aegis of my Department are the Citizens Information Board, the Pensions Authority, the Pensions Council and the Social Welfare Tribunal. Details and membership of each of these bodies is set out in tabular format below. Citizens Information Board The Citizens Information Board (CIB) is the national agency responsible for supporting the provision of...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (28 Jun 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The person referred to has been awarded invalidity pension (IP) with effect from 09 June 2022. There was no application for the fuel allowance received with his IP application nor was there an application for Household Benefits (HHB) package while he was in receipt of IP. Claim forms for fuel allowance and HHB have issued to the person in question in order for his entitlement for both to be...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pensions (28 Jun 2022)

Heather Humphreys: Matters related to foster caring are the responsibility of my colleague, the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth and Tusla. More widely, this Government acknowledges the important role that carers play and is fully committed to supporting them in that role. Accordingly, the current State Pension (Contributory) system includes a range of measures including...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Flexible Work Practices (28 Jun 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The total number of persons employed by my Department as at 30 April, 2022 is 6,781, which includes staff on temporary contract. The number of staff who have been working remotely across business areas of my Department since March 2020 has been approximately 50% of the total staffing number. This figure will have changed in more recent months as restrictions have lifted, permitting more...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pensions (28 Jun 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The person concerned reached pension age on 19 April 2022. They applied for State pension (contributory) on 23 March 2022. According to the records of my Department they have a total of 490 reckonable paid contributions and 126 credited social insurance contributions. As these contributions fall short of the required 520 paid full-rate contributions, this person does not qualify for standard...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (28 Jun 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The key role of the Department of Social Protection is to provide income support where an income need arises because of a particular contingency – be that illness, disability, caring or unemployment. The Department recognises the need for a transition period during which people can grieve and plan for a life following the death of a family member. Within the social welfare...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Data (28 Jun 2022)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 650 and 651 together. Under the supplementary welfare allowance scheme, my Department can make additional needs payments to help meet expenses that a person cannot pay from their weekly income. An exceptional needs Payment (ENP) is a single payment to help meet essential, once-off expenditure which a person could not reasonably be expected to meet out of their...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (28 Jun 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The Working Family Payment (WFP) is a weekly tax-free payment for employees with children which supports people in low paid employment. The WFP is designed to prevent in-work poverty for low paid workers with child dependents, and to offer a financial incentive to take up employment. It is a targeted measure that is directly linked to household income and therefore directly supports...