Results 11,961-11,980 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

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

Heather Humphreys: Since 1998, when legislative provision was first made for the Public Services Card, it was always intended that it would be used widely across the public service to assist people in their dealings with public sector bodies. The list of public bodies that are authorised to use the PSC is set out in Schedule 5 of the Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005 (as amended). Credit unions and other...

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

Heather Humphreys: One of the main factors driving the increased cost of living is rising energy costs. The Government is committed to supporting households to control and meet energy costs through a combination of monetary supports as well as investment to improve the energy efficiency of the housing stock. The Household Benefits package (HHB) is just one of a range of supports my Department provides to...

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

Heather Humphreys: WPEP is a key policy initiative under the Government's national employment services strategy; Pathways to Work 2021-2025. It is a funded work placement scheme to provide work experience for 10,000 jobseekers who have been unemployed for more than six months, including time spent on the pandemic unemployment payment (PUP). Participation on WPEP is entirely voluntary. All participants are...

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

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 78 and 110 together. Expenditure on the Pandemic Unemployment Payment scheme has exceeded €9 billion since its introduction in March 2020. This demonstrates the Government’s clear commitment to workers who lost employment during the pandemic. There has been a significant reduction in the number of recipients who are in receipt of the PUP...

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

Heather Humphreys: As the Deputy is aware, the COVID-19 pandemic represented an abrupt and adverse shock to Ireland’s labour market, quite unlike any other, and resulted in an unprecedented demand for financial supports from the State. Latest available figures from the CSO suggest that Government’s pandemic related supports – the Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) and Temporary/Employment...

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 currently without a Local Employment Service, contracts were signed last month and services are in the process of being mobilised. Phase two of the process has now commenced,...

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

Heather Humphreys: The Fuel Allowance is a payment of €33.00 per week for 28 weeks (a total of €924 over a full fuel season) from October to April, to 375,000 low-income households, 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 towards the energy costs of a household....

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

Heather Humphreys: Farm Assist is an important income support for farmers on low incomes, enabling them to continue to farm while also receiving a State income support. Under the scheme farmers can receive the equivalent of a jobseeker payment and also have access to secondary benefits and employment services. The 2022 Revised Estimate provides for expenditure of €53.9 million on the scheme which is...

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

Heather Humphreys: The death of a child is a tragedy and the difficulties that parents and families experience as a result cannot be over-stated. As I have previously advised the Deputy, I will be working with Minister O’Gorman to see how best we can do this. Within the social welfare system, there are a number of supports for people who suffer a bereavement. In particular, there is an arrangement...

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

Heather Humphreys: There are a number of basic principles which underpin the Irish social insurance system. Firstly, there is the contributory principle. Under this principle there is a direct link between the PRSI contributions that a person has paid and entitlement to a varying range of benefits and pensions. Where a person has sufficient PRSI contributions, then benefits and pensions may be paid...

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. Entitlement to these supports is generally not contingent on the nature of the illness or disability but on the extent to which an illness or disability impairs or restricts a person’s capacity to work. My Department spent a total of €4.7 billion on illness,...

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

Heather Humphreys: Carer's allowance 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. Means for the purpose of this payment comprises any income belonging to the carer and their spouse, civil partner, or...

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

Heather Humphreys: The cost of disability is significantly broader than income supports and it is clear that it will not be addressed through income support alone. The findings of the research have implications for many areas of public policy including the delivery of care services, health, housing, education, transport and income supports so a whole-of-Government perspective is needed. As such the...

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

Heather Humphreys: Domiciliary Care Allowance is a monthly payment for parents caring for a child with a severe disability. Applicants for Domiciliary Care Allowance are required to complete a DomCare 1 application form, which details their child's disability and resultant medical and additional care needs. In addition to this form an applicant can, if they wish, supply further evidence, medical or otherwise,...

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 currently 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 Code (3 Feb 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The Cost of Disability research findings are significantly broader than income supports and it is clear that this issue will not be addressed through income support alone. The research has implications for many areas of public policy including the delivery of care services, health, housing, education, transport and income supports. In order to implement an all-Department response, the...

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

Heather Humphreys: The Cost of Disability research findings are significantly broader than income supports and it is clear that this issue will not be addressed through income support alone. The research has implications for many areas of public policy including the delivery of care services, health, housing, education, transport and income supports. In order to implement an all-Department response, the...

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

Heather Humphreys: The Fuel Allowance is a payment of €33.00 per week for 28 weeks (a total of €924 over a full fuel season) from October to April, to 375,000 low-income households, 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 towards the energy costs of a household....

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

Heather Humphreys: The Community Welfare Service of my Department delivers the Supplementary Welfare Allowance scheme which is the safety net within the overall social welfare system. This scheme provides assistance to eligible people in the State whose means are insufficient to meet their needs and those of their dependents. Intreo Centres and Social Welfare Branch Offices in Cork City and County are...