Results 12,801-12,820 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Rural Schemes (10 Nov 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The LEADER programme is a key intervention implemented by my Department which will help to underpin the Government's rural development goals as outlined in Our Rural Future. LEADER is administered by 29 Local Action Groups (LAGs) which deliver funding in accordance with Local Development Strategies that have been agreed for each LAG area. Each LAG has been given a funding allocation for...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Personal Public Service Numbers (9 Nov 2021)

Heather Humphreys: I can confirm that my Department has allocated a new Personal Public Service Number (PPSN) to the person referred to by the Deputy. A letter issued on 3rd November, providing her with her new PPSN. I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Registration of Births (9 Nov 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The Health Service Executive has responsibility for the delivery of civil registration services under the Civil Registration Act 2004. I am aware of and concerned about the waiting times to register births and other life events and the impact this has on families seeking to access social welfare payments. Resourcing and performance of the civil registration services, as with other matters...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pensions (9 Nov 2021)

Heather Humphreys: An overpayment of non-contributory pension was assessed in this case as the claimant did not declare means from a British Retirement Pension. The Department’s policy is to ensure that every effort is made to prevent overpayments but, if they occur, they are regarded as a debt to the Exchequer and every effort must be made to recover the amounts due. Legislation provides for the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pensions (9 Nov 2021)

Heather Humphreys: People who apply for the State Pension (Contributory) (SPC) after 1 September 2012 and who do not qualify for the maximum rate of pension under the Yearly Average approach can be assessed under the interim Total Contributions Approach, and can use the new Home Caring Periods Scheme to help them qualify for a higher rate of pension. People whose pensions were decided under the 2000-2012...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Employment Support Services (9 Nov 2021)

Heather Humphreys: In addition to income supports, the Department of Social Protection provides a wide range of employment supports and services to assist jobseekers/existing employees with disabilities, and also employers seeking to hire a jobseeker (or support an existing employee) with a disability. The Department’s employment supports and services have been designed to focus on supporting the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (9 Nov 2021)

Heather Humphreys: Carer's Benefit is a PRSI based payment made to insured people who leave the workforce or reduce their working hours to care for a child or an adult in need of full-time care and attention. Before a decision can be made on entitlement to Carer’s Benefit, evidence must be provided in respect of the care recipient’s care requirement, the level of care the carer provides, the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (9 Nov 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The objective of the Wage Subsidy Scheme (WSS) is to encourage private sector employers to employ people with disabilities and thereby increase the numbers of people with disabilities obtaining and sustaining employment in the open labour market. The scheme provides financial incentives to private sector employers to hire new staff with a disability for between 21 and 39 subsidised hours...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (9 Nov 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The system of social assistance supports, and the means tests associated with these schemes, are used to determine a verifiable income need and ensure that resources are targeted to those who need them most. As part of the means assessment for Rent Supplement, the value of capital is used in the calculation of means. Capital includes savings, investments and property, excluding the family...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (9 Nov 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The Back to Education Allowance (BTEA) provides income support for jobseekers and others in receipt of certain social welfare payments who pursue courses of education at second or third level. The conditions under which the BTEA operate are designed to support customers into employment. Government has provided €96.5 million for BTEA in 2021. A person pursuing a course of study under...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pensions (9 Nov 2021)

Heather Humphreys: Under current eligibility conditions, applicants must have a minimum of 520 full-rate paid contributions in order to qualify for standard State pension (contributory). This equates to 10 years of full-rate insurable employment over a person’s working life. It should be noted that having a minimum of 520 full-rate contributions does not automatically entitle an applicant to the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (9 Nov 2021)

Heather Humphreys: Fuel allowance is a means-tested payment to assist householders on long-term social welfare payments towards the cost of their heating needs. It is not intended to meet those costs in full. The main eligibility conditions that apply to the fuel allowance scheme are that a person must be in receipt of a qualifying payment, must satisfy a means test and must either be living alone or with...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pensions (9 Nov 2021)

Heather Humphreys: Social welfare legislation provides that a person who has been in receipt of the maximum rate of invalidity pension immediately prior to their 66th birthday automatically transfers to the maximum rate State pension (contributory) on reaching pension age. The person concerned turned 66 on 31 October 2021, which was a Sunday. Friday is the payment day for State pension (contributory). The...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Schemes (9 Nov 2021)

Heather Humphreys: Domiciliary Care Allowance decision reviews are currently taking approximately 12 weeks to process. Processing times can vary depending on the volume of reviews received, availability of resources and complexity of individual cases. All of these factors are continuously monitored to ensure a timely service to customers. I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (9 Nov 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The Partial Capacity Benefit payment to the person concerned was incorrectly stopped due to an administrative error. The payment has been reinstated and all arrears due have been issued. I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (9 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 365,000 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: Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (9 Nov 2021)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 471 to 473, inclusive, together. The PUP is gradually being withdrawn over the next four month period until February 2022 to align it with the standard jobseeker payments. This considered and tapered approach is being taken to avoid a sudden reduction in payments to those who have not yet returned to employment. In line with the Government’s...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Schemes (9 Nov 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The payment of Child Benefit is based on the rules of residency which state that, where a qualified child resides with his or her mother, the child is deemed to be resident with the mother and with no other person. In effect, the mother is the qualified person to receive the benefit in respect of that child. This applies even where the child’s father also resides in same household....

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (9 Nov 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The person concerned was awarded disability allowance (DA) with effect from 31 May 2017. On 5 May 2021, the person concerned was notified in writing that the DA payment would be stopped with effect on 26 May 2021, due to participation on a Community Employment Scheme (CES). All DA recipient payments are stopped for the duration of attendance on a CES and the weekly payment is taken over by...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (9 Nov 2021)

Heather Humphreys: My Department provides a range of income supports for those who are unable to work due to an illness or disability. It is important to note that entitlement to these supports is not contingent on the nature of the illness or disability but on the extent to which a particular illness or disability impairs or restricts a person’s capacity for employment. Disability Allowance (DA) is...