Results 16,861-16,880 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Qualified Child Allowance (8 Dec 2020)

Heather Humphreys: Increases for a Qualified Child (IQCs) are paid in addition to many weekly social welfare payments.  These payments do not of themselves constitute a specific social welfare scheme and entitlement to the appropriate primary adult payment must be established in the first instance.   As of October 2020, there are an estimated 337,699 children supported by an increase for a...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Personal Public Service Numbers (8 Dec 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The SAFE registration process, which involves the authentication of a person's identity in a face-to-face interview, is the normal method of processing an application for a Personal Public Service Number (PPSN). Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, a PPSN issued by post to a person a number of days after their SAFE registration interview. At the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, my...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Free Travel Scheme (8 Dec 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The Free Travel Scheme is currently available to all people living in the State aged 66 years or over, to carers and to customers under 66 who are in receipt of certain disability type payments.  There are currently approximately 980,595 customers in receipt of Free Travel.  However, over 1.6 million people currently benefit from the scheme when companion and spousal passes are...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Staff (8 Dec 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The Department of Social Protection is in the process of conducting a census to determine the percentage for 2020.  The percentages for 2018 and 2019 for this Department including the agencies under its remit are contained in the table below. Organisation 2018 2019 Department of Social Protection 5.22% 6.96% ...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Employment Support Services (8 Dec 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 430 and 431 together. The Reasonable Accommodation Fund (RAF) aims to assist both jobseekers with disabilities and private sector employers seeking to employ or retain a person with a disability, by providing a range of grants. The scheme in particular seeks to assist jobseekers with disabilities to gain access to the open labour market by providing grants to...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Flexible Work Practices (8 Dec 2020)

Heather Humphreys: My Department has invested significantly in remote working facilities over the last number of years through programmes such as the Town and Village Renewal Scheme, the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund (RRDF) and the Libraries programme.  Along with the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications, my Department has been working to establish a network of Broadband...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Local Improvement Scheme (8 Dec 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The Local Improvement Scheme, or LIS, is a programme for improvement works on small private or non-public roads in rural areas which are not under the normal maintenance of the Local Authorities. The scheme is funded by my Department and is administered through the Local Authorities. Since the LIS was re-launched in 2017, over €58 million has been allocated to Local...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Dog Breeding Industry (8 Dec 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The Dog Breeding Establishment Act 2010 provides a robust regulatory framework for, inter alia, the licensing, monitoring and inspection of dog breeding establishments by local authorities and, where a serious and immediate threat exists to public health or animal health and welfare, for the closure of such establishments. The day to day regulation of dog breeding establishments to ensure...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Control of Dogs (8 Dec 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 873 and 877 together. A public consultation process on a review of measures relating to the control of dogs in Ireland closed in September 2019.  The consultation document posed a series of questions, with interested parties invited to provide written submissions. Approximately 1,000 submissions have been received.  The issues raised are...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Seirbhísí Farantóireachta (8 Dec 2020)

Heather Humphreys: Tógfaidh mé Ceisteanna Uimh. Nos. 874 and 875 le chéile. Ó thús na pandéime, tá oifigigh na Roinne théis a bheith ag obair go dlúth le grúpaí ionadaíochta oileáin agus leis na farantóirí cuí d’fhonn tacú le pobail na n-oileán, agus le cinntiú go mbeadh seirbhísí iompair rialta i...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Dog Licences (8 Dec 2020)

Heather Humphreys: Each year my Department publishes annual statistics on gov.ie in respect of a range of dog control responsibilities of local authorities, including the statistics sought.  Information up to and including 2019 is available at the following link https://www.gov.ie/en/collection/879d4c-dog-contro l-statistics/  The total number of dog licences issued in 2019, which may be...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Staff (8 Dec 2020)

Heather Humphreys: My Department is strongly committed to the development and implementation of measures to promote and support the employment of individuals with disabilities. The Department supports the best practice principles in this area, as set out in the 'Code of Practice for the employment of people with disability in the Civil Service'. The Department has a Disability...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Covid-19 Pandemic (8 Dec 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The vast majority of my Department's staff are currently working remotely and we are maintaining full business continuity in terms of our services to the public and to stakeholders. My Department has a fully-operational Covid-19 Response Plan in place which is kept under ongoing review as further guidance and advice is issued.  The plan includes procedures relating to all measures...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Youth Unemployment (3 Dec 2020)

Heather Humphreys: We are absolutely committed to working closely with young people to get them back to work and help them do that. We will, therefore, have the Pathways to Work strategy and I will be launching that early next year. We will significantly ramp up the number of places available on training and employment support schemes. There will be 35,000 extra training places and 10,000 new...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Youth Unemployment (3 Dec 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I am sorry, engagement with whom?

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Youth Unemployment (3 Dec 2020)

Heather Humphreys: We have the employability service to work with young people and others with disabilities to get them back to work. I am happy to engage with the Open Door Initiative as well. We want to increase the number of people being referred to the local employment services by approximately 50% next year. We will also be tendering to extend the service into several geographical areas which do not...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Carer's Benefit (3 Dec 2020)

Heather Humphreys: We cannot change the principle that benefits are paid to the contributor. As the Deputy mentioned, the means-tested carer's allowance is available. The means test has a generous disregard of €665 for a couple. I understand that there are difficult situations, but we have extended supports for the self-employed. For example, they can now get jobseeker's benefit. This is why many...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Carer's Benefit (3 Dec 2020)

Heather Humphreys: Yes. That would entail expanding further the benefits relating to a class S stamp. I always want to consider how to review and improve, but this could result in the contribution increasing, given that the benefit is commensurate with the stamp paid. I will consider the proposal and I would be happy to engage with the Deputy.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Youth Unemployment (3 Dec 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 12, 34 and 53 together. We know from past recessions that young people tend to be disproportionately impacted by any labour market shock. This is because many employers operate a last in, first out protocol when reducing their labour forces and young people tend to work in occupations and sectors that are most immediately affected by economic downturns,...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Personal Public Service Numbers (3 Dec 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I thank all the Deputies for raising this issue. It is something I am very aware of from my own constituency office. This week, 200 additional people have been moved into the section that works on PPS numbers. Deputies can understand that getting money in people's pockets in terms of the PUP was an absolute priority. Then people were depending on arrears to come. Some people were owed...