Results 13,201-13,220 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Personal Public Service Numbers (13 Oct 2021)

Heather Humphreys: A Personal Public Service (PPS) Number is a unique reference number that helps a person access social welfare benefits, public services and information in Ireland. In order to get a PPS Number, a person must provide evidence of their identity and address and the reason for requiring a PPS Number. If a person is applying for a PPS Number to take up employment, they must have a signed offer of...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: An Garda Síochána (13 Oct 2021)

Heather Humphreys: As the Deputy will be aware, the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the management and administration of the Garda organisation under the Garda Síochána Act 2005. This includes decisions on the deployment of members of An Garda Síochána throughout the State. Furthermore, under the Section 43(1) of the Garda Síochána Act 2005, the Garda Commissioner is the...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Departmental Data (13 Oct 2021)

Heather Humphreys: As the Deputy will be aware, the Garda Commissioner is responsible, under Section 26 of the Garda Síochána Act 2005 (as amended) for the management and administration of Garda business, including the recruitment and training of Garda members and staff. As Minister I play no role in this independent function. Budget 2022 commits to the recruitment of an additional 800 Gardaí...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Departmental Data (13 Oct 2021)

Heather Humphreys: As the Deputy will be aware, the Garda Commissioner is responsible, under Section 33 of the Garda Síochána Act 2005 (as amended), for the deployment of An Garda Síochána throughout the State. The Commissioner is also responsible, under Section 26 of the Act, for the management and administration of Garda business, including the recruitment and training of Garda members and...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Departmental Data (13 Oct 2021)

Heather Humphreys: My Department provided €762,444 to Extern in 2020, relating to five projects. To date, the organisation has been paid €526,821 in 2021, and this amount is expected to rise to €795,711 by the end of the year – also in respect of five funded projects. The Department suspended funding to this organisation in December 2020 when it became aware that an incident of...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Human Rights (13 Oct 2021)

Heather Humphreys: As the Deputy will appreciate, as Minister for Justice I do not have responsibility for the Dáil Éireann Standing Orders nor relevant parliamentary procedures. Accordingly, as Minister, I cannot comment on these matters. If the Deputy would like to write to me with some clarification about this matter, I will be pleased to consider any aspects that fall within my remit.

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Flexible Work Practices (13 Oct 2021)

Heather Humphreys: Our Rural Future, Ireland’s Rural Development Policy 2021-2025, recognises the opportunity which remote working presents and also the potential of remote working hubs as key economic assets for our rural towns and villages. Accordingly, my Department operates a number of funding schemes that focus on projects supporting remote working and that add to the remote working infrastructure...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Insurance Coverage (13 Oct 2021)

Heather Humphreys: Sport Ireland Outdoors holds an insurance policy covering approved National Way-Marked Ways and Looped Walks, which protects landowners against claims from recreational users of these specified trails. The insurance policy covers trails that meet a specified standard, and includes all trails on my Department's Walks Scheme. The trail management organisation responsible for developing the...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Funding (13 Oct 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The Rural Regeneration and Development Fund provides funding for the development and construction of capital projects in towns and villages and rural areas across Ireland. To date, 164 projects have been approved for funding of €252m for projects costing over €343m. Calls for applications to the Fund are sought under two categories – Category 1 and Category 2. Category 1...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Island Communities (13 Oct 2021)

Heather Humphreys: As the Deputy is aware, a new Islands Policy is currently being developed by my Department. As part of this process, my Department has held bilateral meetings with other Government Departments to discuss the outcome of its public consultation and to explore ways in which those Departments could provide input and assist with the development of the policy. As part of these discussions, the...

Garda Síochána (Functions and Operational Areas) Bill 2021: Instruction to Committee (12 Oct 2021)

Heather Humphreys: I move: That, pursuant to Standing Order 187, it be an instruction to the Select Committee on Justice on the Garda Síochána (Functions and Operational Areas) Bill 2021, that it has the power to make amendments to the Bill which are outside the scope of the existing provisions of the Bill, in relation to amendments to sections 3, 26, 122, 123 and Schedule 5 of the Garda...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Pension Provisions (12 Oct 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The person concerned has been awarded an invalidity pension (IP) under EU regulations with effect from 29 April 2021. Invalidity pension is paid by electronic fund transfer to persons who reside outside the State and it is paid every four weeks; one week in advance and three weeks in arrears. The person concerned will receive her first IP payment to her nominated bank account on 21 October...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Personal Public Service Numbers (12 Oct 2021)

Heather Humphreys: I have asked the General Register Office to enquire with the HSE the current national average time to register a birth. The HSE has indicated that it currently taking on average of 7 weeks in the Eastern Region to complete the registration process. Other registration areas do not have a backlog of registrations to process. The Deputy should note that this seven week period includes the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Registration of Births (12 Oct 2021)

Heather Humphreys: Child benefit is the principal way the State assists families with the costs of raising children. It is paid in respect of all qualified children up to the age of 16 years, or to the age of 18 in respect of children who are in full-time education or who have a disability. It was paid to 633,270 families in respect of 1.2 million children last month. The Department invites child benefit...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (12 Oct 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The household benefits package (HHB) comprises the electricity or gas allowance, and the free television licence. My Department will spend approximately €265 million this year on HHB for over 480,000 customers. The package is generally available to people living in the State aged 66 years or over who are in receipt of a social welfare type payment or who satisfy a means test. The...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Pensions Reform (12 Oct 2021)

Heather Humphreys: Under current eligibility conditions, applicants must have 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 maximum rate of...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Education Schemes (12 Oct 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The back to education allowance scheme (BTEA) provides support to people with a second chance education opportunity that will improve their prospects of securing employment. It enables eligible people to pursue approved education courses and to continue to receive income support for the duration of a course of study, subject to meeting certain conditions. BTEA is paid in respect of eligible...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Fuel Prices (12 Oct 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The Fuel Allowance is a payment of €28.00 per week for 28 weeks (a total of €784 each year) from October to April, to 370,000 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 Eligibility (12 Oct 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 5 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. These papers were received in the Social Welfare...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals (12 Oct 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that no appeal by the person concerned has been received by that office. On foot of the Deputy's question an appeal form was forwarded to the person concerned on 6 October 2021 by the Appeals Office requesting them to state the grounds on which they are seeking an appeal of the Deciding Officer's decision. Should a reply be received, the...