Results 13,441-13,460 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

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

Heather Humphreys: The Training Support Grant (TSG), available through my Department, is designed to support quick access to short-term training where the training is not delivered by a State provider. Short-term training is regarded as being for a period of less than one year. Support for longer duration training or courses of study provided by Solas, Education Training Boards or other agencies should be...

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: JobsPlus is a subsidy paid to employers who recruit long-term unemployed people for new positions in their workplace. Employers can avail of JobsPlus when filling new positions or positions that arise as a consequence of natural turnover and receive a subsidy of €7,500 or €10,000 per employee. The value of the grant is dependent on the age of the new employee and their duration...

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

Heather Humphreys: I was very pleased to launch the Work Placement Experience Programme (WPEP) in July last. WPEP is a key policy initiative under the Government's new national employment services strategy; Pathways to Work 2021-2025. This sets out the national framework for activation and employment supports to assist persons, whose employment has been adversely affected by COVID, back to work, while...

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

Heather Humphreys: Paternity benefit provides a payment at the rate of €245 per week in respect of two weeks paternity leave, to be taken within 6 months of the birth of the baby. Parents benefit provides a payment of €245 per week in respect of up to 5 weeks parents leave, to be taken within 2 years of the birth of the baby. This leave and benefit can be taken in one block, or in periods of one...

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

Heather Humphreys: Working Family Payment (WFP) is an in-work, weekly payment which provides additional income support to employees on low earnings with children. In order to qualify for WFP, an applicant must provide such documents, certificates, information or evidence as is required to process their application. An application for WFP was received from the person concerned on 16 March 2021. Their...

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

Heather Humphreys: The fuel allowance is a payment under the National Fuel Scheme to help with the cost of heating a home during the winter months. It is paid to people who are in receipt of certain qualifying social welfare payments and who also satisfy certain other conditions. Carer's allowance (CA) is not a qualifying payment for receipt of fuel allowance. However, carers may qualify for the fuel...

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

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 439 and 441 together. The Community Welfare Service in my Department delivers the supplementary welfare allowance scheme which is the safety net within the overall social welfare system. This scheme provides assistance to eligible people in the State whose means are insufficient to meet their needs and those of their dependents. There are three Community...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: School Meals Programme (5 Oct 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The school meals programme provides funding towards the provision of food to some 1,506 schools and organisations benefiting 230,000 children. The objective of the programme is to provide regular, nutritious food to children who are unable, due to lack of good quality food, to take full advantage of the education provided to them. The programme is an important component of policies to...

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

Heather Humphreys: Invalidity pension (IP) is a payment for people who are permanently incapable of work because of illness or incapacity and for no other reason and who satisfy the pay related social insurance (PRSI) contribution conditions. The Department received a claim for IP for the person referred to on 11 June 2021. In order to determine his medical eligibility, the Department issued a request to...

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

Heather Humphreys: The Pensions Commission was established in November 2020 to examine sustainability and eligibility issues with the State Pension and the Social Insurance Fund, in fulfilment of a Programme for Government commitment. As part of its Terms of Reference, the Commission was tasked with considering options to meet the Programme for Government commitment to introduce a Total Contributions Approach....

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

Heather Humphreys: My officials have advised that three Exceptional Needs Payments were awarded on 30/9/2021 to the person concerned towards the cost of furniture and appliances for her new accommodation. The total amount awarded is €2749.00 for payment into her nominated bank account on 4/10/2021. I trust this clarifies the matter.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals (5 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 21 May 2021. The evidence submitted in support of this...

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

Heather Humphreys: Child benefit is a monthly payment made to families with children in respect of all qualified children up to the age of 16 years. The payment continues to be paid in respect of children until their 18th birthday who are in full-time education, or who have a disability. Child benefit is currently paid to over 631,000 families in respect of almost 1.2 million children with expenditure of more...

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

Heather Humphreys: Following a review of the entitlement of the person concerned, it was found that he had a decrease in his means from his previous assessment. Based on the information provided to my Department, a maximum rate of disability allowance (DA) was awarded with effect from 30 June 2021. A letter issued to the person concerned informing him of this on 29 September 2021. Arrears of payment due have...

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

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 448 and 449 together. The person concerned is currently in receipt of a reduced rate of Illness Benefit from the Department, based on her earnings in the relevant tax year. She is also in receipt of a top-up payment by way of a basic Supplementary Welfare Allowance to bring her to the appropriate income level for her household circumstances. The Illness...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Civil Registration Service (5 Oct 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The criteria for consideration of a secular body to solemnise marriage in the State is set out in section 45A of the Civil Registration Act, 2004, as amended. These criteria are designed to ensure the institution of marriage is protected by applying a rigorous set of rules regarding the type of body that can be deemed eligible and are sufficiently robust so that the authority to solemnise...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: School Meals Programme (5 Oct 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The school meals programme provides funding towards the provision of food to some 1,506 schools and organisations benefitting 230,000 children. The objective of the programme is to provide regular, nutritious food to children who are unable, due to lack of good quality food, to take full advantage of the education provided to them. The programme is an important component of policies to...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Programme for Government (5 Oct 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The Roadmap for Social Inclusion 2020-2025 is the national strategy to reduce poverty and improve social inclusion in Ireland and aims to reduce consistent poverty to 2% of the population or less by 2025. The strategy contains seven high level goals with 22 specific targets, which will be delivered by 66 unique commitments - or actions - across Government. These include a commitment to...

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

Heather Humphreys: The agencies under the Department of Social Protection have no issues to report and have not had to make a settlement with the Revenue Commissioners in relation to any issue in the past five years.