Results 11,521-11,540 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Policies (1 Mar 2022)

Heather Humphreys: My Department has not brought any policy instructions or policy documents to the attention of An Bord Pleanála since I came into office.

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Charitable and Voluntary Organisations (1 Mar 2022)

Heather Humphreys: My Department delivers a wide range of measures to support urban and rural communities. Those supports include the following programmes and schemes: CLÁR 2022 opened on the 24 Feb 2022. It is a targeted investment programme which provides funding for small-scale infrastructural projects in rural areas that have suffered the greatest levels of population decline. The Measures being funded...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Enterprise Support Services (24 Feb 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The Back to Work Enterprise Allowance (BTWEA) scheme offers support for people who are long-term unemployed and who are interested in self-employment as a route to entering the labour market. The scheme plays a vital role in supporting the development of new enterprises for the long-term unemployed and is payable for up to a 24-month period from the commencement of their new business. The...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Paternity Leave (24 Feb 2022)

Heather Humphreys: A total of 143,437 applications have been received for Paternity Benefit to date up to end of January 2022, of which 138,020 have been approved, 1,671 have been withdrawn and 3,746 have been rejected or declined. The general reasons for disallowance are as follows (noting that statistics for disallowance reason are not available): - Late claim: Failure to apply for Paternity Benefit within...

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

Heather Humphreys: There were on average 3,550 Carer's Benefit claims in payment between February 2021 and January 2022, with an average claim duration of 398 days. I trust this clarifies the position.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Widow's Pension (24 Feb 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The qualifying criteria for the widow’s pension depend on whether a person is claiming the Widow(er)’s or Surviving Civil Partner’s Contributory or Non-Contributory Pension. Each pension is payable to a widow or widower or a surviving civil partner, whose spouse or civil partner has passed away. To qualify for the Widow(er)’s or Surviving Civil Partner’s...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pensions (24 Feb 2022)

Heather Humphreys: Generally, Pay Related Social Insurance (PRSI) refunds can be applied for where the wrong PRSI rate has been paid from someone's income. Full details of where a refund may be applicable are set out on the Department's website at www.gov.ie/en/service/5706e5-prsi-refunds/. However, where a person enters the social insurance system after they reach the age of 56 they will not be able to make...

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

Heather Humphreys: Both I and officials from my Department engage regularly with stakeholders, including the National Women’s Council of Ireland to provide them with an opportunity to raise core issues and discuss areas of concern. In 2019, the NWCI were invited to the pre-Budget 2020 Forum, which took place on 5thJuly. In 2020, 3 online engagements took place with me and/or my officials in relation to...

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

Heather Humphreys: I value the considered input of stakeholders such as the Irish Senior Citizens Parliament each year as part of the annual budgetary process, and I will as always take these views on board. The social welfare package in Budget 2022 was the highest in 14 years and meant that some 1.4 million people, including over 700,000 pensioners, received a €5 increase in weekly payments, and...

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

Heather Humphreys: In order to qualify for Illness Benefit, a person must have 39 PRSI contributions paid or credited in the second last complete tax year from which the claim is made, or they must have 26 reckonable PRSI contributions paid in both the second last complete tax year and the year prior to that. They must also have at least 13 PRSI contributions paid in one of the past 5 years from which the claim...

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

Heather Humphreys: I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that an Appeals Officer, having fully considered all of the available evidence, decided to disallow the appeal of the person concerned by way of a summary decision. The person concerned has been notified of the Appeals Officer’s decision. The Social Welfare Appeals Office functions independently of the Minister for Social Protection and...

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

Heather Humphreys: The Department has no record of an appeal in this case. I trust this clarifies the position for the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Public Sector Pensions (24 Feb 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The Social Welfare (Consolidation) Act 2005 and accompanying regulations set out the provisions that apply to the payment of PRSI. The detailed provisions relating to the insurability of public service employees, including local or other public authority workers, is provided for in the Statutory Instrument No. 312 of 1996, Social Welfare (Consolidated Contributions and Insurability)...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pensions (24 Feb 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The person concerned reached pension age on 23 January 2021 and applied for State pension (contributory) on 21 October 2021. 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. Factors such as an...

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

Heather Humphreys: Carer's allowance (CA) is a means-tested social assistance payment made to a person who is habitually resident in the State and who is providing full-time care and attention to a child or an adult who has such a disability that as a result they require that level of care. If a person is in receipt of another social welfare payment in their own right (other than unemployment payments or...

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

Heather Humphreys: Child Benefit is a monthly payment to the parents or guardians of children under 16 years of age. Child Benefit can also be claimed for children aged 16 and 17, if they are in full-time education or full-time training or have a disability and cannot support themselves. An application for Child Benefit was received from the person concerned on 28thOctober 2021 and has been awarded with...

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

Heather Humphreys: Under the Supplementary Welfare Allowance (SWA) scheme, my Department can make a single Exceptional Needs Payment (ENP) to help meet essential, once-off expenditure which a person could not reasonably be expected to meet out of their weekly income. An urgent needs payment (UNP) may be made to persons who may not normally qualify for supplementary welfare allowance but who have an urgent need...

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

Heather Humphreys: The Department does not specifically contact One Parent Family claimants to request proof of efforts to seek maintenance from liable relatives. As part of the application process, the Department does seek details of the liable relative and asks if the customer is pursuing any efforts to secure maintenance. The customer's responses to these questions are generally accepted. I trust this...

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

Heather Humphreys: The issue of family maintenance payments is first and foremost a private matter for the people concerned. Social Welfare legislation provides that some or all of the cost of One-Parent Family (OFP) payments are recovered. In every case where OFP is awarded, the Department seeks to trace the other parent (liable relative) in order to ascertain whether they are in a financial position to...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Meetings (24 Feb 2022)

Heather Humphreys: My Department has had 24 direct engagements, from 1 January 2019 to date, with the National Women’s Council of Ireland. I have provided the details in the table. DRCD Unit where Minister of State/Department Unit's Officials engaged with the National Women’s Council of Ireland. Number of engagements Online meetings, webinars, briefings or in-person...