Results 1,301-1,320 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Budgets (23 Jul 2024)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1395 and 1414 together. The estimated cost of introducing a child benefit double month payment is €181.3 million. This costing is based on the estimated average number of recipients in 2024 and is subject to change in light of emerging trends and subsequent revision of the estimated number of recipients.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Budgets (23 Jul 2024)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1396 and 1417 together. The Carer’s Support Grant is a support for Carers paid once a year, in June, by the Department of Social Protection. The current rate of Carer's Support Grant is €1,850. The estimated full year cost of increasing the annual Carer's Support Grant by €1 is €0.2 million. This costing is based on the estimated...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Budgets (23 Jul 2024)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1397 and 1411 together. The estimated full year cost of increasing the qualified child rate by €1 for under 12's is €11.8 million and by €1 for over 12's is €4.4 million, giving a total of €16.2m. These costings are based on the estimated average number of recipients in 2024, and is subject to change in light of emerging...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Budgets (23 Jul 2024)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1398 and 1418 together. Self-employed workers whose income is €5,000 or more in a contribution year are liable to pay social insurance contributions at the PRSI class S rate of 4%, subject to a minimum annual payment of €500. Such contributors are currently covered for a wide range of social insurance benefits including State pension...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (23 Jul 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The data requested by the Deputy on the average processing times for all social welfare payments; the number of applications received (registered) for each payment and the number of applications processed (cleared) to date in 2024 is shown in the below tabular statement. Welfare scheme Average processing time (weeks) in June 2024 Number of applications registered to date in 2024...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (23 Jul 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Under the Supplementary Welfare Allowance (SWA) scheme, my Department may make Additional Needs Payments (ANPs) to help meet expenses that an eligible person cannot pay from their weekly income. The ANP scheme is demand led and administered by Designated Persons (DPs) in the Community Welfare Service (CWS), taking into account the requirements of the legislation and all the relevant...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals (23 Jul 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The Social Welfare Appeals Office is an Office of the Department of Social Protection which is responsible for determining appeals against decisions in relation to social welfare entitlements. Appeals Officers are independent in their decision making functions. The table below sets out the number of Domiciliary Care Allowance appeals - received, finalised, decided and successful - from 1...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (23 Jul 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Working Family Payment (WFP) is a weekly in-work support which provides an income support for employees on low earnings with children. To qualify for Working Family Payment, the customer must be working a minimum of 38 hours per fortnight in ongoing insurable employment and have at least one qualified child who normally resides with them. There are currently 5,593 Working Family Payment...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (23 Jul 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Working Family Payment (WFP) is a weekly in-work support which provides an income support for employees on low earnings with children. To qualify for Working Family Payment, the customer must be working a minimum of 38 hours per fortnight in ongoing insurable employment and have at least one qualified child who normally resides with them. Working Family Payment customers are eligible to...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals (23 Jul 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The Social Welfare Appeals Office is an Office of the Department of Social Protection which is responsible for determining appeals against decisions in relation to social welfare entitlements. Appeals Officers are independent in their decision making functions. The average waiting time for an appeal in 2023 was 16 weeks. The Annual Report of the Chief Appeals Officer is published each year...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Citizens Information Services (23 Jul 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Firstly, I recognise and value the essential work carried out by staff of the Citizens Information Service (CIS) in providing quality and independent information, advice and advocacy services right across the country. The CIS comprises of eight regional companies that are limited by guarantee. These companies, along with the Citizens Information Phone Service, are funded to provide important...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (23 Jul 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Domiciliary Care Allowance is a monthly allowance payable in respect of a child aged under 16 who has a severe disability requiring continual or continuous care and attention substantially in excess of the care and attention normally required by a child of the same age and, where the level of the child's disability is such that the child is likely to require that level of care and attention...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (23 Jul 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The Department is committed to providing a quality service to all its customers. This includes ensuring that applications are processed and that decisions on entitlement are made as quickly as possible. The target processing time for the Disability Allowance (DA) Scheme is to process 75% of applications within 10 weeks. The average number of weeks to process a Disability Allowance claim is...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Schemes (23 Jul 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The data requested by the Deputy on the number of recipients end June 2024 is shown in the tabular statement. Scheme Number of recipients Accommodation Recognition Payment 11,780 Adoptive Parent Benefit 11 Back to Education Allowance 207 Back To School Clothing And Footwear Allowance 125,113 Back to Work Enterprise Allowance 1,881 Back to Work Scheme Family...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Schemes (23 Jul 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The data requested by the Deputy for the number of recipients by welfare scheme in 2023 is shown in the tabular statement. Scheme Average Median Maximum Minimum Accommodation Recognition Claim 6,740 6,612 9,003 4,586 Adoptive Parent Benefit 10 10 15 7 Back to Education Allowance 2,305 3,103 3,567 192 Back To School Clothing And Footwear Allowance 103,917...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Budgets (23 Jul 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2024 was recently signed into law by the President and sets out the legislative framework for the new Jobseeker's Pay-Related Benefit scheme. Jobseeker's Pay-Related Benefit will be made available to newly fully unemployed persons who have a strong and recent attachment to the labour market. The introduction of the scheme will ensure that...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Employment Schemes (23 Jul 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Referrals to the JobPath service ceased in June 2022 and the service ceased completely in June 2024. JobPath was a payment by results model and all set-up and day-to-day operational costs were borne by the companies. The companies were paid on the basis of performance and with the exception of the initial registration fee; payments were made only when a client had achieved sustained...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (23 Jul 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The Fuel Allowance is a payment of €33 per week for 28 weeks (a total of €924 each year) from late September to April, at an estimated cost of €382 million in 2024. The purpose of this payment is to assist these households with their energy costs. Only one allowance is paid per household. The Fuel Allowance is paid to social welfare recipients such as pensioners, people...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (23 Jul 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The number of recipients at end 2023 and the estimated number of recipients in 2024 as per the Revised Estimates Volume are shown in the the table below. Recipients by DSP Scheme Payment Frequency Recipients as at end December 2023 2024 Estimate for Average Recipients PENSIONS # # State Pension (Non-Contributory) W 100,201 98,131 State Pension (Contributory) W...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (23 Jul 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The 2023 and 2024 maximum personal weekly rate of social welfare payments are shown in Table 1 below. The 2023 and 2024 rates for an increase for qualified adult are shown in Table 2 below. The 2023 and 2024 rates for an increase in qualified child are shown in Table 3. The average payment received in 2023 and 2024 (January - June inclusive) are shown in Table 4. The average payments received...