Results 11,381-11,400 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

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

Heather Humphreys: The primary supports available to those suffering with long Covid are available in three stages.  Initially, the person can apply for enhanced illness benefit.  After 10 weeks, they can transfer to standard illness benefit if they meet the eligibility criteria.  If the illness is long-term, they can apply for Invalidity Pension or Disability Allowance.  These supports are...

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

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 616, 617, 618 and 619 together. As the Deputy is aware, under the EU Temporary Protection Directive, all persons fleeing the war in Ukrainian have been granted the rights of EU citizens, including right to access income supports, employment supports and the right to work in this country. This Department is a central element of the Government’s...

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

Heather Humphreys: The average cost of installing a defibrillator is €900, excluding VAT.  There are further ongoing costs associated with defibrillators such as training, servicing, pads and batteries.  14 Automated External Defibrillators have been installed in Intreo Centres since 2019.The Department will continue the roll out of defibrillators with the aim of having one in every Intreo...

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

Heather Humphreys: The Department received an application from the person concerned for Illness Benefit on the 19th February 2022. The details held by the Department in respect of the person concerned did not match with that on the certificate submitted by his GP leading to a delay in processing his claim.  Following correspondence with the person concerned, this issue was rectified on the 10th...

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

Heather Humphreys: On an ongoing basis, as part of the normal budgetary cycle, my Department takes careful note of trends in price and wage levels and also takes account of research data including that of the Minimum Essential Standard of Living from the Vincentian Partnership for Social Justice.  The social impact of budget measures is also modelled  using the SWITCH model developed by the...

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: Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (22 Mar 2022)

Heather Humphreys: Information on recipients of the Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP), including the PUP by county, is published each week by my Department at gov.ie/dsp/statistics and through the national data portal at data.gov.ie. Additionally, my Department published an extensive analysis of the PUP in 2020 as part of the 2020 Report on Statistical Information and Social Welfare Services, including PUP...

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

Heather Humphreys: Rent Supplement is a means-tested payment for certain people living in private rented accommodation who cannot provide for the cost of their accommodation from their own resources. Rent Supplement is a short-term income support. By virtue of its short-term nature and its targeted customer cohort, it is not considered the principal solution in meeting long term accommodation...

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

Heather Humphreys: My Department is working closely with the Department of Justice which is responsible for providing people with a letter or certificate confirming that they are covered by the EU Directive. We are also working closely with the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth and its International Protection Accommodation Services (IPAS) which has...

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

Heather Humphreys: The dedicated enhanced illness benefit web page states that a claimant must "be under pensionable age on the day for which the benefit is claimed."  Similarly, the standard illness benefit web page states that a person "must be under pensionable age which is currently 66." Enhanced Illness Benefit was introduced in 2020 in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. Under the Health...

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

Heather Humphreys: An application for State pension (contributory) was received on the 22 February 2022.  Under current eligibility conditions, an individual must have 520 full-rate paid contributions in order to qualify for standard State pension (contributory).  520 full-rate contributions equate to 10 years of full-rate insurable employment. According to the records of my Department the person...

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

Heather Humphreys: The person concerned submitted an application for disability allowance (DA) on 31 January 2022.  Their application, based upon all the evidence submitted, was refused as they were deemed to have means in excess of the statutory limit for their circumstances. The person concerned was notified in writing of this decision on 23 February 2022. Further information was...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (22 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...

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

Heather Humphreys: My Department is procuring a new Intreo Partners Local Area Employment Service over two distinct phases. Phase one of the process for procuring new employment services involved seven counties in the Midlands and North West which were without a Local Employment Service.  Contracts were signed last December and these services are now operating. Phase two of the process has now...

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

Heather Humphreys: From the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Government has been particularly concerned about the outcomes for younger people. We know that starting work in difficult economic conditions can have a scarring effect on a young person’s future work trajectory.  Many of the sectors which were most affected by the public health restrictions were those that tend to employ more young...

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

Heather Humphreys: My Department is procuring a new Intreo Partners Local Area Employment Service over two distinct phases. Phase one of the process for procuring new employment services involved seven counties in the Midlands and North West which were without a Local Employment Service.  Contracts were signed last December and these services are now operating. Phase two of the process has now commenced,...

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

Heather Humphreys: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 26 November 2021.  It is a statutory requirement of the appeals process that the relevant papers and comments by or on behalf of the Deciding Officer on the grounds of appeal be sought from the Department of Social Protection.  These papers were received in...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Policies (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 the Social Insurance Fund. There was strong female representation on the Pensions...

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

Heather Humphreys: Fuel allowance is a means-tested payment to assist householders on long-term social welfare payments towards the cost of their heating needs. The main eligibility conditions that apply to the fuel allowance scheme are that a person must be in receipt of a qualifying payment, must satisfy a means test and must either be living alone or with other qualifying persons. The threshold for the fuel...

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

Heather Humphreys: The person concerned made an application for Illness Benefit from the 27th December 2022, received 31 January 2022. Her claim has been awarded. However, as she is currently being paid as a qualified adult on her partner's social welfare claim, this means that her partner is currently in receipt of a payment for her. The monetary difference between this payment and her illness benefit...