Results 13,421-13,440 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Asylum Seekers (6 Oct 2021)

Heather Humphreys: Applicants for International Protection accommodated under the system of Direct Provision, operated by the International Protection Accommodation Services (IPAS) of the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, are provided with full board accommodation and other facilities and services. My department administers the daily expenses allowance (DEA) which is paid to...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Pension Provisions (6 Oct 2021)

Heather Humphreys: Budget 2012 introduced contributory pension rate band changes from 1 September 2012 that were less favourable than those prior to that time. In January 2018, the Government announced an Interim Total Contributions Approach (TCA) to calculate the entitlement of pensioners who reached state pension age on or after 1 September 2012 (i.e. those born on or after 1 September 1946) and who have...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Financial Services (6 Oct 2021)

Heather Humphreys: Since 1998, when legislative provision was first made for the PSC, it was always intended that it would be used widely across the public service to assist people in their dealings with public sector bodies. The list of public bodies that are authorised to use the PSC is set out in Schedule 5 of the Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005 (as amended). Credit unions and other financial...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Employment Schemes (6 Oct 2021)

Heather Humphreys: My Department is now at an advanced stage in its first phase of procuring new employment services. This phase involves the procurement of regional employment services for seven counties in the Midlands and North-West across four lots. These counties do not have an existing local employment service and represent the first phase of an expansion of similar employment services across. This...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (6 Oct 2021)

Heather Humphreys: Fuel allowance is a means-tested payment to assist householders on long-term social welfare payments towards the cost of their winter heating needs. The main eligibility conditions for receipt of fuel allowance are that a person must be in receipt of a qualifying payment, satisfy a means test and live alone or with other qualifying persons. The fuel allowance means test is linked to the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (6 Oct 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The Back to Education Allowance scheme (BTEA) is an educational opportunities scheme for customers in receipt of certain Social Protection payments wishing to pursue second or third level courses of education. The objective of the scheme is to raise educational and skills levels to enable successful applicants to improve labour market opportunities by providing them with income support while...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (6 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 15 June 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: Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (6 Oct 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. Government has provided €96.5 million for BTEA in 2021. A person wishing to pursue a course of study under the BTEA scheme must satisfy several conditions, including commencing the first...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Employment Support Services (6 Oct 2021)

Heather Humphreys: My Department is now at an advanced stage in its first phase of procuring new employment services. This phase involves the procurement of regional employment services for seven counties in the Midlands and North-West across four lots. These counties do not have an existing local employment service and represent the first phase of an expansion of similar employment services across. The...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (6 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. I confirm that my Department received an application for CA from the person concerned on 2 July 2020 in respect of both...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Pension Provisions (6 Oct 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 approx. 1,007,000...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Legislative Measures (6 Oct 2021)

Heather Humphreys: As previously expressed, I would like to offer my sincere condolences to all the victims, families and loved ones of those who have been affected in such awful circumstances. Work is progressing on amending Section 120 of the Succession Act, in order to ensure that perpetrators of domestic homicides could not benefit through inheritance. As I have said previously, this work involves a...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Departmental Data (6 Oct 2021)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 97 and 98 together. I am advised by the Central Statistics Office that the information requested by the Deputy is not currently available. The Deputy will recall that in my response to Question no. 480 of 21 September 2021, I provided information on the number of people suspected to be involved in the commission of a further offence while on bail. I have...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Schemes (6 Oct 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The CLÁR Programme provides funding under a number of different Measures for small-scale infrastructural projects in designated rural areas that have experienced significant levels of de-population over a defined period. The Measures to be included in the CLÁR programme are reviewed and revised, if appropriate, each year. Measure 2 of the 2021 programme provided support for...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Schemes (6 Oct 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The CLÁR Programme provides funding under a number of different Measures for small-scale infrastructural projects in designated rural areas that have experienced significant levels of de-population over a defined period. The Measures to be included in the CLÁR programme are reviewed and revised, if appropriate, each year. Measure 2 of the 2021 programme provided support for...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Schemes (6 Oct 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The €7 million Streetscape Enhancement Initiative, which is a commitment in Our Rural Future, is designed to make 124 of our rural towns and villages more attractive and welcoming places for locals and visitors alike. Property owners will be part funded to improve the facades of buildings, carry out artwork and install features such as canopies and street furniture. The initiative is...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (5 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 over 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...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (5 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 over 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...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (5 Oct 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The Department of Social Protection provides a suite of income supports for those who are unable to work due to an illness or disability. Entitlement to these supports is not contingent on the nature of the illness/disability but on the extent to which a particular illness or disability impairs or restricts a person’s capacity to work. My Department spent a total of €4.7...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (5 Oct 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The person concerned was awarded a Jobseeker's Benefit payment with effect from 4/2/2021. She submitted an application for a Back to Education Allowance (BTEA) dated 1/9/21 to pursue a Post Graduate Diploma in Design Thinking for Sustainability. There are a number of qualifying criteria for receipt of BTEA for Third Level Option including that a person be in receipt of a qualifying payment...