Results 11,321-11,340 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Employment Support Services (22 Mar 2022)

Heather Humphreys: My Department is currently procuring new employment services that will see a significant expansion of employment services, including, for the first time, State-wide services for those farthest from the labour market.  My Department is procuring a new Intreo Partners Local Area Employment Service over two distinct phases.  Phase one of the new Intreo Partners Local Area...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Pension Provisions (22 Mar 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The Programme for Government commits to introducing a pensions automatic enrolment (AE) system.  The objective of this commitment is to address the low proportion of employees in Ireland with supplementary pension cover, which includes both occupational and personal pensions. According to CSO figures, the rate of active supplementary pension coverage is around 56% of the working...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Code (22 Mar 2022)

Heather Humphreys: A number of studies in recent years have considered the indexation of various categories of social protection payments. Following publication of the Roadmap for Pensions Reform in 2018, which included a recommendation to benchmark and index State Pension rates, my Department undertook a consultation process in 2019 with interested stakeholders to hear views on possible approaches...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pensions (22 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.  The 2020 Programme for Government committed that, pending the Commission’s report and any subsequent Government decisions, the State Pension age would remain at 66 years and the increase to 67 years would be deferred.  This was...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Strategies (22 Mar 2022)

Heather Humphreys: Promotional campaigns are an important part of how my Department ensures our customers are informed of the schemes and supports to which they may be entitled. In quarters 2 and 3 of 2019 my Department ran a public information campaign to promote the Working Family Payment (WFP).  The objective of the campaign was to provide customers, particularly working families on low...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Emergency Accommodation (22 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 dependants.  Families living in emergency accommodation placements may have additional costs, such as travel.  Under the SWA scheme...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (22 Mar 2022)

Heather Humphreys: My Department provides a comprehensive package of carer's income supports including Carer’s Allowance, Carer’s Benefit, Domiciliary Care Allowance and the Carer’s Support Grant.  At the end of January, there were 90,934 people in receipt of Carer's Allowance.  The estimated expenditure on Carer’s Allowance in 2022 is approximately...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic (22 Mar 2022)

Heather Humphreys: Enhanced Illness Benefit for Covid-19 is a scheme that was introduced in March 2020, to support people who are incapable of work or who are required to self-isolate, as a result of a COVID diagnosis or being a probable source of infection.  It is paid at a rate of €350 per week and is paid for a maximum of 7 days where a person is self-isolating due to being a probable source...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Code (22 Mar 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The Government recognises the crucial role that family carers play in Irish society and is fully committed to their support. As part of Budget 2022, improvements were introduced to the income and capital limits for the Carer’s Allowance (CA) means assessment, effective from June 2022.  The weekly income disregard increases to €350 from €332.50 for a single person,...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Code (22 Mar 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The social welfare package in Budget 2022 was the largest in 14 years and provided for a €5 across the board increase to all weekly payments, as well as a number of other targeted measures intended to focus resources in the most effective way, and to protect the most vulnerable social welfare recipients from poverty.  As energy prices were increasing, the €5 increase to the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pensions (22 Mar 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The Pensions Commission’s Report was published on 7th October 2021.  It established that the current State Pension system is not sustainable into the future and that changes are needed.  The report set out a wide-range of recommendations in relation to the State Pension system and Social Insurance Fund, including enhanced pension provision for long-term carers (who are...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Employment Schemes (22 Mar 2022)

Heather Humphreys: My Department previously undertook an evaluation of JobPath in partnership with the OECD.  The 2019 OECD econometric evaluation of JobPath published by the Department demonstrated that the outcomes for participating jobseekers, both in terms of employment and earnings, are better than those of non-participants.  Weekly earnings of people who secured employment after JobPath...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Contracts (22 Mar 2022)

Heather Humphreys: I understand that the Deputy has clarified that the question specifically refers to third party operators that have assisted the Department in its schemes or delivery of services to the public during 2021 and to date in 2022.  My officials have identified four main areas which meet this criterion: externally contracted employment services, payment services, translation...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (22 Mar 2022)

Heather Humphreys: Dental and Optical Benefits are provided to qualified PRSI contributors and their dependent spouses under the departments Treatment Benefit scheme.  To qualify a person must have paid a minimum numbers of contributions since starting work and also have a required number of contributions/or credits, in the relevant tax year that relates to their application.  The number of...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Employment Rights (22 Mar 2022)

Heather Humphreys: One of my Department’s roles is to ensure the correct class of PRSI is being returned for individuals, in order to protect their PRSI contribution record and future welfare entitlements.  We must also ensure the correct flow of funds into the Social Insurance Fund. To begin with, it is worth noting that there are approximately 340,000 self-employed individuals in Ireland, the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Employment Schemes (22 Mar 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The Wage Subsidy Scheme (WSS) aims to encourage private sector 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 subsidised hours per week under a contract of...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pensions (22 Mar 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The Pensions Commission’s Report was published on 7th October 2021.  It established that the current State Pension system is not sustainable into the future and that changes are needed.  The report set out a wide-range of recommendations in relation to the State Pension system and Social Insurance Fund. In the interests both of older people and future generations of older...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Employment Schemes (22 Mar 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The Work Placement Experience Programme (WPEP) is a key policy initiative under the Government's new national employment services strategy; Pathways to Work 2021-2025.  WPEP is a funded work placement scheme to provide work experience opportunities for up to 10,000 jobseekers who are unemployed for more than six months, including time spent on the pandemic unemployment payment...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (22 Mar 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The Household Benefits package (HHB) comprises the electricity or gas allowance, and the free television licence.  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 package is also available to some people under the age of 66, who are in receipt of certain...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Reports (22 Mar 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The Pensions Commission’s Report was published on 7th October 2021.  It established that the current State Pension system is not sustainable into the future and that changes are needed.  The report set out a wide-range of recommendations in relation to the State Pension system and Social Insurance Fund. In the interests both of older people and future generations of older...