Results 12,561-12,580 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

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

Heather Humphreys: The person concerned reached pension age on 27 October 2008 and was in receipt of State pension (non-contributory) from 31 October 2008 to 14 October 2021. Their application for State pension (contributory) was received on 24 August 2021. According to the records of my Department, the person concerned has a social insurance record of 980 full-rate paid contributions and 127 credited...

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

Heather Humphreys: When a person is in receipt of disability allowance (DA) and their child is in full-time education, an increase for qualified child (IQC) will be paid up to eighteen years of age or up to the end of the academic year in which he or she reaches twenty two. The person concerned has now been awarded half rate IQC for her four children and arrears have issued in respect of the two children born...

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

Heather Humphreys: The Programme for Government commits to introducing a pension auto-enrolment system. The objective of this commitment is to address the low proportion of employees in Ireland with supplementary pension cover, which includes both occupational and personal pensions. According to CSO figures, the rate of supplementary pension coverage is around 55% of the working population (Pension Coverage...

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

Heather Humphreys: An Increase for qualified adult (IQA) is a means-tested payment, payable to State pension (contributory) claimants whose spouse, civil partner or cohabitant is being wholly or mainly maintained by them, and where that qualified adult’s personal means from any source do not exceed a means test income limit. Where property or assets are held jointly, the qualified adult's means are...

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

Heather Humphreys: An application for widow's, widower's or surviving civil partner's contributory pension was received by my Department in April 2021 from the person concerned. A copy of the U.S.A. marriage license/certificate and a copy of the late spouse's French death certificate were submitted with the application. Evidence of births, marriages and deaths which occurin thisState is available to the...

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

Heather Humphreys: Scholarship awards for PhD students are not excluded from the means test for persons in receipt of one-parent family payment. The social protection system includes a variety of social assistance payments with different rules in relation to means testing, reflecting the different contingencies under which payments are made. The means assessment reflects the fact that there is an expectation...

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

Heather Humphreys: In Budget 2022, I was pleased to announce a €5 increase across all core weekly social welfare payments, including a proportionate increase for qualified adults. The increase, which is estimated to cost €375 million, will take effect from January 2022 and will benefit approximately 1.4 million recipients. I also announced a number of targeted measures which are aimed at...

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

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 369,000 low income households, at an estimated cost of €300 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: Social Welfare Benefits (30 Nov 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The person concerned is in receipt of State pension (contributory) since 8 January 2016. According to the records of my Department, they indicated on their pension application that they did not wish to apply for fuel allowance and have not applied for this payment since then. Fuel allowance is a means-tested payment to assist householders on long-term social welfare payments towards the...

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

Heather Humphreys: My Department received the document on 16thNovember 2021. Officials in the Human Resources Division of my Department are currently engaging with the person who submitted this correspondence. My Department has not engaged with the named service provider in relation to this document. The named service provider, Employability West Cork is wholly funded by my Department. In 2012 my Department...

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

Heather Humphreys: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 24 August 2021. It is a statutory requirement of the appeals process that the relevant papers and comments by or on behalf of the Deciding Officer on the grounds of appeal be sought from the Department of Social Protection. Those papers were received in the Social Welfare...

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

Heather Humphreys: I have arranged for a copy of their social insurance contribution record to issue directly to the person concerned. Pension entitlement can only be assessed on the basis of the eligibility conditions applicable on the date an individual reaches pension age. The person concerned was born in 1959. Under current eligibility conditions, an individual must have 520 full-rate paid...

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

Heather Humphreys: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 3 September 2021. It is a statutory requirement of the appeals process that the relevant papers and comments by or on behalf of the Deciding Officer on the grounds of appeal be sought from the Department of Social Protection. Those papers were received in the Social...

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

Heather Humphreys: Fuel allowance is a means-tested payment to assist householders on long-term social welfare payments towards their winter heating costs. To qualify for fuel allowance a person must be in receipt of a qualifying payment, satisfy a means test, and live alone or with other qualifying persons. The person concerned applied for fuel allowance on 18 October 2021. As the person is not in receipt...

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

Heather Humphreys: The Fuel Allowance is a payment of €33.00 per week for 28 weeks (a total of €924 each year) from October to April, to 369,000 low income households, at an estimated cost of €300 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. It is not...

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

Heather Humphreys: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 6 August 2021. It is a statutory requirement of the appeals process that the relevant papers and comments by or on behalf of the Deciding Officer on the grounds of appeal be sought from the Department of Social Protection. Those papers were received in the Social Welfare...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Ferry Services (30 Nov 2021)

Heather Humphreys: As the Deputy is aware, Local Authorities are the responsible bodies for developing and maintaining pier infrastructures on the mainland and on the offshore islands. In the case of the Aran Islands, Galway County Council are ultimately responsible for developing the piers to improve accessibility for ferry passengers with disabilities. In the recent past the Council installed pontoons...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Community Development Projects (30 Nov 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The 2014-2020 LEADER programme had a total allocation of €250 million. €225 million of this budget was allocated directly to the Local Action Groups (LAGs) who deliver the programme and approve projects at local level. This funding was allocated to the LAGs for the programming period rather than on an annual basis to give them greater flexibility to manage their budgets. The...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Flexible Work Practices (30 Nov 2021)

Heather Humphreys: Our Rural Future, Ireland’s Rural Development Policy 2021-2025, recognises the opportunity for rural rejuvenation that remote working presents and commits to establishing a comprehensive and integrated network of 400 remote working hubs over the lifetime of the policy to 2025. My Department operates a number of funding schemes that focus on projects supporting remote working and that...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Schemes (30 Nov 2021)

Heather Humphreys: Walking trails that traverse private land are generally provided on a permissive access basis. Compensation payments are not available for the provision of this permissive access by the landholder. However, my Department operates the Walks Scheme which contracts landholders to undertake maintenance work on National Waymarked Ways and other priority trails that traverse their lands. The...