Results 13,021-13,040 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Schemes (20 Oct 2021)

Heather Humphreys: To date, the Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) has supported over 900,000 employees including the self- employed, who lost employment as a direct result of government mandated Covid-19 public health measures.  The total expenditure on the scheme is now over €8.8 billion. Due to the lifting of restrictions and success of the vaccine programme the number of recipients of the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Fuel Poverty (20 Oct 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 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...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (20 Oct 2021)

Heather Humphreys: Persons in receipt of the Benefit Payment for 65 Year Olds will receive the Christmas Bonus in 2021 as provided for in Budget 2022. I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.  

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (20 Oct 2021)

Heather Humphreys: Carer's allowance (CA) is a means-tested social assistance payment made to a person who is habitually resident in the State and who is providing full-time care and attention to a child or an adult who has such a disability that as a result they require that level of care. An application for CA was received from the person concerned on 23 September 2021. It is a condition for receipt of a CA...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (20 Oct 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The Telephone Support Allowance is an extra weekly payment for people in receipt of certain social welfare payments who also receive the Living Alone Allowance and the Fuel Allowance. At the end of September, some 136,400 people are receiving the allowance. 

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (20 Oct 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The Living Alone Allowance is an increase payable to recipients of certain social welfare payments if they are living alone. In September, 223,600 people were receiving this allowance. 

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Pension Provisions (20 Oct 2021)

Heather Humphreys: State pension (non-contributory) is a means-tested payment for people aged 66 and over, habitually residing in the State, who do not qualify for a state pension contributory, or who only qualify for a reduced rate contributory pension based on their social insurance record.  For the purposes of the means test; cash income, including foreign pensions, the value of any property (excluding...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Income Inequality (20 Oct 2021)

Heather Humphreys: My Department provides a number of income supports for those unable to work due to illness or disability. There is a 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...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Rates (20 Oct 2021)

Heather Humphreys: I announced on Budget day that the Government will spend over €375 million in providing a €5 increase to the weekly rate of social welfare payments from January 2022.  This includes a proportionate increase for qualified adults and those on reduced rates of payment. Young jobseekers on an age-related reduced rate will receive the full €5 increase in their rate. ...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (20 Oct 2021)

Heather Humphreys: Under the supplementary welfare allowance scheme, my Department may make an exceptional needs payment (ENP) to help meet essential, once-off expenditure which a person could not reasonably be expected to meet from their weekly income.  An ENP is a means tested payment payable at the discretion of the officers administering the scheme taking into account the requirements of the...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: An Garda Síochána (20 Oct 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The resources provided by government to An Garda Síochána have reached unprecedented levels, with an allocation of €1.952 billion in 2021 and over €2 billion in 2022. This has enabled sustained, ongoing recruitment. As the Deputy will appreciate, the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the general management and administration of the Garda organisation...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Departmental Contracts (20 Oct 2021)

Heather Humphreys: I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department has had no meetings or correspondence with the company in question since 1 January 2017 to date, nor has it engaged the services of the company.

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: An Garda Síochána (20 Oct 2021)

Heather Humphreys: I can assure the Deputy that I fully appreciate that this has been a difficult and long wait for the family of Patrick Nugent. I also appreciate their desire to understand the circumstances which led to his death. The Deputy will be aware that an inquiry under section 42 of the Garda Síochána Act 2005 was conducted by former Judge Patrick Clyne into the Garda...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Cybersecurity Policy (20 Oct 2021)

Heather Humphreys: I can assure the Deputy that the prevention and investigation of cybercrime is a priority for the Government and for An Garda Síochána. Budget 2022 provides over €2 billion in funding to An Garda Síochána. Since 2016 the budget for An Garda Síochána has increased by approximately €500m, or 33%. These funds are providing for continued investment...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Courts Service (20 Oct 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The Report of the Review of the Administration of Civil Justice, chaired by the former President of the High Court, Mr Justice Peter Kelly, contains 95 specific recommendations to make the civil justice system more efficient and easier for people to access. These recommendations include: measures to reduce the costs and time involved in legal proceedings; amendments to primary and secondary...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: An Garda Síochána (20 Oct 2021)

Heather Humphreys: As the Deputy may be aware, three Local Community Safety Partnerships are currently being piloted over 24 months in North Inner City Dublin, Waterford and Longford. These locations allow the proposed structure to be trialled in a high population density area, a medium population density area and a low population density area, with a regional distribution. The pilots are subject to...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: An Garda Síochána (20 Oct 2021)

Heather Humphreys: As the Deputy will be aware, I consider any inappropriate cancellation of 999 calls a very serious matter. This falls significantly below the high standards that the public expect from the Gardaí and the high standards that An Garda Síochána set for themselves. I am particularly concerned that anyone experiencing domestic abuse, or indeed anyone in a vulnerable position,...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: An Garda Síochána (20 Oct 2021)

Heather Humphreys: As the Deputy will be aware, I consider any inappropriate cancellation of 999 calls a very serious matter. This falls significantly below the high standards that the public expect from the Gardaí and the high standards that An Garda Síochána set for themselves. I am particularly concerned that anyone experiencing domestic abuse, or indeed anyone in a vulnerable position,...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Protected Disclosures (20 Oct 2021)

Heather Humphreys: As the Deputy is aware, the Protected Disclosures Act was enacted in 2014 to allow employees to bring alleged wrongdoing to the attention of the appropriate authorities.  The Act also affords very important protections to persons making protected disclosures. I am sure that the Deputy will appreciate therefore that it would not be appropriate for me to comment on, nor confirm the...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: An Garda Síochána (20 Oct 2021)

Heather Humphreys: I am informed by the Garda authorities that all 999/112 emergency calls for service to An Garda Síochána are answered at the four Garda Regional Communications Centres/Rooms. As per Garda  policy and procedures, 999/112 emergency calls for service are recorded and retained for a period of seven years. I am further informed that recorded call data can be extracted and stored...