Results 1,521-1,540 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (2 Jul 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The 2023 provisional expenditure on Rent Supplement is €62.9 million.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Schemes (2 Jul 2024)

Heather Humphreys: My Department provides a suite of income supports for those unable to work due to illness or disability. These include insurance-based schemes, based on Pay Related Social Insurance (PRSI) contributions, and means-tested social assistance schemes. Eligibility for the Departments income support schemes, such as Disability Allowance, is not dependent on the nature of the illness or...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Paternity Leave (2 Jul 2024)

Heather Humphreys: My Department does not hold data on the number of individuals availing of paternity leave, only for those availing of Paternity Benefit. Paternity Benefit is a payment for employed and self-employed people who are on paternity leave from work and covered by social insurance (PRSI). It is paid for 2 weeks and is available for any child born or adopted on or after 1 September 2016. Paternity...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Rental Sector (2 Jul 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The Accommodation Recognition Payment is a monthly payment of €800 available to those who are providing accommodation to a person or people who arrived in Ireland under the EU Temporary Protection Directive. It was introduced in July 2022 to recognise the generosity of people who have opened their homes to provide accommodation to Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection. The scheme...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Pension Provisions (2 Jul 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Invalidity Pension (IP) is a payment for people who are permanently incapable of work because of illness or incapacity and for no other reason and who satisfy the pay related social insurance (PRSI) contribution conditions. An increase for a qualified adult (IQA) is payable with IP in respect of a spouse, cohabitant or civil partner of the applicant who is wholly or mainly maintained by...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (2 Jul 2024)

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 disallowed for the person concerned on 27 September 2023. The person was notified of this...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: School Meals Programme (2 Jul 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The objective of the School Meals Programme is to provide regular, nutritious food to children to support them in taking full advantage of the education provided to them. The programme is an important component of policies to encourage school attendance and extra educational achievement. Following the expansion of the programme in recent years, some 2,600 schools and organisations, covering...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Pensions Reform (2 Jul 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Under current criteria for Widows, Widower or Surviving Civil Partnership's Contributory pension (WSCPCP) the applicant must be the legal widow, widower or surviving civil partner of the deceased person under Irish State law. In order to determine this, a civil marriage certificate which has been registered with the Registrar of births, deaths and marriages, in the jurisdiction in which...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (2 Jul 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The entitlement of the person concerned to the Household Benefits Package is currently being examined. When the review has been completed, the person concerned will be notified in writing of the outcome. I hope this clarifies the position for the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals (2 Jul 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The Social Welfare Appeals Office is an Office of the Department of Social Protection which is responsible for determining appeals against decisions in relation to social welfare entitlements. Appeals Officers are independent in their decision making functions. The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 28...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: School Meals Programme (2 Jul 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The objective of the School Meals Programme is to provide regular, nutritious food to children to support them in taking full advantage of the education provided to them. The programme is an important component of policies to encourage school attendance and extra educational achievement. Following the expansion of the programme in recent years, some 2,600 schools and organisations, covering...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (2 Jul 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Invalidity Pension (IP) is a payment for people who are permanently incapable of work because of illness or incapacity and for no other reason and who satisfy the PRSI contribution conditions. My Department received an application for IP from the person concerned on 13 June 2024. Based on the information supplied, it was refused on the grounds that the medical conditions for the scheme...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Code (2 Jul 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The Household Benefits Package comprises the electricity or gas allowance, and the free television licence. The Department of Social Protection will spend approximately €294 million this year on the Household Benefits Package for over 525,000 customers. People over the age of 70 receive the Household Benefits Package, with one package provided per household. The package is also...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Funding (2 Jul 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The LEADER Programme is a key intervention of Our Rural Future, the Government’s Policy for rural development which aims to deliver a range of actions to rural communities over the lifetime of the policy. It supports a broad range of activities which aim to respond to the diversity of the local needs of our rural areas. It is delivered through Local Action Groups (LAGs) across...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Control of Dogs (2 Jul 2024)

Heather Humphreys: My Department has policy and legislative responsibility for the Control of Dogs Acts and the Dog Breeding Establishments Act. In March 2024 I announced the establishment of a high level stakeholder group to consider and make recommendations to strengthen policy in relation these issues. The group is independently chaired by retired Deputy Garda Commissioner Mr John Twomey and is...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Control of Dogs (2 Jul 2024)

Heather Humphreys: To support the work of dog wardens and to ensure consistency and a standardised approach to enforcement, my Department has provided €10,000 in funding towards the cost of the Dog Control Service National Training Programme 2024. The training takes place over 8 days and is covered under 4 modules. Each Local Authority funds their individual participant's fee of €175 per module....

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Policies (2 Jul 2024)

Heather Humphreys: My Department has made significant progress with regard to both policies and programmes since the 27th June 2020, focusing on our rural and community development remit, and our commitments under the Programme for Government. Each year my Department publishes an Annual Report which provides a comprehensive overview of the wide range of policies, programmes and initiatives developed and...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Funding (2 Jul 2024)

Heather Humphreys: My Department recognises the importance of playgrounds in communities throughout Ireland. Applications for the delivery and upgrade of playgrounds are welcome under a number of schemes operated by my Department such as the CLÁR Programme, the Town and Village Renewal Scheme (TVRS), the LEADER programme, and the Community Enhancement Programme (CEP). In 2023 I launched the Community...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: EU Funding (2 Jul 2024)

Heather Humphreys: My Department utilises EU funding across three broad areas, the LEADER Programme, the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+), and the PEACE Programmes. The LEADER programme is co-funded by the EU. Under LEADER 2014-2022 capital programme a total of €250 million in grant aid was made available to rural communities and businesses. This included a split of 37.2% funding from my Department...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Supreme Court Rulings (27 Jun 2024)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 187 and 188 together. Under the law as currently enacted, entitlement to a Widows, Widowers or Surviving Civil Partner’s Contributory pension is only available to a surviving partner who was party to a marriage or civil partnership. On Monday 22nd January, the Supreme Court delivered its judgment in relation to the entitlement of an unmarried...