Results 14,381-14,400 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Programme for Government (1 Jul 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The Programme for Government commits the Government to develop a ‘Carers Guarantee’ proposal that will provide a core basket of services to carers across the country, regardless of where they live. This commitment comes under the remit of the Department of Health and is matter for my colleague the Minister for Health. I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pensions (1 Jul 2021)

Heather Humphreys: An increase for qualified adult is a means tested payment, payable to a State pension (contributory) (SPC) claimant whose spouse, civil partner or cohabitant is being wholly or mainly maintained by them, and where that qualified adult’s personal means from any source does not exceed a means test income limit. Currently there are about 56,000 beneficiaries of this payment. As...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Youth Unemployment (1 Jul 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The impact of Covid-19 on our youth, not least those in the labour market, has been particularly stark. The youth unemployment rate, adjusted for Covid-19, stood at 58.8 per cent in May. While a significant proportion of this number is made up by students in full-time education, it does not detract from the high toll the pandemic has had on the employment prospects of our youth. The...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (1 Jul 2021)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 128 and 152 together. Lead responsibility for the development and provision of services to support victims of domestic violence rests with the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth. In August 2020, I agreed a protocol with Tusla on a pilot basis to make rent supplement more easily accessible to victims of domestic violence. This...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Insurance (1 Jul 2021)

Heather Humphreys: Social insurance contributions from employed workers and their employers, and from self-employed workers are paid into the social insurance fund. All social insurance benefits are paid out of the fund which operates on a pay-as-you-go basis, with the Exchequer acting as the residual financier where there is a shortfall between social insurance income and the cost of social insurance benefits...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Employment Schemes (1 Jul 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The Ability Programme is a pre-activation programme for young people with disabilities. The funding for this programme will amount to around €16 million over a three-year period and is being provided jointly under the EU's ESF Programme for Employability, Inclusion and Learning (PEIL) Operational Programme 2014-2020 and the Irish Exchequer. The programme will support over 2,600 young...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (1 Jul 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The information requested by the Deputy is not available as my Department does not track claims at an industry or sector level. In the time period referred to, any person who lost or partially lost their employment due to Covid-19 or for any other reason would have access to income support by making application for either the pandemic unemployment payment or a jobseeker’s payment. To...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (1 Jul 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The Government acknowledges the important role that family carers play and is fully committed to supporting carers in that role. This commitment is recognised in both the Programme for Government and the National Carers’ Strategy. The main income supports provided by my Department include Carer's Allowance, Carer's Benefit, Domiciliary Care Allowance, and the Carer's Support Grant....

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals (1 Jul 2021)

Heather Humphreys: My Department has noted the recent Supreme Court judgment in the case referred to by the Deputy which relates to the procedures available to an applicant claiming a social welfare payment and who is dissatisfied with the outcome of a review of a previous decision made. The judgment and its implications are currently being evaluated by my officials. As I am sure the Deputy will appreciate,...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Crime Prevention (1 Jul 2021)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 134 and 156 together. The Department of Social Protection is aware of fraudulent phone calls and text messages claiming to be from the Department seeking personal information e.g. PPS number / Bank Account details. Other institutions have been the target of similar fraudulent phone calls and texts e.g. Banks, Attorney General’s Office, An Post. The...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (1 Jul 2021)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 135 and 168 together. Approximately 227,980 people received a payment under the Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) this week, representing a drop of 254,000, or almost 53%, since the numbers in receipt of PUP peaked this year at around 482,000 in February. We expect tens of thousands more people to close their PUP over the coming weeks and months because...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (1 Jul 2021)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 136, 159, 164, 165 and 169 together. The Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) was introduced as an emergency measure to support qualifying employees and the self-employed who lost employment due to the pandemic. To date expenditure on the scheme is over €8 billion, which demonstrates the Governments clear commitment to support workers and businesses who...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Labour Activation Measures (1 Jul 2021)

Heather Humphreys: Both domestically and internationally there is a significant body of empirical evidence that demonstrates the positive role labour activation measures can play in stimulating economic recovery and in increasing the employment prospects of participants. While many have been displaced from their employment by the pandemic, a significant share of these people have already returned to work, and...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (1 Jul 2021)

Heather Humphreys: Rent supplement continues to play a key role in supporting families and individuals in private rented accommodation, with the scheme supporting 18,851 active recipients at the end of May 2021. The scheme provides short-term income support to eligible people living in private rented accommodation whose means are insufficient to meet their accommodation costs and who do not have accommodation...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Insurance (1 Jul 2021)

Heather Humphreys: As I previously advised the Deputy, I am aware of the National Economic and Social Council (NESC) paper on ‘The Position of the Self-Employed’ that was published last November. I note that the paper considers a number of issues concerning self-employed workers, and groups these into the four policy areas of: the social insurance contributions made by self-employed workers; the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Reports (1 Jul 2021)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 141 and 182 together. My Department has commissioned Indecon International Consultants to carry out research into the cost of disability. In line with the commitment contained in the Programme for Government, the Government will use the research into the cost of disability to individuals and families to properly inform the direction of future policy. The...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (1 Jul 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The data requested by the Deputy is set out in the table below. Total expenditure for Supplementary Welfare Allowance in 2020 was an estimated €115 million, while the estimated expenditure to May 2021 is €38.5 million. The 2020 accounts of my Department are not yet complete and are subject to audit by the Comptroller and Auditor General; accordingly, these figures should be...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (1 Jul 2021)

Heather Humphreys: My Department is committed to providing a quality service to all its customers, ensuring that applications are processed and that decisions on entitlement for all payments including those that are Covid- related, are made as quickly as possible. Processing times vary across schemes, depending on the different qualification criteria. Means-tested payments can require more detailed...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (1 Jul 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The system of social assistance supports provides payments based on an income need. The means test plays a critical role in determining whether or not an income need arises as a consequence of a particular contingency, such as disability, unemployment or caring. This ensures that the recipient has a verifiable income need and that resources are targeted to those who need them most. Social...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Employment Support Services (1 Jul 2021)

Heather Humphreys: In the context of my Department procuring public employment services and its future plans there has been extensive engagement over the past 3 years with all external providers of public employment services, including the Local Employment Services. More recently both I and my officials have had significant engagement in recent months with the Irish Local Development Network, the...