Results 12,061-12,080 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: School Meals Programme (1 Feb 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The school meals programme provides funding towards the provision of food to some 1,506 schools and organisations benefitting 230,000 children. The objective of the programme is to provide regular, nutritious food to children who are unable, due to lack of good quality food, to take full advantage of the education provided to them. The programme is an important component of policies to...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Data (1 Feb 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The Part-time Job Incentive Scheme (PTJI) is an administrative scheme under Jobseeker's Allowance, which allows those who are long-term unemployed to take up part-time employment for up to 24 hours per week and receive a weekly income supplement where they satisfy the qualifying scheme conditions. As the PTJI is an income supplement for jobseekers in part-time employment, the rate...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic (1 Feb 2022)

Heather Humphreys: It is important to note that the primary state income support in respect of people who are aged 66 years or over is the State Pension – either the contributory state pension or the non-contributory pension, which is means tested. Currently, where a person aged 66 and over is in employment, no employee social insurance contributions are payable and either a nil liability, or reduced...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Service Level Agreements (1 Feb 2022)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 555 to 557, inclusive, together. Turas Nua is one of two companies contracted to provide the JobPath employment assistance and advisory service on behalf of my Department. The purpose of the service is to provide assistance and advice to jobseekers who are long-term unemployed. Providers are paid based on performance and except for the initial registration...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (1 Feb 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The fuel allowance entitlement of the person concerned has been re-examined in light of the new income limit rules that were introduced in Budget 2022. The person concerned has been awarded a fuel allowance at the weekly rate of €33.00 in addition to her widow's contributory pension from the 12 October 2021. In addition she has also been granted the telephone support allowance at the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (1 Feb 2022)

Heather Humphreys: My Department provides a number of income supports for those unable to work due to illness or disability. There is a range of benefits available to people who make Pay Related Social Insurance (PRSI) contributions. Entitlement to such benefits is dependent on the individual's social insurance contribution record, the class of social insurance paid as well as satisfying other qualification...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Insurance (1 Feb 2022)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 561 and 563 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...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Rates (1 Feb 2022)

Heather Humphreys: Maternity Benefit is paid for 26 weeks to employed and self-employed women who satisfy certain pay related social insurance (PRSI) contribution and other conditions. In Budget 2022 I provided for an increase of €5 in the weekly payment rate. As a result, the rate of Maternity Benefit now stands at €250 per week. The rate of Maternity Benefit is in line with the rates of...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Community Development Projects (1 Feb 2022)

Heather Humphreys: As the Deputy will be aware my Department provides co-funding, with the relevant Local Authorities, for minor capital works on our inhabited offshore islands. Applications from the Local Authorities for 2022 are still incoming and therefore it is too early to give any figure as regards funding for this year. However, I can confirm that in the 5 year period from 2016-2021 my Department...

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

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 864, 865 and 866 together. Our Rural Future 2021-2025 is the most ambitious rural development policy for Ireland in decades. It was published in March 2021 and contains more than 150 commitments across the whole-of-Government, for both short-term recovery and longer-term development. Updates on the implementation of the five-year Policy will be provided by a...

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

Heather Humphreys: Our Rural Future is the most ambitious and transformational policy for rural development in Ireland for decades. The policy contains 152 measures for delivery across the whole-of-Government, with the underlying theme of economic, environmental and societal sustainability. The policy has a vision of ensuring vibrant and thriving rural towns and villages, with a key objective to maximise...

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

Heather Humphreys: Our Rural Future clearly recognises the transformative role that remote working can have. One of the key actions which the policy commits to in this regard is establishing a comprehensive and integrated network of 400 remote working hubs over the lifetime of the policy to 2025. An interdepartmental working group, chaired by the Secretary General of my Department was established in October...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (27 Jan 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 €323 million in 2021. 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: Tax Credits (27 Jan 2022)

Heather Humphreys: If the Deputy is referring to the Single Person Child Carer Credit (SPCCC) this credit does not fall under the remit of my Department. It is a tax credit administered by the Revenue Commissioners and under the remit of my colleague, the Minister for Finance. The key role of the Department of Social Protection is that of income support. The main income supports to carers provided by my...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (27 Jan 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. An application was received for CA from the person concerned on 28 September 2021. It is a condition for receipt of CA...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Data (27 Jan 2022)

Heather Humphreys: My Department has not commissioned any polling of the general public for the period in question. As part of our ongoing commitment to customer service and quality assurance, a number of customer satisfaction surveys were conducted during this period and for these an external agency was engaged. The details of the surveys carried out for the period 1 January 2021 to date are as follows: -...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (27 Jan 2022)

Heather Humphreys: My Department received an application for Illness Benefit from the person concerned on the 15th October 2021. She stated on her application that she wished to make a claim from the 4th March 2021. My Department has not received medical certificates from this date and as such her claim was withdrawn. In order to make an application for Illness Benefit, a person must submit medical certificates...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (27 Jan 2022)

Heather Humphreys: As of 24th January 2022, there are 3,286 applicants awaiting a decision for Jobseeker's Allowance, with an average waiting time of 13 days. According to our latest data, around 98% of applicants for Jobseeker's Allowance are awarded payment within 6 weeks or less of their claim being registered.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (27 Jan 2022)

Heather Humphreys: As of 24th January 2022, there are 2,476 applicants awaiting a decision for Jobseeker's Benefit, with an average waiting time of 12 days. According to our latest data, around 96% of applicants for Jobseeker's Benefit are awarded payment within three weeks or less of their claim being registered.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (27 Jan 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. The average number of weeks to award new CA applications was 5 weeks at the end of December 2021. There were 1,459...