Results 12,541-12,560 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (30 Nov 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The free travel scheme provides free travel on the main public and private transport services for those eligible under the scheme. These include road, rail and ferry services provided by companies such as Bus Átha Cliath, Bus Éireann and Iarnród Éireann, as well as Luas and services provided by over 80 private transport operators. There are currently approximately...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (30 Nov 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The person concerned received child benefit for her daughter for a period during which the child no longer resided with her. She was therefore not entitled to payment for the period in question and a revised decision was made disallowing child benefit in respect of the period concerned (August to October 2006). This resulted in an overpayment of €450.00. She was notified of the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Employment Support Services (30 Nov 2021)

Heather Humphreys: I have received a copy of the report of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection, Community and Rural Development and the Islands entitled 'Examination of Employment Services'. As requested in one of the recommendations of the report, I will respond formally to the report in due course once I have had the opportunity to fully reflect upon it. I appreciate the Joint...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Employment Support Services (30 Nov 2021)

Heather Humphreys: My Department is now at an advanced stage in its first phase of procuring new employment services. This phase involves the procurement of regional employment services for seven counties in the Midlands and North-West across four lots. These counties do not have an existing local employment service and represent the first phase of an expansion of similar employment services across the State....

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (30 Nov 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The person concerned submitted an application for disability allowance (DA) on 11 November 2021. Their application, based upon all the evidence submitted, was refused on medical grounds as it was not found that they were substantially restricted in taking up employment. The person concerned was notified in writing of this decision on 23 November 2021 and was also notified of their right to...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Irish Language (30 Nov 2021)

Heather Humphreys: My Department is committed to providing a high standard of service in either Irish or English to its customers.The Department is aware of its obligations under the Official Languages Act 2003 and the commitments as set out in our Irish Language Scheme 2019-2022. Currently, the Department has 200 staff in our various Intreo and Departmental offices across the country that are available to...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (30 Nov 2021)

Heather Humphreys: Invalidity pension (IP) is a payment for people who are permanently incapable of work because of illness or incapacity and who satisfy the pay related social insurance (PRSI) contribution conditions. The Department received a claim for IP for the person concerned on 20 February 2020. To qualify for IP a claimant must, inter-alia, have at least 260 (5 years) paid PRSI contributions since...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Pensions Reform (30 Nov 2021)

Heather Humphreys: In January 2018, the Government announced an Interim Total Contributions Approach (Interim TCA) to calculate the entitlement of pensioners who reached state pension age on or after 1 September 2012 (i.e. those born on or after 1 September 1946) and who had a reduced rate pension entitlement based on post Budget 2012 rate bands. When the Interim TCA was introduced, it included provision for...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Pensions Reform (30 Nov 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The State Pension (Non-Contributory), or SPNC, is a payment for people of state pension age who satisfy a means test along with other qualifying criteria. One of the qualifying conditions for SPNC is to satisfy the Habitual Residence Condition (HRC). HRC applies to both Irish citizens and Non-Irish citizens. Deciding Officers, when determining whether a person is habitually resident for...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (30 Nov 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The living alone increase is an extra payment for recipients of certain social welfare payments who are living alone. 224,361 people are in receipt of this increase. I trust this clarifies the position.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (30 Nov 2021)

Heather Humphreys: My officials are in the process of completing the transition to Jobseeker’s payments for customers who were in receipt of a COVID-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) of €203 per week prior to 07/09/2021. Any customer who is part of this phase and who applied for a Jobseeker’s payment will continue to receive a PUP until a decision is made on their Jobseeker’s...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (30 Nov 2021)

Heather Humphreys: Overpayments of social welfare assistance and benefit payments arise as a consequence of decisions made under the relevant sections of the Social Welfare (Consolidation) Act, 2005 (as amended). Customers who have been overpaid social welfare have a liability to refund the overpayment as they have been in receipt of a payment to which they were not entitled. Where an overpayment is raised, the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Schemes (30 Nov 2021)

Heather Humphreys: My Department provides a range of income and employment supports for those who are unable to work due to an illness or disability. Income supports for people who cannot work due an illness of disability include means-tested social assistance payments like Disability Allowance and Blind Pension, and social insurance payments like Illness Benefit or Invalidity Pension It is important...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Pension Provisions (30 Nov 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The Department provides income supports through contributory payments (which are based on a person's social insurance record) and means-tested social assistance payments. Social welfare legislation provides that the means test takes account of the income and assets of the person (and spouse or partner, if applicable) applying for the relevant scheme. The State Pension Contributory (SPC)...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Code (30 Nov 2021)

Heather Humphreys: It is understood that the Deputy's question relates to the provisions of subsection 30E(1A) of the Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005 (as amended). This subsection applies the provisions of Chapter 5B of the Act to employed social insurance contributors as well as to persons in receipt of an occupational pension between the age of 16 and pensionable age where such contributors or persons...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (30 Nov 2021)

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 Benefits (30 Nov 2021)

Heather Humphreys: Social welfare legislation (Section 241 of the Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005, as amended) provides that it shall be a condition of any person’s right to benefit that they, inter alia, satisfy the Minister as to their identity. It also provides (in section 247C of the same Act) that a person in receipt of any social welfare benefit must satisfy the Minister as to their identity,...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: School Meals Programme (30 Nov 2021)

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: Social Welfare Benefits (30 Nov 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The Deputy will be aware that the HSE is responsible for the day-to-day delivery of civil registration services which includes issuing death certificates. I have been informed by the General Register Office that the death certificate in question was issued by the HSE on the 24th November 2021. I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (30 Nov 2021)

Heather Humphreys: Working Family Payment (WFP) is an in work family payment which provides additional income support to employees on low earnings with children. In order to qualify for WFP an applicant cannot be claiming a Jobseeker's Transitional (JST) payment. An application for WFP was received from the person concerned on 20 August 2021 and was disallowed on 03 September 2021, as they had a current JST...