Results 11,161-11,180 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

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

Heather Humphreys: The Fuel Allowance is a payment of €33.00 per week for 28 weeks (a total of €924 each year) from October to April, which is supporting up to an estimated 400,000 households in 2022, at an estimated cost of €366 million in 2022. The purpose of this payment is to assist these households with their energy costs. The allowance represents a contribution towards the energy...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Policies (29 Mar 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The Department operates a range of means-tested social assistance payments. Social welfare legislation provides that the means test takes account of the income and assets of the person (and spouse / partner, if applicable) applying for the relevant scheme. Income and assets include income from employment, self-employment, occupational pensions, maintenance payments as well as property owned...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Employment Schemes (29 Mar 2022)

Heather Humphreys: My Department is currently undertaking a significant expansion of employment services. In particular, specialised employment services for those farthest from the labour market - currently available in just twelve counties - will soon be available State-wide for the first time. In the first phase of this procurement, contracts for Intreo Partners - Local Area Employment Services (LAES)...

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

Heather Humphreys: My Department has been working with Ulster Bank in order to assist customers with the smooth transitioning from Ulster Bank to another financial institution. My officials are also actively liaising with the Banking Payments Federation of Ireland to assist in the transitioning. Internally, my Department has established a task team to manage the process. It is intended that all of the...

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

Heather Humphreys: The fastest way for a customer to advise my Department of their new payment details is through the change of payment service on www.MyWelfare.ie. This service allows customers with a verified MyGovID account to advise the Department of their Change of Payment Method details quickly, and without the need to obtain a paper form, and this request is then sent to the relevant scheme area. I...

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

Heather Humphreys: The main social welfare schemes for people who are unable to find full time employment are the social insurance contribution based Jobseeker's Benefit and Jobseeker's Benefit Self-Employed and the means tested Jobseeker's Allowance. The schemes require that a person must be available for and genuinely seeking work as well as satisfy the other qualifying statutory conditions. The current...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Tourism Funding (29 Mar 2022)

Heather Humphreys: Funding may be available through the LEADER Programme for the type of project referred to by the Deputy. The LEADER Programme is one of the key interventions of Our Rural Future, the Government’s Policy for rural development. This programme is a multi-annual programme which is delivered through Local Action Groups (LAGs) in each of the 28 LEADER sub-regional areas around the...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Data (29 Mar 2022)

Heather Humphreys: I can confirm that my Department does not have any retainers with any outside organisations.

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Ferry Services (29 Mar 2022)

Heather Humphreys: At the outset, it is important to note that Cork County Council own and operate the cable car service and are responsible for ensuring mainland connectivity for the island residents and for those who require access to their farmlands during the period of maintenance. During periods of scheduled routine maintenance in the past, the Council have provided a temporary ferry service to the island....

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Consultations (29 Mar 2022)

Heather Humphreys: My Department is dedicated to the fair and equal treatment of all staff and stakeholders. Our programmes, policies and practices promote and advance social justice, equality and diversity across the range of interventions and supports to communities. The Department’s People Strategy, commits to supporting diversity and inclusion in our workplace enabling the achievement of equality...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Staff (29 Mar 2022)

Heather Humphreys: I can confirm that there are no civil servants from my Department currently on secondment to the private sector.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Pension Provisions (24 Mar 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The Pensions Commission was established in November 2020 to examine the sustainability of the State Pension system and the Social Insurance Fund, in fulfilment of a Programme for Government commitment. The Commission was an independent body comprised of knowledgeable and experienced academics, pension experts, members of civil society and representatives of workers and employers. The...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Communications (24 Mar 2022)

Heather Humphreys: My Department communicates with its customers through a number of channels - namely by post, phone, online, public information campaigns and face to face. In 2020, over 1.6 million people received a weekly Social Welfare payment from my Department in respect of over 2.3 million beneficiaries. Over the past two years, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, communication with customers was...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (24 Mar 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The Department received a claim for invalidity pension (IP) from the person concerned on 08 December 2021. He was refused IP on the grounds that the medical conditions for the scheme were not satisfied. He was notified on 24 January 2022 of this decision, the reasons for it and of his right of review and/or appeal. He requested a review of this decision on 04 February 2022 and...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Offices (24 Mar 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The Department currently has 58 Branch Offices at various locations throughout the country. Each contracted Branch Office is operated and managed, under a contract for services, by a Branch Manager who is required to act as an agent for the Department in the area served by the office. Branch Office managers operate on a contract for service and are independent contractors. The contract...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Offices (24 Mar 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The Department currently has 58 Branch Offices at various locations throughout the country. Each contracted Branch Office is operated and managed, under a contract for services, by a Branch Manager who is required to act as an agent for the Department in the area served by the office. Branch Office managers operate on a contract for service and are independent contractors. The contract...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Citizens Information Services (24 Mar 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The Citizens Information Board (CIB), is a statutory independent body as set out in the Comhairle Act 2010 which operates under the aegis of my Department. CIB provides funding to 21 companies in order to deliver services on its behalf. This includes eight CIS companies that operate a national network of Citizens Information Centres, including North Leinster CIS which encompasses Co....

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Investigations (24 Mar 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The Citizens Information Board (CIB), under the aegis of my Department, is the statutory body with responsibility for the Citizens Information Service (CIS). CIB provides funding and support to eight regional CIS companies, including North Leinster CIS. Each of these companies is overseen and governed by a Board of Directors and run by a Regional Manager. A Service Level Agreement (SLA)...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (24 Mar 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The Wage Subsidy Scheme (WSS) is an employment support to private sector employers, the objective of which is to encourage employers to employ people with disabilities and thereby increase the numbers of people with disabilities participating in the open labour market. The scheme provides financial incentives to private sector employers to hire people with a disability for between 21 and 39...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (24 Mar 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The supplementary welfare allowance 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. Under the supplementary welfare allowance scheme my Department may make a single exceptional needs payment to help meet essential, once-off...