Results 14,501-14,520 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Island Communities (30 Jun 2021)

Heather Humphreys: In July 2019 the Government noted the intention of the then Minister of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht to establish an Interdepartmental Committee for Island Development which would develop a Cross-Government Islands Policy. The first meeting of this committee was held in September 2019 where an overall approach was agreed to develop the national policy for the islands which would be...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Schemes (30 Jun 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The Walks Scheme, which is funded by my Department, contracts landholders to undertake maintenance work on National Waymarked Ways and other priority trails that traverse their lands. The landholders receive modest payments for maintenance work undertaken in line with agreed work plans. The Programme for Government and Our Rural Futureinclude a commitment to double the number of walks...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Schemes (30 Jun 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The Walks Scheme, which is funded by my Department, contracts landholders to undertake maintenance work on National Waymarked Ways and other priority trails that traverse their lands. The landholders receive modest payments for maintenance work undertaken in line with agreed work plans. The Walks Scheme is currently operating on 45 trails supported by approximately 2,040 landowners and...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (29 Jun 2021)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 353 and 371 together. The Department’s main social welfare schemes for people who are unemployed are the social insurance contribution- based Jobseeker's Benefit and means tested Jobseeker's Allowance. Both schemes provide support to individuals, including workers in the aviation sector, so that they can work up to 3 days a week and still retain access...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (29 Jun 2021)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 354 and 355 together. The Enterprise Support Grant (ESG) is available to eligible self-employed individuals who close their Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) and re-start their business. Almost 9,200 ESG applications have been approved since the introduction of this grant, with approximately €8.5m paid to small businesses. The grant, of up to...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals (29 Jun 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The person concerned has given notice of Appeal regarding disallowance of Benefit Payment for 65 Year Olds. The Appeal is pending, awaiting an outcome. The Benefit Payment for 65 Year Olds, provided under the Jobseekers Benefit scheme, has been introduced in line with the Programme for Government commitment, to address the position of people who are required to or choose to retire at...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (29 Jun 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. If a person is in receipt of another social welfare payment in their own right (other than unemployment payments or...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (29 Jun 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) was introduced as an emergency measure in March 2020 for people who lost employment due to Covid 19. To date expenditure on the scheme is over €8 billion. Under normal circumstances students are not eligible to receive unemployment payments. However, the pandemic unemployment payment was made available as an emergency response to the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (29 Jun 2021)

Heather Humphreys: I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that an Appeals Officer, having fully considered all the evidence, disallowed the appeal of the person concerned by way of summary decision on 25 March 2020. Under social welfare legislation the decision of an Appeals Officer is generally final and conclusive and may only be reviewed by an Appeals Officer in the light of new evidence or...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (29 Jun 2021)

Heather Humphreys: JobPath providers have their own discretionary funds available to pay for training or other interventions; the decision to approve or reject any request for funding is solely at the discretion of the JobPath provider. They will take into account the duration, cost and relevance to the customer’s job goal preferences. The prevalence of employment opportunities in the sector will...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Public Services Card (29 Jun 2021)

Heather Humphreys: My Department provides telephone and in-person service to customers enquiring about the Public Services Card (PSC) through its nationwide network of Intreo offices. In addition, my Department also provides a centralised phone service for PSC-related queries from its Client Identity Services (CIS) office in Carrick-on-Shannon. In that office, there are normally 21 staff assigned to deal with...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Registration of Births (29 Jun 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The General Register Office is responsible for the overall management and maintenance of the system of civil registration. The HSE is responsible for the day-to-day delivery of registration services which includes registration of births. The recent cyber-attack on the Health Service Executive has impacted the registration of all births, deaths and marriages. I have been informed that the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (29 Jun 2021)

Heather Humphreys: 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 on a pilot basis. This seeks to ensure that victims of...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (29 Jun 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The Department applies a number of tests in respect of each claim to State Pension Contributory in order to provide the highest level of pension possible to the customer, based on their contribution record. However, once a record is found that qualifies the person to receive the maximum rate of pension, the process completes and a decision is issued to them. This means that the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (29 Jun 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 31 March 2021. It is a condition for receipt of a CA that...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (29 Jun 2021)

Heather Humphreys: Illness Benefit (IB) is a payment made to people who are unable to work due to illness and who satisfy certain PRSI contribution conditions. The maximum payment duration for IB is two years. Persons on IB may apply for Invalidity Pension (IP) if they are permanently incapable of work or have been incapable of work for at least 12 months and are likely to be incapable of work for at least...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Policies (29 Jun 2021)

Heather Humphreys: My Department and the bodies under its remit have regard to our public sector duty in all activities as provided for by Section 42 of the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission Act 2014. The Department’s mission is to promote active participation and inclusion in society through the provision of income supports, employment and other services. Our Statement of Strategy 2020-2023...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Disabilities Assessments (29 Jun 2021)

Heather Humphreys: Disability Impact Assessment is the process used for carrying out disability proofing. It involves a comprehensive examination of how any proposed policy, legislation, programme or service impacts on people with disabilities. The Cabinet Handbook requires that all substantive Memoranda should indicate the impact of the proposal(s) on people with disabilities. When my Department brings...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Application Forms (29 Jun 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: Employment Schemes (29 Jun 2021)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 372, 373 and 374 together. JobPath is an employment assistance and advice service for the long term unemployed. The service providers are paid on the basis of performance and with the exception of the initial registration fee, payments are made only when a client has achieved sustained employment. The registration fee is a fee payable for engagement and...