Results 17,721-17,740 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Back to Education Allowance (13 Oct 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The Back to Education Allowance (BTEA) application for the person concerned was refused on the basis that she has previously undertaken two courses of education and not completed them. An applicant who is not satisfied with a recommendation of a Case Officer may request to have their application re-examined. The request must state the basis for which a review has been requested and must also...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals (13 Oct 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that an Appeals Officer, having fully considered all of the available evidence, has decided to disallow the appeal of the person concerned by way of a summary decision. The person concerned has been notified of the Appeals Officer’s decision. The Social Welfare Appeals Office functions independently of the Minister for Social...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Disability Allowance (13 Oct 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection provides a range of income supports, including disability allowance, for those who are unable to work due to an illness or disability. Entitlement to disability allowance is not contingent on the nature of the illness or disability itself but on the extent to which a person’s capacity to work is restricted by illness or...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Personal Public Service Numbers (13 Oct 2020)

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 7th October 2020 with details of the PPSN. I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Insurance (13 Oct 2020)

Heather Humphreys: A person on maternity leave will automatically be awarded credits while they are in receipt of maternity benefit. These credited contributions keep the person's record up to date for benefit entitlement purposes. If an individual avails of unpaid statutory maternity leave they must get their employer to complete an application for maternity leave credits when they return to work and return...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: DEIS Scheme (13 Oct 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The school meals programme provides funding towards the provision of food to some 1,580 schools and organisations benefitting 250,000 children. The objective of the scheme is to provide regular, nutritious food to children who are unable, due to a 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: Public Services Card (13 Oct 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The SAFE registration process, which my Department uses to authenticate a person's identity, is a face- to-face process which results in the issuing of a Public Services Card (PSC). At the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, my Department temporarily postponed the SAFE registration process. This decision was taken to comply with HSE and WHO guidelines in respect of social...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (13 Oct 2020)

Heather Humphreys: An application for maternity benefit was received from the person concerned on 22/09/2020. The Department wrote to her on 25/09/2020, requesting that she have her employer complete a form MB2 confirming details of her maternity leave and to return the completed form to Maternity Benefit section. Once this information is received, a decision will be made on her application. I hope this...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (13 Oct 2020)

Heather Humphreys: Exceptional Needs Payments (ENPs) are provided for in legislation by Section 201 of the Social Welfare (Consolidation) Act 2005, as amended. The legislation does not confer a statutory right or entitlement to ENPs and every application is considered separately. ENPs may be considered in exceptional circumstances, where, because of the nature of the requirement, it would be unreasonable...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (13 Oct 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The fuel allowance is a payment of €24.50 per week for 28 weeks (a total of €686 each year) from October to April, to an average of 352,000 low income households, at an estimated cost of €261.35 million in 2020. The purpose of this payment is to assist these households with their energy costs. The allowance represents a contribution towards the energy costs of a...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Disability Services Provision (13 Oct 2020)

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. 979,000...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Disability Allowance (13 Oct 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was referred on 11 September 2020 to an Appeals Officer who will make a summary decision on the appeal based on the documentary evidence presented or, if required and subject to Covid-19 restrictions, hold an oral hearing. The Social Welfare Appeals Office functions independently of the Minister for...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Jobseeker's Payments (13 Oct 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The person concerned made an online casual Jobseekers Benefit claim on 23/09/2020. This claim was awarded on 12/10/2020 and the person concerned is being notified of this decision in writing. Any payment due to the person concerned will issue to her bank account on 20/10/2020.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (13 Oct 2020)

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: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (13 Oct 2020)

Heather Humphreys: Applicants in receipt of the COVID Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) who apply for part time or full time springboard courses can retain a weekly social welfare payment if they transfer to a qualifying payment. This will ensure that these Springboard applicants will have an alternative income source on cessation of PUP. In advance of commencing a course of education, a person in receipt of...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (13 Oct 2020)

Heather Humphreys: Rent supplement continues to play a key role in supporting families and individuals in private rented accommodation, with the scheme currently supporting 18,984 active recipients. The scheme provides short-term income support to eligible people living in private rented accommodation whose means are insufficient to meet their accommodation costs and who do not have accommodation available...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Work Placement Programmes (13 Oct 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The July Jobs Stimulus includes commitments to the investment of €200m. in training, education, skill development, work placement schemes, recruitment subsidies and jobs search and assistance measures aimed to help those who have lost their jobs find a new one, retrain or develop new skills. One of the measures is the development of a funded Work Placement Scheme to provide work...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Pension Provisions (13 Oct 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The person concerned reached pension age on 22 February 2018. According to the records of my Department, they have a total of 1093 qualifying full-rate paid contributions and 937 credited contributions from their date of entry into insurable employment on 22 February 1968 to end-December 2017. This equates to a yearly average of 41 contributions and gives them an entitlement to a standard...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Pension Provisions (13 Oct 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The person concerned reached pension age on 14 April 2019 According to the records of my Department, they have a total of 770 full-rate paid contributions, 1111 HomeCaring Periods and 222 credited contributions from their date of entry into insurable employment on 14 April 1969 to end-December 2018. This gave them an entitlement to a standard State pension (contributory) at 87% of the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Pension Provisions (13 Oct 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The person concerned reached pension age on 18 January 2020. According to the records of my Department, they have a total of 543 qualifying full-rate paid contributions and 185 credited contributions from their date of entry into insurable employment on 19 October 1970 to end of December 2018. This equates to a yearly average of 15 contributions and gives them an entitlement to a standard...