Results 14,421-14,440 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

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

Heather Humphreys: As part of Budget 2021 measures, the Carer’s Support Grant (CSG) was increased to €1,850 from €1,700. In June 2021, almost 117,700 carers received a grant automatically, which represents an increase of 3,700 compared to 114,000 grants paid in June 2020. Some 12,200 carers who are providing care for two or more people received a grant in respect of each person they are...

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

Heather Humphreys: The number of Parents benefit claims created in the period from 1st April 2021 to 27th June 2021 was 15,391. In comparison, for the same period last year, the total number of Parents benefit claims received was 2,841. It should be noted that while a claim may be awarded in one month, the leave and benefit could be availed of at a different time, or over a period of months, as it is available...

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

Heather Humphreys: The over 80 allowance is an increase of €10 per week which is automatically awarded to qualified recipients of social welfare payments, including the State Pension (contributory), State Pension (non-contributory) and the Widows, Widowers and Surviving Civil Partners Pension on attaining 80 years of age. An Increase for a Qualified Adult (IQA) is paid, generally, where the pensioner...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Schemes (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 are made as quickly as possible. Processing times vary across schemes, depending on the different qualification criteria. Schemes that require a high level of documentary evidence from the customer, particularly in the case of...

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

Heather Humphreys: In December 2019, my Department engaged external consultants, IES and Social Finance, to carry out a review of all public employment services, including EmployAbility, Job Clubs, JobPath and the Local Employment Services. The consultants in their review engaged extensively with current employment service providers and other stakeholders in the process including representative bodies for the...

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

Heather Humphreys: The Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) is available to employees and self-employed people who have lost their employment and income due to the public health restrictions arising from the Covid-19 pandemic, and who satisfy the other qualifying conditions of the scheme. The payment has proven to be a vital income support to workers, thousands of whom lost their jobs virtually overnight. To...

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

Heather Humphreys: As an essential service, staff in my Department have continued, throughout the pandemic, to work both on site in office premises and remotely to deliver for our customers. The number of staff who are working remotely at any one time is approximately 3,300 which is 50% of the total staffing number and has remained relatively constant through the Covid-19 restrictions. Staff who must attend...

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

Heather Humphreys: As the Deputy will be aware, the experience of past recessions indicates that youth employment tends to be significantly impacted by any labour market shock. This is because many employers operate a "last in-first out" approach when reducing their labour force. Moreover, in the case of the COVID-19 pandemic, the impact on our youth is driven by the tendency for many younger people to work in...

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

Heather Humphreys: The Pandemic Unemployment Payment, or PUP, was introduced as an emergency measure to support qualifying employees and the self-employed who lost employment due to Government mandated public health restrictions. To date expenditure on the scheme is over €8 billion and just under 900,000 people have benefitted from the scheme. This demonstrates the Government's clear commitment to...

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

Heather Humphreys: The provisions in relation to parentage of a child born as a result of donor-assisted human reproduction (DAHR) procedure for same sex couples are contained in Part 2 of the Children and Family Relationships Act 2015 (CFRA 2015). The parentage provisions became operational on 4 May 2020 Under the current legislation it is possible for both parties in a same-sex female relationship to be...

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

Heather Humphreys: The Jobseekers Benefit and Jobseekers Allowance schemes provide income support for people who have lost work and who are unable to find full-time employment. These statutory schemes allow individuals to work up to 3 days a week and retain access to a reduced jobseekers payment. Jobseekers Benefit is paid for up to 9 months (or 234 days) for people with 260 or more PRSI contributions...

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

Heather Humphreys: The Social Welfare (Covid-19) (Amendment) Act 2020 provides for the attribution of social insurance contributions to insured persons who were beneficiaries of certain Covid-19 income support payments including the pandemic unemployment payment. This provision ensures that employees entitled to and in receipt of the pandemic unemployment payment will have social insurance contributions...

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

Heather Humphreys: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 12 May 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. Those papers were received in the Social Welfare...

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

Heather Humphreys: I would like to inform the Deputy that a Person Public Service Number was assigned in this case and the family of the person concerned has been informed by regular post. I hope this addresses the question.

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

Heather Humphreys: Pension entitlement is determined on the basis of the eligibility conditions applicable on the date an individual reaches pension age. Pension forecasts are not therefore provided, irrespective of where a person may have been employed, as the eligibility conditions may change. It is, however, possible for a person to request a copy of their insurance record at any stage. Individual...

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

Heather Humphreys: A Personal Public Service Number (PPSN) is not required to receive a COVID-19 vaccination. If a person does not have a PPSN, they should register for their vaccination by contacting the HSE's COVID-19 Vaccination Helpline at Freephone 1800 700 700. I can confirm that the first individual referred to by the Deputy was issued a PPSN a number of years ago. That individual attended an office of...

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

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 291 and 311 together. The Benefit Payment for 65 Year olds is provided under the Jobseeker’s Benefit and Jobseeker’s Benefit (Self-Employed) social insurance schemes in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005 as amended. The introduction of the payment fulfils a key commitment in the Programme for...

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

Heather Humphreys: The table below shows expenditure for the Treatment Benefit Schemes in each of the years 2000, 2005, 2010, 2015 and 2020 as requested by the Deputy: - 2000 2005 2010 2015 2020 - €000 €000 €000 €000 €000 Dental Benefit 45,402 ...