Results 12,081-12,100 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

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

Heather Humphreys: I am not aware of any difficulties with customers contacting Newbridge Intreo Centre. The current opening hours in the Intreo Centre are 09:15 to 13:00 Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday with a later opening time of 10:30 on a Thursday to allow for staff training. Scheduled appointments are available for customers from 13:00 to 17:00 each day. Customers can contact Newbridge Intreo...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Library Services (27 Jan 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The provision of a public library service is primarily a matter for local authorities in their capacity as library authorities under the Local Government Act 2001. However, my Department provides funding to supplement investment by local authorities in their library services. Funding is provided as a contribution towards the cost of developing library buildings, technological capacity and...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Data (27 Jan 2022)

Heather Humphreys: I can confirm that my Department has not commissioned any polling of the general public related to possible or existing policies within the remit of my Department for the period 1 January 2021 to date.

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Rural Schemes (27 Jan 2022)

Heather Humphreys: Our Rural Future, Ireland’s Rural Development Policy 2021-2025, recognises the potential of remote working hubs as key economic assets for our rural towns and villages. Notwithstanding the clear benefits to individuals and families in terms of quality of life indicators, remote working from hubs will also support local economies, reduce carbon emissions and may arrest or reverse the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (26 Jan 2022)

Heather Humphreys: My Department provides social insurance and social assistance payments to those who are experiencing a particular contingency. Social insurance schemes are paid to those covered by the Social Insurance Fund, whereas social assistance payments are designed to support those most in need and are based on a means-test. However, there is a general principle of one person, one payment, which...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals (26 Jan 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 21 July 2021. It is a statutory requirement of the appeals process that the relevant departmental papers and comments by the Deciding Officer on the grounds of appeal be sought. These papers were received on 24 January 2022 and the case in question has now been referred...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic (26 Jan 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The issue raised by the Deputy is under the remit of my colleague, the Minister for Health.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (26 Jan 2022)

Heather Humphreys: As the Deputy is aware, my Department publishes recipient numbers by county in annual and quarterly formats. Annual reports, including an archive of reports dating from 1998 onwards, are available through gov.ie/dsp/statistics. Quarterly data is available through the national open data portal, data.gov.ie. The information requested by the Deputy is set out in the table below. ">One-parent...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (26 Jan 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The figures to which the Deputy refers indicate that the number of recipients of One-Parent Family Payment (OFP) in County Clare reduced from 1,175 in 2014 to 646 in 2015. This is not surprising given the changes to the eligibility rules for OFP and the introduction of the Jobseeker’s Transition Payment (JST) during that period. Budget 2012 included a number of significant reforms...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Contracts (26 Jan 2022)

Heather Humphreys: Details of all new contracts granted by my Department in relation to Covid-19 since the beginning of the pandemic are set out in tabular format below: Contract - Year Contractor Value excl. VAT Tendering process Provision of laptop peripheral devices -2020 Datapac €770 Single Supplier Procurement ...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Departmental Contracts (26 Jan 2022)

Heather Humphreys: I can confirm that the only services contracted by my Department for the purposes of the Covid-19 response were provided by Quadra Consulting Ltd. The services provided were Covid-19 risk assessments and advice relating to our offices in Ballina and Dublin. The services were procured using a Framework Agreement established by the Office of Government Procurement for the provision of Health...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Correspondence (25 Jan 2022)

Heather Humphreys: My Department is procuring a new Local Area Employment Service over two distinct phases. There has been extensive engagement with all relevant stakeholders including both SIPTU and Forsa in relation to my Department's legal requirement to competitively procure contracted employment services. Phase one of the process for procuring new employment services involved seven counties in the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (25 Jan 2022)

Heather Humphreys: Invalidity Pension recipients can claim an increase in their payment in respect of a Qualified Adult, subject to a means assessment. A Qualified Adult is the spouse, civil partner or cohabitant of the pensioner who is being wholly or mainly maintained by that recipient. The means assessment reflects the fact that there is an expectation that people with reasonable amounts of income or...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Data (25 Jan 2022)

Heather Humphreys: Historic information on the number of applications received on a county basis by month is not available. The following table provides a breakdown by year of applications from Co. Carlow between 1st January 2018 to 31st December 2021, based on the customer’s current address. Carer’s Allowance Year 2018 2019 2020 2021 ...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Data (25 Jan 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The Social Welfare Appeals Office functions independently of the Minister for Social Protection and of the Department and is responsible for determining appeals against decisions in relation to social welfare entitlements. Appeals which had a favourable outcome for the appellant consist of appeals which were either allowed in full or in part by an Appeals Officer, or which were resolved by...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Data (25 Jan 2022)

Heather Humphreys: As part of Budget 2022 I was pleased to announce that we are supporting those most vulnerable who are facing higher energy costs by: - Increasing the fuel allowance rate of payment by €5 per week with effect from Budget week; - Increasing the means threshold by €20 to enable more households to qualify for fuel allowance; and - Reducing the period required to qualify for...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Data (25 Jan 2022)

Heather Humphreys: Detailed information on scheme recipients, including recipients by county, are published each year by my Department in the Annual Statistical Report on Social Welfare Services, which is available at gov.ie/dsp/statistics. The Annual Statistical Report on Social Welfare Services in respect of 2021 is expected to be published in quarter 2 of this year. The archive on gov.ie contains reports...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Data (25 Jan 2022)

Heather Humphreys: On 26 October 2021, those who earned less than €200 per week began the process of moving to standard Jobseeker terms. From 09 November 2021, those who earned between €200 and €299.99 per week began this process. Accordingly, the table below details the movements of those in receipt of the Pandemic Unemployment Payment on 26 October 2021 and 09 November 2021 to Jobseeker...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (25 Jan 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The person referred to in the Deputy’s question made an application to my Department for Jobseeker's Benefit on September 13th, 2021, but this application was disallowed by a Deciding Officer as the customer had indicated in the application that they were not available for full-time work, were not looking for full-time work and would not accept any other type of work as they were in...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Employment Support Services (25 Jan 2022)

Heather Humphreys: While the Deputy's proposal is laudable, but she will be aware that my Department handles huge volumes of personal data and that the protection of this data is paramount. When a contract with a Job Club comes to an end all assets must be returned to the Department and this may include IT equipment such as PC desktops, laptops, etc. which have been used to provide the service. In line with...