Results 11,921-11,940 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (3 Feb 2022)

Heather Humphreys: Carer's Support Grant is paid to carers once per year, usually in June, at a rate of €1,850. It is automatically paid to recipients of Carer's Allowance, Carer's Benefit and Domiciliary Care Allowance. Carers who are not in receipt of one of these payments may also qualify for the grant. In 2021, 125,626 carers received the grant at a cost of €257.3m. The 2022 allocation for...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (3 Feb 2022)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 23 and 62 together. The social welfare package in Budget 2022 was the highest in 14 years with approximately 1.4 million people receiving a €5 increase in weekly payments. In addition to improvements in core social welfare rates, the Budget package included a number of targeted measures. This focused approach to supporting those in greatest need is...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic (3 Feb 2022)

Heather Humphreys: My Department provides a comprehensive package of carers’ income supports including Carer’s Allowance, Carer’s Benefit, Domiciliary Care Allowance and the Carer’s Support Grant. Combined spending on all these payments to carers in 2022 is estimated to exceed €1.5 billion. Despite the extra financial demands due to the Covid-19 crisis, I increased the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Employment Schemes (3 Feb 2022)

Heather Humphreys: My Department is procuring a new 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 who were without a Local Employment Service. Contracts were signed last December and services are in the process of being mobilised. Phase two of the process has now commenced, with the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (3 Feb 2022)

Heather Humphreys: My Department provides a comprehensive package of carers’ income supports including Carer’s Allowance, Carer’s Benefit, Domiciliary Care Allowance and the Carer’s Support Grant. Combined spending on all these payments to carers in 2022 is estimated to exceed €1.5 billion. Despite the extra financial demands due to the Covid-19 crisis, I increased the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (3 Feb 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The Treatment Benefit Scheme provides dental, optical and aural services to insured workers, the self-employed, retired people and their dependant spouse/partner who have the required number of social insurance (PRSI) contributions. In order to qualify a person needs to have at least 260 PRSI contributions paid at either Class A, E, H, P or S, since first starting work, and also have 39...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (3 Feb 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The Treatment Benefit Scheme provides dental, optical and aural services to insured workers, the self-employed, retired people and their dependent spouse/partner who have the required number of social insurance (PRSI) contributions. In order to qualify, a person needs to have at least 260 PRSI contributions paid at either Class A, E, H, P or S, since first starting work, and also have 39...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (3 Feb 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The key role of the Department of Social Protection is that of income support. The main income supports to carers provided by my Department include Carer's Allowance, Carer's Benefit, Domiciliary Care Allowance, and the Carer's Support Grant. Spending on these payments in 2022 is expected to exceed €1.5 billion. In acknowledgement of the crucial role that family carers play in our...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Domestic Violence (3 Feb 2022)

Heather Humphreys: Responsibility for the development and provision of services to support victims of domestic violence is a cross government body of work involving the Department of Justice, Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (DCEDIY) and associated agencies. The co-ordination of the services addressing the needs of these...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (3 Feb 2022)

Heather Humphreys: In Budget 2022, I was pleased to announce a number of reforms to the fuel allowance scheme including an increase in the weekly rate by €5 to €33, and a €20 increase in the weekly income means threshold with both measures implemented with effect from budget night. It is estimated that approx. 400,000 households will benefit from this payment in 2022. The table below...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Pension Provisions (3 Feb 2022)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 32, 68 and 96 together. 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 supplementary pension...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (3 Feb 2022)

Heather Humphreys: Under the supplementary welfare allowance scheme, my Department may make a single exceptional needs payment to help meet essential, once-off expenditure which a person could not reasonably be expected to meet out of their weekly income. The exceptional needs payment scheme is demand led. Payments are made at the discretion of the officers administering the scheme, taking into account the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Employment Schemes (3 Feb 2022)

Heather Humphreys: Last July I launched the Government’s national employment services strategy ‘Pathways to Work 2021 – 2025’, which outlines the Government’s strategy to support those who have lost jobs, or who are otherwise unemployed, find new jobs. The second strand of the Pathways strategy, ‘Working for Employers,’ focuses on helping employers hire workers...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (3 Feb 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The Treatment Benefit scheme is available to insured workers, the self-employed and retired people who have the required number of PRSI contributions. It is also available to their dependent spouse or partner if applicable. Those who are eligible can avail of dental, optical and hearing services under the scheme. €109 million was spent on the scheme in 2021. As part of Budget 2022, I...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Medical Aids and Appliances (3 Feb 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The Treatment Benefit Scheme provides dental, optical and aural services to insured workers, the self-employed, retired people and their dependant spouse/partner who have the required number of social insurance (PRSI) contributions. In order to qualify a person needs to have at least 260 PRSI contributions paid at either Class A, E, H, P or S, since first starting work, and also have 39...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (3 Feb 2022)

Heather Humphreys: Domiciliary Care Allowance is a monthly payment for parents caring for a child with a severe disability. Domiciliary Care Allowance (DCA) ceases to be payable when a child reaches age 16 years. Disability Allowance (DA) can then be paid from age 16 if the qualifying conditions for that scheme are met. Following a commitment made in the Comprehensive Employment Strategy for people...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic (3 Feb 2022)

Heather Humphreys: My Department provides a suite of income supports for those who are unable to work due to an illness or disability. It is important to note that entitlement to these supports is generally not contingent on the nature of the illness or disability but on the extent to which a particular illness or disability impairs or restricts a person’s capacity to work. My Department spent a...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (3 Feb 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The supplementary welfare allowance scheme offers a safety net within the overall social welfare system by providing assistance to those whose means are insufficient to meet their own needs and those of their dependents. Under the scheme, my Department may award a supplement to assist with on going or recurring costs that cannot be met from the person's own resources and are deemed to be...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pensions (3 Feb 2022)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 40 and 71 together. 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...