Results 12,841-12,860 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Cross-Border Co-operation (4 Nov 2021)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 395 and 396 together. My Department has a number of programmes that support cross-Border initiatives. To date, the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund has approved €255 million for 164 larger projects, worth a total of €347 million. The Fund seeks to support large scale, strategic projects, which have the potential to transform rural...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Public Transport (3 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 Benefits (3 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. 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 other qualifying persons. Disablement Benefit is...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (3 Nov 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The Carer's Support Grant is an annual payment made to carers by my Department. I can confirm that my Department received an application for the Carer’s Support Grant (CSG) from the person concerned on 26 August, 2021. In order to qualify for CSG, a person must have provided, or be likely to provide, full-time care and attention to a person (or a combination of both) for a period of...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (3 Nov 2021)

Heather Humphreys: Diet supplement, administered under the supplementary welfare allowance scheme, is payable to qualifying persons, in receipt of the supplement prior to February 2014, who have been prescribed a special diet as a result of a specified medical condition. There are currently just over 1,500 people in receipt of diet supplement at a cost of almost €0.9m in 2020. A review of the costs...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Housing Policy (3 Nov 2021)

Heather Humphreys: My Department provides income support and makes payments to people who require help with their rent via the rent supplement scheme and has no role in relation to investment in social housing. This is an area which falls under the responsibility of my colleague, the Minister for Housing Local Government and Heritage. i hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Staff (3 Nov 2021)

Heather Humphreys: My Department is committed to supporting its staff to work in a safe and healthy environment. The Department has traditionally offered its employees a range of flexible working and family-friendly arrangements and throughout the pandemic has been operating temporary blended working arrangements in accordance with Covid-19 public health guidance. A new Wellbeing Unit was established to...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Island Communities (3 Nov 2021)

Heather Humphreys: I have met with Island representative groups on a number of occasions to date and my Departmental officials meet with the Island representative groups on an ongoing basis regarding the subsidised transport services to the islands. These meetings give the island communities the opportunity to highlight any issues they may have with an existing service and also to highlight changes that may...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Seirbhísí Iompair (3 Nov 2021)

Heather Humphreys: Mar is eol don teachta, is thrí an córas poiblí soláthair a dhéanann an Roinn iarratas ar thairiscintí dos na seirbhísí taistil agus lastais chuig na h-oileáin. I gcás na seirbhísí farantóireachta, is é cur chuige na Roinne ná iarratas a dhéanamh ar sholáthróirí a chuirfeadh seoltaí ar...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Seirbhísí Iompair (3 Nov 2021)

Heather Humphreys: Faoi láthair déanann mo Roinn fóir-dheonú ar dhá sheirbhís paisinéara éagsúla chuig trí oileáin Árainn. Dé réir na rialacháin a bhaineann le cúrsaí soláthair poiblí, is é an íosmhéid seoltaí agus eitiltí a iarrtar ar sholáthróirí sna tairiscintí a...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Creimeadh Cósta (3 Nov 2021)

Heather Humphreys: Mar is eol don Teachta, bíonn clár mionoibreacha caipitil á reáchtáil ag an Roinn Forbartha Tuaithe agus Pobail le haghaidh na hoileáin gach bliain. Iarrtar ar na hÚdaráis Áitiúla atá freagrach d'oileáin atá scartha amach ón mór thír agus ar a bhfuil pobal seasta ina gcónaí orthu, liosta de...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Schemes (3 Nov 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The Local Improvement Scheme (LIS) supports the improvement of rural roads and laneways that are not normally maintained by local authorities and represents a vital piece of infrastructure for rural communities. As part of 'Our Rural Future',the Government is committed to ensuring that the Local Improvement Scheme is funded into the future. This reflects the important contribution which the...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Schemes (3 Nov 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The Local Improvement Scheme (or LIS) supports the improvement of rural roads and laneways that are not normally maintained by local authorities. It makes an important contribution to connectivity in rural Ireland. Cork County Council has secured over €6 million in funding since the Scheme was re-established in 2017. The allocation of funding under the Local Improvement Scheme in...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Staff (3 Nov 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The Department of Rural and Community Development (DRCD) was established on 19th July 2017 to provide a renewed and consolidated focus on rural and community development in Ireland. While my Department has not formally adopted the Workplace Relations Commission Code of Conduct on the Right to Disconnect to date, it does actively adhere to the obligations set out for employers in the Code....

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals (2 Nov 2021)

Heather Humphreys: An application for domiciliary care allowance (DCA) was received form the person concerned on the 21st May 2021. Entitlement to DCA is based on the additional care needs of the child and is not dependent on having an assessment of need or any specific diagnosis completed in advance of making the application. The application in this case was not allowed as the child was not considered to...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Pension Provisions (2 Nov 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The State Pension (Contributory) is a PRSI-based pension, financed by contributions made by current workers and their employers, and paid to pensioners, at a rate based upon their PRSI record when working. A person is required to have a minimum of 520 paid reckonable PRSI contributions in order to qualify for the State Pension (Contributory). The actuarial value of the State Pension is...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Fuel Prices (2 Nov 2021)

Heather Humphreys: As I outlined in my previous reply to the Deputy, qualifying payments for fuel allowance are those payments that are considered long-term payments and an applicant must also satisfy a means test. Participants on the Part-Time Job Incentive Scheme (PTJI) are not means tested and they receive a fixed weekly allowance. This weekly allowance is paid regardless of how much a person earns. A...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Disability Services (2 Nov 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The Department provides social insurance and social assistance payments. Eligibility for social insurance payments is based on Pay Related Social Insurance contributions and social assistance payments are means-tested. The assessment of means reflects the fact that there is an expectation that people with reasonable amounts of income or capital are in a position to use these resources to...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Disability Services (2 Nov 2021)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 576 and 577 together. Social welfare legislation provides that, for social assistance schemes, all income and capital (such as savings, investments and property other than the family home) belonging to the claimant and his or her spouse/partner, where applicable, are assessable for means assessment purposes. The means test plays a critical role in...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (2 Nov 2021)

Heather Humphreys: Lead responsibility for the development and provision of services to support victims of domestic violence rests with the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth. In August 2020, I agreed a protocol with Tusla on a pilot basis to make rent supplement more easily accessible to victims of domestic violence.b This seeks to ensure that victims of domestic violence are...