Results 16,341-16,360 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments Waiting Times (3 Feb 2021)

Heather Humphreys: My Department is committed to providing a quality service to all its customers, ensuring that applications are processed and that decisions on entitlement are made as quickly as possible. Processing times vary across schemes, depending on the different qualification criteria.  In general, contribution based schemes require less strands of information from the customer at the initial...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (3 Feb 2021)

Heather Humphreys: My Department provides a range of supports for families and individuals in need of financial support during the Covid 19 pandemic.  Financial assistance for individuals and households who are in challenging circumstances as a result of the pandemic is available through the supplementary welfare allowance (SWA) scheme.  The SWA scheme is the safety net...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (3 Feb 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) scheme was introduced as a statutory scheme from the 5th August.  To date the total cost of the scheme is approximately €5.5 billion. To be eligible for the PUP a person must satisfy all of the scheme conditions which include that they must be of working age and have lost their employment as a consequence of the pandemic or in the case of a...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (3 Feb 2021)

Heather Humphreys: Under the supplementary welfare allowance scheme, my Department may make an exceptional needs payment to help meet essential, once-off expenditure which a person could not reasonably be expected to meet out of their weekly income.  Government has provided €46.02 million for the exceptional and urgent needs schemes in 2021. The exceptional needs payment scheme...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Application Forms (3 Feb 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The Social Welfare Appeals Office functions independently of the Minister for Social Protection and of the Department and is responsible for determining appeals against decisions in relation to social welfare entitlements. I am advised by the Chief Appeals Officer that it is currently not possible to facilitate in-person oral hearings due to Covid-19 restrictions.  However, the Social...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pension (Contributory) (3 Feb 2021)

Heather Humphreys: My Department is committed to ensuring that State pension (contributory) claims are processed and pension entitlement decided as quickly as possible when all necessary information is to hand. Processing of contributory pension claims depends on the individual nature of social insurance records and the applicant's circumstances.  It is also dependent on the completeness of the application...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Code (3 Feb 2021)

Heather Humphreys: Decisions in relation to entitlement to social welfare payments are bound by the relevant provisions of the Social Welfare Consolidation Act, 2005 (as amended) and associated regulations.  Every claimant is entitled to have their claim considered in accordance with the principles of natural and constitutional justice and in the context of determinations of entitlement under social...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals (3 Feb 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The Social Welfare Appeals Office functions independently of the Minister for Social Protection and of the Department and is responsible for determining appeals against decisions in relation to social welfare entitlements. I am advised by the Chief Appeals Officer that in 2020, 23,664 appeals were registered and 26,790 were finalised.  Of those finalised, 20,520 were decided by...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Disability Allowance (3 Feb 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The person concerned submitted an application for disability allowance (DA) on 24 November 2020.  Their application, based upon all the evidence submitted, was refused on medical grounds as it was not found that the person concerned was substantially restricted in taking up employment. The person concerned was notified in writing of this decision...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Widow's Pension (3 Feb 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The person concerned was in direct contact with my Department in relation to this matter and a response was issued to him in August 2020 addressing all matters raised. The late mother of the person concerned was due arrears of pension for the period from 2004 to 2007. Unfortunately, due to an administrative error these arrears were not paid at the time they were...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (3 Feb 2021)

Heather Humphreys: Government intervention through the introduction of the Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) and other targeted supports has provided key financial assistance to employees and businesses who have been impacted by Covid-19.  Since last March over 820,000 people have benefited from the PUP and the total expenditure is approximately €5.5 billion.  These figures...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Budgets (3 Feb 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The Department of Social Protection's revised estimate for 2021 was published in December 2020.  These estimates provided for an expenditure allocation of €25.1 billion in 2021. Level 5 restrictions were reintroduced from late December 2020. These restrictions were recently extended until 5th March 2021.  Given the ongoing volatility of the labour market caused by the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Household Benefits Scheme (3 Feb 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The Household Benefits Package is a set of allowances which help with the costs of running a household. It includes allowances towards covering electricity or gas costs as well as the television licence. An application form for the Household Benefits Package has issued to the person concerned. Alternatively, the person concerned can apply online for their Household...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (3 Feb 2021)

Heather Humphreys: A self-employed worker whose income is €5,000 or more in a contribution year, is liable to pay a social insurance contribution at the class S rate of 4% on such income, subject to a minimum annual payment of €500. Where the social insurance liability is paid in full in respect to a contribution year, 52 contribution weeks at the self-employed social insurance class...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Personal Public Service Numbers (3 Feb 2021)

Heather Humphreys: I can confirm that my Department has allocated a Personal Public Service Number (PPSN) to the individual referred to by the Deputy. A letter issued to the person concerned on 1st February 2021 with details of the PPSN. I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: LEADER Programmes (3 Feb 2021)

Heather Humphreys: Funding for the type of project referred to by the Deputy may be available through the LEADER Transitional Programme. This programme, which will cover the period 2021-2022, will come into effect on the 1April 2021 for new project applications.  The programme will be delivered through Local Action Groups (LAGs) in each of the 28 LEADER sub-regional areas around the country. ...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Community Development Projects (3 Feb 2021)

Heather Humphreys: Addressing the issue of individual isolation in communities has become more important than ever before due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The issue of isolation in rural and urban communities cuts across the work of a number of Departments, and this is reflected in ongoing work on community policing, rural transport and social inclusion, among other areas. Many of my...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Dog Licences (3 Feb 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The overall intention of dog control legislation is to place the onus on dog owners and those in control of dogs to act responsibly by keeping their dogs under effectual control. Such responsible dog ownership is the key to reducing incidences of sheep worrying and other problem behaviours. The Control of Dogs Acts 1986, as amended, set out a range of requirements for all dog owners or...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Digital Hubs (3 Feb 2021)

Heather Humphreys: Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, remote working has proven its value in maintaining economic activity and in the continued provision of many public services. Remote working can help to retain talented people in rural communities, encourage mobile workers to move to the regions, provide increased trade for local businesses, and revitalise our rural towns.   My Department has...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Broadband Infrastructure (3 Feb 2021)

Heather Humphreys: Broadband Connection Points (BCPs) are among the first deliverables of the National Broadband Plan (NBP) and will provide high-speed broadband connectivity to publicly accessible sites in rural and isolated areas of the country, including a number of our off-shore islands.  The sites will be provided with a high-speed broadband service for onsite community use.  After a site...