Results 15,501-15,520 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Rural Regeneration and Development Fund (6 May 2021)

Heather Humphreys: I am assuming that the Deputy is referring to the application for the Athy Food Hub made by Kildare County Council as part of the third call for Category 1 applications to the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund, which closed on 1st December 2020. Category 1 relates to ambitious, large-scale projects capital projects which have all the necessary planning and other development consents in...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Island Communities (6 May 2021)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 266, 267, 268, 269, 271, 272, 273 and 274 together. I am working to ensure that sustainable vibrant communities continue to live on the islands, and I have made this one of the key elements of Our Rural Future, the Government’s new Rural Development Policy. Furthermore, my Department is currently developing a new National Islands Policy, a central...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: LEADER Programmes (6 May 2021)

Heather Humphreys: LEADER is a rural development programme co-funded by the EU which operates a locally led, bottom-up, approach to meeting the needs of local communities and businesses. The programme supports private enterprises and community groups in rural areas including the islands. The programme is delivered to the off-shore islands by the Donegal, Mayo and West Cork LAGs through its Implementing...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Island Communities (6 May 2021)

Heather Humphreys: My Department is mindful of those with disabilities or reduced mobility availing of subsidised island transport services. Ferry and air service operators are required to ensure that the service they provide caters for passengers of reduced mobility, and that their staff are fully trained in assisting passengers. Ferry operators are required to make the necessary arrangements to cater for...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Birth Certificates (5 May 2021)

Heather Humphreys: A person can apply for a certificate using one of three methods: 1) Online by visiting the HSE website certificates.ie, 2) By e-mailing the General Register Office and submitting an online application form, or 3) By calling to their local Civil Registration Office Applications for certificates using 1) and 2) above can be paid for online or by using a bank card only while applications...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Birth Certificates (5 May 2021)

Heather Humphreys: As a general practice, a person will not be required to provide a birth or other life event certificate to an office of the Department of Social Protection if the event was registered in Ireland. Should a certificate be required, any local registration office will be able to provide a certificate without charge on production of a written requested from the Department. The Deputy should note...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Employment Data (5 May 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) is a statutory scheme provided for employees and the self- employed who were in employment on or after 13th March 2020 and who lost employment as a direct consequence of the Covid-19 pandemic. The scheme does not provide support for the loss of potential or prospective but unrealised employment. To qualify for the payment an employee must have...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Pension Provisions (5 May 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The person concerned reached pension age on 31 March 2020 and was awarded a standard State pension (contributory) at 85% of the maximum rate. They were notified in writing of this decision on 6 April 2020. This rate of pension results from a yearly average calculation of 23, based on the person’s social insurance record of 1,173 qualifying paid and credited contributions from 31...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Public Services Provision (5 May 2021)

Heather Humphreys: Under previous taxation law, the husband of a married couple was considered the assessable spouse and the wife was considered a dependant of the husband. Accordingly, the Office of the Revenue Commissioners (Revenue) allocated the husband’s Revenue and Social Insurance (RSI) number to the wife and appended a “W” to the end, as a second check character, so that they could...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Appointments (5 May 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The Department’s policy is that all Top Level Appointment Commission (TLAC) posts notified to the Department are advertised to staff as a matter of course. Notwithstanding that the post referenced is not a post that falls to be filled through the TLAC process the Department would also normally issue a notice to staff advising them of the opportunity to apply. Regrettably, although...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Staff (5 May 2021)

Heather Humphreys: Since 1 January 2018, three officers were suspended and had access to all Departments’ systems (emails) and/or files revoked, pending the outcome of the disciplinary process. Two of these officers have since been dismissed and one is currently on long term sick leave. No further restrictions on access to the Department’s systems and/or files have been imposed as part of...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Schemes (5 May 2021)

Heather Humphreys: Following on from the receipt of information provided by the Deputy on behalf of the person concerned, a full review of the circumstances and means of the person concerned will be undertaken at an early date and, on completion of that review, the person concerned will be notified of the outcome in writing. Requests for any additional information, if required, as part of this review will be...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: School Meals Programme (5 May 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The school meals programme provides funding towards the provision of food to some 1,557 schools and organisations benefitting 227,000 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: Jobseeker's Allowance (5 May 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The Jobseekers Benefit scheme is a statutory income support paid to people who have lost employment. The payments are based on pay related social insurance contributions paid while a person was in employment. A person must be unemployed for at least 4 in 7 consecutive days to be eligible for the payment and they must satisfy the other qualifying scheme conditions. The duration of...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Schemes (5 May 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The Back to Education Allowance (BTEA) provides income support for jobseekers and others in receipt of certain social welfare payments who pursue courses of education at second or third level. My Department has a provision of €96.5m in supports under the BTEA for 2021. A person wishing to pursue a course of study under the BTEA scheme has to satisfy a number of conditions, including...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Schemes (5 May 2021)

Heather Humphreys: There are 3 categories of claimant who may qualify for Jobseeker’s Benefit while partially employed. They are short-time workers, casual workers and part-time workers. In order to classify a person as either a short-time, part-time or casual work employee, each case is examined on its merits having regard to the person’s employment history, any fluctuation in the number of...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Schemes (5 May 2021)

Heather Humphreys: There are a number of full-time, part-time and online upskilling and retraining options available to the person concerned. In order to discuss his circumstances and progression the person concerned can request an online appointment with a Case Officer by emailing his contact details to the Activation Team in the Tallaght Intreo Centre at ESTallaght@welfare.ie. It should be noted that some...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Illness Benefit (5 May 2021)

Heather Humphreys: Under the Health (Preservation and Protection and other Emergency Measures in the Public Interest) Act 2020 (No. 1), the Government, having regard to the manifest and grave risk to human life and public health posed by the spread of Covid-19, extended the Social Welfare Acts to provide for entitlement to illness benefit for persons who have been diagnosed with, or are a probable source of...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Illness Benefit (5 May 2021)

Heather Humphreys: My Department provides a suite of income supports for those who are unable to work due to an illness or disability. It is important to note that entitlement to these supports is generally not contingent on the nature of the illness or disability but on the extent to which a particular illness or disability impairs or restricts a person’s capacity to work. In March of last year,...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Public Procurement Contracts (5 May 2021)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 421 and 422 together. My Department shortly intends to issue a Request for Tender (RFT) to expand local employment services into four geographical areas where a Local Employment Service does not currently exist. The specific lots will be detailed in the RFT when published. The forthcoming RFT will place due emphasis on the quality of services to be...