Results 1,581-1,600 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (26 Jun 2024)

Heather Humphreys: I thank the Deputy. I am happy to take the example the Deputy has given me and to get the details from her later. I will raise it with the Minister because if there are issues that need to be changed to make it work better, we are happy to take views on board. There is no doubt about that. What I am saying to the Deputy, however, is that we continue to offer a suite of different supports...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (26 Jun 2024)

Heather Humphreys: I thank the Deputy. The point he makes is absolutely correct. There are a lot of fines outstanding there that have not been paid. If a person is due to pay a fine, I think he or she should be paying it. If the person does not pay it, the route is back into court again, as I understand it. Then we will be faced with situations where people who did not pay maybe relatively small fines have...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (26 Jun 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The Deputy knows better than most that we have very good industrial relations machinery within this State. The Labour Court intervened and it has a long history of resolving disputes, as the Deputy and I know well. This dispute will be resolved. They are always resolved in the end, but it is about the pain people have to go through in the interim. We are committed and we have asked the...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (26 Jun 2024)

Heather Humphreys: I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. The issue, of course, as we all know, is supply. The only way to address all the issues is to increase supply and the Government has been doing that. Over 32,000 housing units have commenced in the first five months of 2024. That is around the same number as in the whole of 2023. Some 500 individuals or couples are buying their first home every...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (26 Jun 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Before I answer the question, would the Ceann Comhairle mind if I paid a short tribute to the late Tommie Gorman? It was with shock and sadness that we learned of Tommie's sudden passing yesterday. He was a true professional and an absolute gentleman. Outside of his job as an RTÉ correspondent, he had a genuine interest in the Northern Ireland peace process. Even though he was...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Schemes (26 Jun 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The Free Travel scheme is available to people over 66 years and to people in receipt of certain social welfare payments who are under 66 years. From 29th July 2024, Free Travel is also available to persons who are medically certified as unfit to drive for a period of at least 12 months. Free Travel recipients must be permanently resident in the State. The scheme permits travel for free...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (26 Jun 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The Back to Work Enterprise Allowance scheme (BTWEA) offers support for people who are long-term unemployed and who are interested in self-employment as a route to re-entering the labour market. To qualify for BTWEA a person is required to have received an eligible income support payment continuously for 9 months. An applicant who is a part time or casual worker is required to be in...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Code (26 Jun 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The Commission on Taxation and Welfare was established in April 2021, with the aim of setting out how our taxation and welfare system might best support economic activity and income redistribution whilst promoting employment and prosperity in a resilient, inclusive, and sustainable manner. It published its report in September 2022. I am pleased the Committee on Budgetary Oversight...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (26 Jun 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. The payment is disregarded when assessing means for Fuel Allowance purposes. The payment is also disregarded for means testing purposes for other subsidiary payments such as the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals (26 Jun 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 30...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Pension Provisions (26 Jun 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Under current legislation, entitlement to a Widows, Widower or Surviving Civil Partnership's Contributory pension (WSCPCP) is only available to a surviving partner who was party to a marriage or civil partnership. My Department notes the judgement given by the Supreme Court on 22 January, with regard to entitlement to an unmarried cohabitant to WSCPCP. In simple terms, the Court found...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals (26 Jun 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 there is no record of any appeal by the person concerned having been...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: School Meals Programme (26 Jun 2024)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 113 and 114 together. 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...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (26 Jun 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Carer’s Allowance is a means-tested payment for people living in Ireland who are looking after someone who needs support because of age, physical or learning disability or illness, including mental illness. A primary qualifying condition for the Carer’s Allowance payment is that the applicant provides full-time care and attention to a person in need of such care. The...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (26 Jun 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Disability Allowance is a weekly allowance paid to people with a specified disability who are aged 16 or over and under the age of 66. This disability must be expected to last for at least one year and the allowance is subject to a medical assessment, means test and Habitual Residency conditions. As the person concerned turned 66 in May 2024, they have no entitlement to this allowance. ...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Schemes (26 Jun 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The Fuel Allowance is a payment of €33 per week for 28 weeks (a total of €924 each year) from late September to April, at an estimated cost of €382 million in 2024. The purpose of this payment is to assist households with their heating costs. Only one allowance is paid per household. The records of the Department indicate that the number of households in receipt of the...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Local Authorities (26 Jun 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The Local Improvement Scheme supports improving non-public rural roads and laneways that are not usually maintained by local authorities.  I was delighted to announce record funding of €40 million for the Scheme in April of this year, which demonstrates the importance my Department attaches to maximising the impact of the scheme for rural dwellers. Roads eligible...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Programmes (26 Jun 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 Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (25 Jun 2024)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 254 and 272 together. 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.The primary social assistance scheme for people who are blind or visually impaired is the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals (25 Jun 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 12 March...