Results 121-140 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 42 - Rural and Community Development (Supplementary) (6 Nov 2024)

Heather Humphreys: I thank the committee for the opportunity to present this request for substantive and technical Supplementary Estimates for the Department of Rural and Community Development. The substantive Estimate comprises: an additional €10 million in funding for the local improvement scheme; an additional €2 million in current funding for social inclusion supports, through the community...

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 42 - Rural and Community Development (Supplementary) (6 Nov 2024)

Heather Humphreys: A few of us are.

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 42 - Rural and Community Development (Supplementary) (6 Nov 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Since 2017, we have put €170 into the local improvement scheme and as 5,000 roads have been completed during that time, there has been a lot of progress. I have written to the Minister for Transport on numerous occasions and every time I stand up in the Dáil I ask my colleagues to raise this with the Minister for Transport because these are roads, after all. I do not know if I...

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 42 - Rural and Community Development (Supplementary) (6 Nov 2024)

Heather Humphreys: We have to look at all of these things and it will be in the context of the funding available to the islands, full stop. I take the Deputy's point and I acknowledge the community development projects are very important and drive projects on the island. I do not believe there is specific extra funding for them at the minute apart from what was outlined in the budget. I do not have a figure...

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 42 - Rural and Community Development (Supplementary) (6 Nov 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The savings on the Supplementary Estimate relate to slower than anticipated progress on one major library project in Swords, as well as delays in some minor projects, including the completion of some My Open Library projects. In terms of the capital for libraries, there is a libraries fund but a lot of capital comes from the rural regeneration fund because, in many places across the country...

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 42 - Rural and Community Development (Supplementary) (6 Nov 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The Yellow Flag programme is funded through the Dormant Accounts Fund, which we manage. Other Departments make their pitches and get allocated funding and those decisions are brought to the Government. Every Department has its own slice of the cake and we manage our piece as it relates to the work we do. I am unsure, but I believe the Yellow Flag programme falls under the Department of...

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 42 - Rural and Community Development (Supplementary) (6 Nov 2024)

Heather Humphreys: As far as I know, the Deputy needs to raise the matter with the Minister for Education. I am not sure.

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 42 - Rural and Community Development (Supplementary) (6 Nov 2024)

Heather Humphreys: I have no problem writing to the Minister about it either. It is not a great deal of money and the programme is worthwhile.

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 42 - Rural and Community Development (Supplementary) (6 Nov 2024)

Heather Humphreys: They all spend it. Different Departments get different funding for different programmes. Once they get the funding, it is up to them to ensure they have enough to roll out their programmes. They sometimes have to put in money from their own departmental budgets. I encountered that with a social protection programme. I believe it was the EmployAbility programme. I had to invest...

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 42 - Rural and Community Development (Supplementary) (6 Nov 2024)

Heather Humphreys: We launched a new public library strategy in July of last year, called “The Library is the Place: Information, Recreation, Inspiration”. I launched it when I was visiting Portlaoise library. An old store – Shaw’s – had been transformed into a beautiful library. It is a fabulous building with loads of rooms, some of which are used as meeting rooms and so...

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 42 - Rural and Community Development (Supplementary) (6 Nov 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The community centre investment fund started off with repairs and refurbishment works for existing community centres. The second tranche I launched was for new community centres across the country. There were a number of them. They were centres for new communities. More people had moved into areas but had no community centres. It was particularly noticeable. Two such centres in Galway...

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 42 - Rural and Community Development (Supplementary) (6 Nov 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Yes, I certainly cannot forget about the men’s sheds and the women’s sheds, which is a growing organisation. I was particularly keen that we would have the women’s sheds as well. They have been working very well and the network is expanding. I did say to them they should use the men’s shed as a good example. Only yesterday I signed off and made sure that we get...

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 42 - Rural and Community Development (Supplementary) (6 Nov 2024)

Heather Humphreys: No. I just want to thank members so much for their co-operation. We have come to the end of our term and this is probably our last meeting. I want to say a huge thank you to each and every member for the co-operation members have given me in getting all these Estimates through every single year and improving the budgets and for all their work because this committee has achieved a lot. We...

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 42 - Rural and Community Development (Supplementary) (6 Nov 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Thank you. On the means test, I am having a management board meeting this afternoon. It will be the number one item on my agenda.

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 42 - Rural and Community Development (Supplementary) (6 Nov 2024)

Heather Humphreys: It is to find out where that report is on means tests and to get that because we do need to change it.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Pension Provisions (6 Nov 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The introduction of a pensions auto-enrolment system is a Programme for Government commitment, and a key priority for me as Minister for Social Protection. The aim of introducing auto-enrolment is to address the pension coverage gap that exists in Ireland, and to help provide for better retirement incomes for workers. The legislation to underpin this new system was signed into law in July. In...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (6 Nov 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Persons who have been overpaid social welfare have a liability to refund the overpayment as they have been in receipt of a payment to which they were not entitled. The person concerned has had a number of overpayments recorded on different schemes throughout the period 2018 / 2019. The outstanding balance on the debt is €17,661.45 which is currently being repaid at a rate of...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Code (6 Nov 2024)

Heather Humphreys: My Department is committed, under Pathways to Work, to encourage the uptake of employment support opportunities, including implementing reduced rates for non-engagement with the Intreo Employment Service. It is a well-established principal of economics and, the theory and practice of social policy, that incentives support engagement. Reduced rates were introduced in 2011 as a means of...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Capital Expenditure Programme (6 Nov 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The Office of Public Works (OPW) is responsible for the delivery of capital projects in the State accommodation portfolio. Since 2020, there has been no capital expenditure incurred on behalf of this Department in the constituency of Louth East Meath.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Insurance (6 Nov 2024)

Heather Humphreys: According to 2023 PRSI Class A data, there were some 145,000 employers paying employer PRSI with fewer than 50 employees. The total number of employees employed by those employers who earn €592 or less per week is some 475,000. The current lower employer PRSI rate of 8.9% is applicable to those employers with employees earning €496 per week or below. This threshold will...