Results 16,181-16,200 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Fuel Allowance (17 Feb 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The main eligibility conditions that apply to the fuel allowance scheme are that a person must be in receipt of a qualifying payment, must satisfy a means test and must either be living alone or with other qualifying persons. The fuel allowance means test is linked to the maximum rate of State pension (contributory). The applicant and their spouse can have a combined weekly household income...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals (17 Feb 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. I confirm that my Department received an application for Carer’s Allowance (CA) from the person concerned on 10...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (17 Feb 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) is a statutory scheme introduced by Government to support those who have lost their employment as a direct consequence of the Covid-19 pandemic. To date expenditure on PUP is over €5.8 billion which demonstrates the Government's commitment to provide targeted supports. The Government will continue to keep all aspects of the PUP under review and...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Pension Provisions (17 Feb 2021)

Heather Humphreys: Benefit Payment for 65 Year Olds is a payment for people aged 65 who have ceased employment or self-employment and who satisfy the pay-related social insurance (PRSI) contribution conditions. To qualify, a customer must have paid at least 104 PRSI insurable employment contributions at Class A , H or P OR have paid at least 156 PRSI self-employment contributions at Class S AND have paid at...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Child Benefit (17 Feb 2021)

Heather Humphreys: Child benefit is a monthly payment made to families with children in respect of all qualified children up to the age of 16 years. The payment continues to be paid until their 18th birthday in respect of children who are in full-time education or who have a disability. Child benefit is currently paid, as of end-December 2021, to over 633,000 families in respect of over 1.2 million children...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Free Travel Scheme (17 Feb 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The Free Travel scheme provides free travel on the main public and private transport services for those eligible under the scheme. These include road, rail and ferry services provided by companies such as Bus Átha Cliath, Bus Éireann and Iarnród Éireann, as well as Luas and services provided by over 80 private transport operators. There are currently approx. 990,000...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments Administration (17 Feb 2021)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 492 and 495 together. As the Deputies are aware, the rate of the Pandemic Unemployment Payment is linked to a person's previous average weekly earnings. Last November, I secured Government approval to extend the 2020 earnings reference period for employees to September 2020. This change, which is effective from 2 October, meant that people who only...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Invalidity Pension (17 Feb 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The Client Eligibility Services section of my Department is responsible for the maintenance of social insurance records for social insurance contributors. I can advise the Deputy that at an officer in that section is investigating the matter he has raised and will liaise directly with the person concerned. The officer has also contacted the Deputy's office to advise of the position. I trust...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Schemes (17 Feb 2021)

Heather Humphreys: Parent’s Leave and Benefit will be extended from 2 weeks for each parent to 5 weeks as announced in Budget 2021. This extension will be made available retrospectively to parents in respect of children born or adopted on or after 1st November 2019. The period during which this leave can be taken will be extended from 12 to 24 months so it can be taken up to a child's second birthday...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Exceptional Needs Payment (17 Feb 2021)

Heather Humphreys: Under the supplementary welfare allowance scheme, my Department may make a single exceptional needs payment (ENP) to help meet essential, once-off expenditure which a person could not reasonably be expected to meet out of their weekly income. The ENP scheme is demand led and payments are made at the discretion of the officers administering the scheme, taking into account the requirements of...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Carer's Allowance (17 Feb 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The main income supports for carers provided by my Department are Carer’s Allowance, Carer’s Benefit, Domiciliary Care Allowance and the Carer’s Support Grant. Combined spending on all these payments to carers in 2021 is expected to exceed €1.4 billion. Carer's Allowance is a means tested payment made to people whose income falls below certain limits, and...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments Administration (17 Feb 2021)

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. The Department received a claim for IP for the person concerned on 8 January 2021. The claim was refused on the grounds that the medical conditions for the scheme were...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Enterprise Support Services (17 Feb 2021)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 499 and 500 together. The Enterprise Support Grant (ESG) is available to eligible self-employed recipients who close their Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) and re-start their business. A once-off grant of up to €1,000, to assist with the costs associated with reopening, is available under this measure. The information requested by the Deputy in...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Fuel Allowance (17 Feb 2021)

Heather Humphreys: In order to be eligible for fuel allowance, a person must be in receipt of a qualifying payment, satisfy a household means test and live alone or only with certain other qualified people. Under the means test, an applicant and members of his/her household may have a combined assessable income of up to €10 a week above the appropriate rate of State Pension Contributory, currently...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals (17 Feb 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that two appeals (for supplementary welfare allowance and for disability allowance) were registered in that office on 29 September 2020 and 26 November 2020 respectively. 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...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (17 Feb 2021)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 503 and 504 together. The Fuel Allowance is a payment of €28.00 per week for 28 weeks (a total of €784 each year) from October to April, to an average of 372,000 low income households, at an estimated cost of €300 million in 2021. The purpose of this payment is to assist these households with their energy costs. The allowance...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (17 Feb 2021)

Heather Humphreys: Benefit Payment for 65 Year Olds is a payment for people aged 65 who have ceased employment or self-employment and who satisfy the pay-related social insurance (PRSI) contribution conditions. To qualify, a customer must have paid at least 104 PRSI insurable employment contributions at Class A , H or P OR have paid at least 156 PRSI self-employment contributions at Class S AND have paid at...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pensions (17 Feb 2021)

Heather Humphreys: State Pension (non-contributory) is a means-tested payment for people aged 66 and over, habitually residing in the State, who do not qualify for a State Pension (contributory), or who only qualify for a reduced rate contributory pension based on their social insurance record. For the purposes of the means-test, at the outset and at any review intervals during the lifetime of the claim, a...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (17 Feb 2021)

Heather Humphreys: Recipients who wish to close their pandemic unemployment payment claim have the option of stating the reasons for closing their account. Based on the information provided by claimants closing their PUP claim in January 2021, a total of 23,127 people stated that they were returning to work. Weekly breakdowns of those in receipt of the pandemic unemployment payment, along with age, county and...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments Administration (17 Feb 2021)

Heather Humphreys: I recently announced the introduction of the new Benefit Payment for 65 Year Olds. This fulfils a key commitment in the Programme for Government to provide a benefit payment for people who are aged 65 and who are required to or who chose to retire early, without a requirement to sign on, partake in any activation measures or be available for and genuinely seeking work. This new payment is...