Results 11,741-11,760 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 37 - Social Protection (Revised) (16 Feb 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The supplementary welfare allowance is the fund or 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. It is a demand-led scheme so there is no limit on it. People get it as they need it. It provides once-off and regular support to those on low...

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 37 - Social Protection (Revised) (16 Feb 2022)

Heather Humphreys: We have started a campaign on social media to say that this is available, that if people need help, we are here to help them, and that the first place to go is the community welfare officer and they can go to the local Intreo offices as well. We do not want to take anybody out of the community. It is a case of people using services in a different way now, so we have to try to respond to the...

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 37 - Social Protection (Revised) (16 Feb 2022)

Heather Humphreys: I will refer to the issue of the post office. What we are doing is returning to the system that was in place prior to Covid-19. It has always been the case that jobseekers, prior to Covid-19, collected their payments in the post office. This is about supporting the post office network, which is an integral part of the community throughout the country. It is not just post offices in rural...

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 37 - Social Protection (Revised) (16 Feb 2022)

Heather Humphreys: No, we do not have any numbers on rejections. As I said, a person can appeal to another department if he or she is not happy with the outcome. Rather than going back to the same person, he or she can appeal to another higher grade officer who deals with that. I will go back to the issue of the post offices. Just to be very clear here, we have a control system within the Department of...

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 37 - Social Protection (Revised) (16 Feb 2022)

Heather Humphreys: I thank the Deputy. The issue of the incentive to work in relation to tax and the social welfare system is something the Deputy has great knowledge of and keen interest in. I have met him concerning a number of suggestions he has put forward. My officials are working on those, particularly in relation to the means test. I was delighted to be able to make some changes to the means test,...

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 37 - Social Protection (Revised) (16 Feb 2022)

Heather Humphreys: I thank the Deputy. I will look at the deserted wife's benefit that she has raised. On the fuel allowance, two pensioners over age 66 can receive up to €600 per week and qualify for that allowance; a couple under 66 can receive an income of €542 per week and qualify for it. I take the Deputy's point on deserted wife's benefit. The scheme has been closed and it is a smaller...

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 37 - Social Protection (Revised) (16 Feb 2022)

Heather Humphreys: Can I be very clear here? All community welfare officers have been notified that more people may not be able to meet their costs and that decisions need to take all circumstances into account. This has been relayed. As the Chairman well knows, my job as Minister involves setting policy. It is the job of the Executive and staff to implement that policy. I have been very clear today that...

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 37 - Social Protection (Revised) (16 Feb 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The committee is aware that there is a live procurement process for the new local area employment service. I am, therefore, unable to answer specific questions about any matters pertaining to the procurement process. The deadline for tenders is 21 March. My Department has amended phase 2 to take into account many of the issues raised following phase 1. Changes have been made to the...

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 37 - Social Protection (Revised) (16 Feb 2022)

Heather Humphreys: I was pleased to announce a few weeks ago that jobseeker's payments will return to the post offices in line with the easing of the Covid-19 restrictions. The changes will apply initially to all new jobseeker applications before being extended to other jobseekers over the coming months. When the public health restrictions were introduced in 2020 people in receipt of social welfare were given...

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 37 - Social Protection (Revised) (16 Feb 2022)

Heather Humphreys: I will ask the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, to deal with the CES, Tús and RSS. As to JobPath, some 324,000 customers have engaged with the service. The average cost per participant is €873, excluding VAT. A total of 69,000 people found full-time employment. The fees are paid when an individual gains and sustains employment. The local employment service request for tender...

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 37 - Social Protection (Revised) (16 Feb 2022)

Heather Humphreys: I thank Deputy Ó Cathasaigh for his questions. I will give some further reassurances on the local area employment services. I hear the Deputies comments and I am taking them on board. We have been down this road a few times and the legal advice from the Attorney General is very clear. These services have to go to tender. In the first phase, community organisations won out in two of...

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 37 - Social Protection (Revised) (16 Feb 2022)

Heather Humphreys: I did not answer the question on the back to education scheme, so I will do so now if I may. The back to education allowance scheme is a second chance education support for jobseekers and people currently in receipt of the qualifying social welfare payments to undertake full-time second or third level education courses and retain access to the welfare payment. The scheme's main objective is...

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 37 - Social Protection (Revised) (16 Feb 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The reason we introduced the enhanced illness benefit was to prevent transmission. We wanted people to stay at home and isolate, rather than go into work. For that reason, we gave them an enhanced payment, which meant they had financial supports while they were not at work. That was the primary reason for bringing in the enhanced illness benefit. In terms of those who are ill beyond ten...

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 37 - Social Protection (Revised) (16 Feb 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The Deputy raised a number of issues. Work is ongoing on the disability allowance, the blind pension and the basic income for artists. There is a principle in social protection, and this applies to the widow's pension and illness benefit. The principle is that a person gets one payment. Our job in the Department is always to keep people out of poverty and to provide supports when they...

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 37 - Social Protection (Revised) (16 Feb 2022)

Heather Humphreys: I agree with the Deputy. On 7 December we published a report on the cost of disability carried out by Indecon. I brought the report to Cabinet. We have referred it to the national disability inclusion strategy steering group, which is chaired by the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte. This group is responsible for monitoring the key framework for policy and action to address the needs of...

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 37 - Social Protection (Revised) (16 Feb 2022)

Heather Humphreys: I thank the Deputy for raising this. The issue of auto-enrolment is at an advanced stage. I have brought proposals to a Cabinet subcommittee and I intend to bring final proposals to the Government very shortly. As the Deputy knows, the programme for Government commits to introducing a pension automatic enrolment system. It is a priority for me. I want to see this introduced. Only 35% of...

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 37 - Social Protection (Revised) (16 Feb 2022)

Heather Humphreys: I thank the Deputy for his comments again. I am not in a position to say what recommendations the Government will accept or otherwise. This will be a whole-of-government decision. There will be many discussions and, at the end of the day, we have to make the decisions that are fair and make sure the State pension, which is the bedrock of the system at the minute, continues. I always say...

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 37 - Social Protection (Revised) (16 Feb 2022)

Heather Humphreys: I thank the members of the committee for their contributions. This has been a good debate. I am glad that I have been able to outline the Department's position. I have also been able to hear members' views and take them on board. I thank the members for their co-operation and support in dealing with this Revised Estimate. Perhaps the Minister of State wishes to say a few words.

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 37 - Social Protection (Revised) (16 Feb 2022)

Heather Humphreys: My Department has already implemented a review process whereby performance metrics are formally reviewed on an annual basis and amended as appropriate. We review our performance on a monthly basis when I meet with the management team. If there are any issues that Deputies have brought to my attention or I have seen in my own constituency, I certainly raise them. I have seen many cases...

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 37 - Social Protection (Revised) (16 Feb 2022)

Heather Humphreys: I take on board all of the suggestions made and I value them. I have made changes in the Department based on suggestions that have come from the committee. At the end of the day, we all want to make sure that citizens are looked after and that the purpose of all of the payments in regard to all of the supports we provide are to help people. I am happy to consider what was proposed by the...