Results 13,701-13,720 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Land Issues (15 Sep 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The Land and Conveyancing Law Reform Act 2009 provided for a wide-ranging reform and modernisation of land law and conveyancing law. Part 8 of the 2009 Act introduced changes to the law concerning prescriptive easements, including rights of way, based on the recommendations of the Law Reform Commission.  The Act provides for a transition from the old law on prescriptive easements to...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Departmental Expenditure (15 Sep 2021)

Heather Humphreys: I wish to inform the Deputy that the amounts paid in late interest payments and penalty payments for each of the years 2017 to 2020, and to date in 2021 from the Justice Vote (Vote 24) are set out in tabular form below. Year Amount 2017 €2,087 2018 €3,675    ...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Employment Support Services (9 Sep 2021)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 650, 686, 688, 705, 706 and 712 together. Following on from a review of public employment services in my Department, my officials have commenced a series of procurement exercises to secure appropriate services to engage with the long-term unemployed and other cohorts throughout the State consistent with the new Pathways to Work 2021-2025 strategy. The...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (9 Sep 2021)

Heather Humphreys: I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that an Appeals Officer, having fully considered all the evidence, disallowed the disability allowance appeal of the person concerned by way of summary decision on 2 October 2020. The question before the Appeals Officer was whether the appellant’s weekly means, which were based on his spouse's earnings from employment, had been...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (9 Sep 2021)

Heather Humphreys: I can confirm that an application from the person concerned for disability allowance (DA) was received by the Department on 8 March 2021. The application was referred to a Social Welfare Inspector (SWI) for a report on the person’s means and circumstances. On 3 August 2021 a letter issued to the person concerned informing them that their application for DA was withdrawn as they had...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Employment Support Services (9 Sep 2021)

Heather Humphreys: Turas Nua is contracted by my Department to provide employment assistance and advice to jobseekers who are long-term unemployed. Participants receive intensive individual support for a period of 52 weeks, to help overcome barriers to employment and to assist in finding full-time, sustainable employment. In the event that a jobseeker secures full time employment during the engagement period,...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (9 Sep 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The issue referred to by the Deputy arose as the person concerned changed financial institution but did not notify the Department of the change in a timely manner. The matter has since been resolved, and arrears of pension for the period from 2 July 2021 to 29 July 2021 have been paid to the person concerned. My Department contacted the person concerned on 6 July 2021 when their weekly...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Schemes (9 Sep 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The Work Placement Experience Programme (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 continuing to support those who were unemployed...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Schemes (9 Sep 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The Short Term Enterprise Allowance (STEA) Scheme is designed to provide support for someone who loses their job and qualifies for Jobseeker’s Benefit and starts up a new business. The scheme offers support to the setting up of a new enterprise not currently in operation and is expected to be tradable and tangible. Where a proposed new business is similar to a previous business...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (9 Sep 2021)

Heather Humphreys: I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that an Appeals Officer, having fully considered all of the available evidence, decided to disallow the appeal of the person concerned by way of a summary decision on 26 January 2021. A decision of an Appeals Officer is generally final apart from in some limited circumstances. Social welfare legislation allows an Appeals Officer to revise...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Staff (9 Sep 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The Department works to comply with its obligations in relation to the Disability Act 2005 and reports its status, in respect of individuals with disabilities, to the National Disability Authority each year. The current disability quota for the Department of Social Protection, The Pension Authority and Citizens Information Board is 3%. It is the intention of each body to achieve or maintain...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (9 Sep 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The person concerned was awarded a Supplementary Welfare Allowance (SWA) payment with effect from 08/07/2021. Arrears of €1,005 backdated to 02/06/2021 were paid to the person concerned on 28/07/2021. According to the records of my Department, the person concerned subsequently closed his SWA claim following his return to work. I trust this clarifies the matter.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (9 Sep 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The back to school clothing and footwear allowance (BSCFA) scheme provides a once-off payment to eligible families to assist with the costs of clothing and footwear when children start or return to school each autumn. The scheme operates from June to September each year. The allowance is payable in respect of eligible children between the ages of 4 and 17 in respect of whom a qualified child...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (9 Sep 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The Living Alone Increase is an additional weekly payment to social welfare recipients who are living alone and who are on a qualifying payment, including State pensions, from my Department. It is not a stand-alone payment and as a result is not payable where the person concerned is in receipt of a UK pension. Depending on their circumstances, the person concerned may wish to consider...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Freedom of Information (9 Sep 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The total number of requests under the Freedom of Information Acts received in the period from 2014 to date in 2021 is 16,810. The number of requests refused under Section 15(1)(g) of the Freedom of Information Act 2014 in each year from 2014 to 2021 is set out in the following table. Year Number of FOI Requests Number of FOI requests refused under Section...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals (9 Sep 2021)

Heather Humphreys: An application for jobseeker's allowance by the person concerned was disallowed by a Deciding Officer of the Department on 10 February 2020. In the normal course, an appeal against the decision of a Deciding Officer must be made within 21 days of a decision being notified. I am informed that the person concerned did not submit an appeal within that timeframe and that no appeal from the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Funding (9 Sep 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The National Advocacy Service for People with Disabilities (NAS) provides an independent, confidential and free issues-based representative advocacy service that works exclusively for the person using the service. The NAS adheres to professional standards and it has a particular remit for people with disabilities who are isolated from their community and services, have communication...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Data (9 Sep 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The free travel scheme permits, for those eligible under the scheme, free travel on most CIE public transport services, Luas and a range of services offered by some 80 private operators countrywide. The scheme is available to all people aged over 66 and those under age 66 on qualifying payments, who are living legally and permanently in the State. At the end of July, there were 1,005,333...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (9 Sep 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 372,000 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 Appeals (9 Sep 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered with that office on 13 May 2021. It is a statutory requirement of the appeals process that the relevant Departmental papers and comments by the Deciding Officer on the grounds of appeal be sought. These papers were received on 27 May 2021. On 15 June 2021 the appeal was referred to an...