Results 12,321-12,340 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (14 Dec 2021)

Heather Humphreys: Working Family Payment (WFP) is an in work supplementary payment which provides additional financial support to employees on low earnings with children. Should a WFP recipient become ill during a WFP award period and qualifies for Illness Benefit (IB) or Occupational Injuries Benefit, WFP is only payable for 6 weeks in conjunction with either benefit. If their IB claim extends for more than...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Personal Public Service Numbers (14 Dec 2021)

Heather Humphreys: A Personal Public Service (PPS) Number is a unique reference number that helps a person access social welfare benefits and public services in Ireland. If applying for a PPS Number to take up employment, a person must have a signed offer of employment from an employer confirming when the job is due to start or when it started. This letter should be on company headed paper with the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Schemes (14 Dec 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The Farm Assist Scheme is a means tested support for farmers on low incomes who satisfy the scheme’s statutory conditions including a means test. Recipients retain the advantages of Jobseeker's allowance such as the retention of secondary benefits and access to activation programmes. The 2021 Further Revised Estimate provides for expenditure of €61.7 million on the scheme. ...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Pension Provisions (14 Dec 2021)

Heather Humphreys: 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 and representatives of workers and employers. The...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (14 Dec 2021)

Heather Humphreys: As the economy has reopened we have seen a huge reduction in the number of customers receiving the Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) across all sectors including the arts and entertainment sector which fell by approximately 91% since the height of the pandemic in May 2020 when some 14,300 recipients were being supported by a PUP payment as with just under 1,300 recipients last week. The...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (14 Dec 2021)

Heather Humphreys: Guardian's payment is payable for a child between the ages of 18 and 22 if the child is attending a course of full time education. Both of the children for whom the person concerned was receiving Guardian's Payment, are over age 18. In order to continue to receive payment, confirmation of attendance in full time education must be provided. Forms issued to the person concerned in early...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pensions (14 Dec 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The purpose of the voluntary contribution scheme is to provide persons who were, but are no longer, compulsorily insured under social insurance with the opportunity to pay contributions directly to my Department. Voluntary contributions ensure continuity of social insurance for pension purposes during periods where former contributors are no longer insured as employed or self-employed...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (14 Dec 2021)

Heather Humphreys: With effect from Tuesday 7thDecember the Government announced the introduction of a range of public health measures to further reduce the spread of Covid-19 and a limited re-opening of PUP specifically designed to support those workers who lose their employment as a direct result of the introduction of the new restrictions. All workers, including the self-employed, who lose their employment...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals (14 Dec 2021)

Heather Humphreys: Based on the evidence supplied in support of this person’s application, her application for disability allowance (DA) was disallowed on the grounds that the medical qualifying condition was not satisfied. The person in question was notified in writing of this decision on 26 October 2021. They requested a review of the decision by a deciding officer (DO) and submitted additional...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (14 Dec 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The rate of Illness Benefit payable in individual cases is determined by reference to the applicant's weekly average earnings in the relevant tax year and there is no discretion available to increase the rate in instances involving particular types of illness. If the person concerned is experiencing difficulties meeting his financial commitments he should contact the Department's...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Disability Services (14 Dec 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The Ability Programme was introduced in June 2018 for a three-year period and was a pre-activation programme for young people with disabilities. The funding for the programme amounted to approximately €16 million over the three-year period and was co-funded by the EU and the Irish Exchequer under the EU's ESF Programme for Employability, Inclusion and Learning (PEIL) Operational...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Tax and Social Welfare Codes (14 Dec 2021)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 442, 443 and 446 together. The concept of a ‘test case’ has been misinterpreted over the years. In 1995 the Social Welfare Appeals Office considered an appeal against a Departmental Deciding Officer determination that a person working as a courier, was in the particular circumstances of the case, employed rather than self-employed. The...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Tax and Social Welfare Codes (14 Dec 2021)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 444, 445 and 447 together. The role of the Social Welfare Appeals Office is to determine appeals against decisions of Deciding Officers and/or Designated Persons of the Department of Social Protection. The legislation currently governing the appeals process is contained in Chapters 2, 3 and 4 of Part 10 of the Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005 and the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (14 Dec 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) was introduced as an emergency measure to provide an income support to those who had lost their employment as a result of Covid. The scheme closed to new applications on 8 July 2021. Following the announcement of the introduction of a range of public health measures with effect from Tuesday 7 December 2021 to help to reduce the spread of Covid-19,...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (14 Dec 2021)

Heather Humphreys: Disability Allowance is one of a range of means-tested social assistance payments operated by my Department. Social welfare legislation provides that the means test takes account of the income and assets of the person (and spouse / partner, if applicable), applying for the relevant scheme. The means assessment reflects the fact that there is an expectation that people with reasonable...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Flexible Work Practices (14 Dec 2021)

Heather Humphreys: Civil Service departments and offices have been working in line with Government Covid-19 guidance, which provides for home working to continue where possible. As an essential service, staff in my Department have continued, throughout the pandemic, to work both on site in office premises and remotely to deliver for our customers across our nationwide network of offices. The number of...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Flexible Work Practices (14 Dec 2021)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 451 and 453 together. Electricity costs in my Department were higher in 2020 because of the impact of Covid 19 on work practices and adherence to public health guidance. Compared with other Government Departments, the Department of Social Protection has required on site attendance of an average of 50% of staff and has provided access to all public offices,...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Cybersecurity Policy (14 Dec 2021)

Heather Humphreys: My Department implements a security-by-design and defence-in-depth approach to cyber security. My Department also has 24/7 cyber defensive systems in place which react to any threat to its systems in the event of a cyber incident or security breach. All systems are monitored on a 24/7 basis. My Department also works closely with the National Cyber Security Centre and the Office of the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Schemes (14 Dec 2021)

Heather Humphreys: There is a wide 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 criteria relevant to the scheme being applied for. In general, self-employed people make PRSI...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals (14 Dec 2021)

Heather Humphreys: Working Family Payment (WFP) formerly Family Income Supplement is a weekly in-work support, which provides an income top-up for employees on low earnings with children. To qualify for Working Family Payment the customer must have at least 1 qualified child who normally resides with them. WFP is payable at 60% of the difference between the set income limit for a given family size and the...