Results 17,961-17,980 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments Administration (29 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The Christmas Bonus payment is made to long-term social welfare recipients, such as pensioners, carers, people with disabilities, lone parents and long-term unemployed people who rely wholly or mainly on their social welfare payments for financial support. As is the case every year, the payment of a Christmas Bonus is a discretionary decision made by Government in the context of the annual...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (29 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: Government has agreed, as part of the July Stimulus, that the pandemic unemployment would be paid at three rates from 17 September.  Since this date, the payment has been linked to a person's prior average weekly employment earnings and paid at three rates, €300, €250 and €203 per week. I have recently announced that applications for the scheme will...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Circulars (29 Sep 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 approximately 19,600 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...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Schemes Data (29 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: Working Family Payment (WFP) is a weekly tax-free payment which provides additional income support to employees on low earnings with children.  WFP is designed to prevent in-work poverty for low paid workers with child dependents, and to offer a financial incentive to pursue employment. The number of Defence Forces personnel that received WFP for each of the years 2013 to 2019,...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: SOLAS Administration (29 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: This person is in receipt of PUP since April 2020.  PUP is not a qualifying scheme for Education and Training courses.  We have a number of such customers who are potential FET (Further Education and Training) participants and I wish to advise that this matter is currently under consideration by the Department and we will revert to the person concerned once a...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Jobseeker's Payments (29 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: According to the records of my Department, the person concerned was awarded a Jobseeker's Benefit (JB) claim on 07/10/2019.  Entitlement to JB ended on 02/09/2020 when the person concerned reached 234 days of payment thereby exhausting her entitlement. The person concerned applied for a Jobseeker's Allowance and a Basic Supplementary Welfare Allowance...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Programme for Government (29 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: LEADER is co-funded by the European Commission under the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). The current programming period concludes in December 2020.  Proposals for new regulations for the CAP 2021-2027 were launched in June 2018 by the European Commission.  However, given the nature of the discussions on the CAP and the wider EU Budget post-2020, there has been a delay in adopting...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Rural Development Programme (29 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I can confirm that an Expression of Interest to be included in my Department's Walk Scheme has been received by my Department in respect of the project referred to by the Deputy.  A general review of the Walks Scheme is currently in train and decisions in respect of the inclusion of additional trails, based on Expressions of Interest received, will be taken...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Local Improvement Scheme (29 Sep 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.  There was no dedicated funding available for this scheme for a number of years until it...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Ministerial Advisers (29 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: On the commencement of every Dáil, the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform issues guidelines setting out the arrangements for the staffing of Ministerial Offices. The appointment of Special Advisers is subject to section 11 of the Public Service Management (PSMA) Act 1997. The Guidelines for the 33rd Dáil, which incorporate the principles of section 11 of the PSMA Act,...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Staff (29 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: My Department uses workforce planning processes to identify the critical resource needs required to deliver its business goals.  Workforce planning is a key tool in enabling my Department to forecast its current and future staffing needs (subject to the limits of the annual estimates process, the usual budgetary constraints and approvals by the Department of Public Expenditure and...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (24 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The Back to Education Allowance provides income support for jobseekers and certain others in receipt of social welfare payments who pursue courses of education at second or third level. The main focus of the allowance is to assist qualifying applicants to improve their educational qualifications and their prospects of gaining employment. The Back to Education Allowance has recently been...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance Scheme (24 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The back to school clothing and footwear allowance scheme provides a once-off payment to eligible families to assist with the costs of clothing and footwear when children start or return to school each autumn. The scheme operates from June to September each year. The allowance is payable for eligible children between the ages of 4 and 17 in respect of whom a qualified child increase is...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Fuel Allowance (24 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: Fuel allowance, under the National fuel scheme, may be payable to certain households in receipt of long term Social Welfare payments who are unable to provide for their heating needs. The allowance is subject to a means test and is paid only to those who live alone or with certain exempted people. Full details of the qualifying criteria for the scheme are available on the Department’s...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Registration of Deaths (24 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The matter raised by the Deputy relates to the registration of a death where a relative sought to register the death in person. Due to Covid-19 public health restrictions, public access to Civil Registration Offices is restricted. Temporary arrangements have been put in place to allow for the registration of births and deaths without having to attend in person before a registrar to submit...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: National Childcare Scheme (24 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I understand that the Deputy is referring to the National Childcare Scheme (NCS), which is an initiative under the Department of Children and Youth Affairs (DCYA). I am advised by that Department that the NCS is the first ever statutory entitlement to financial support for childcare. It establishes an equitable and progressive system of universal and income-related subsidies for children up...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Carer's Allowance (24 Sep 2020)

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. An application for CA was received from the person concerned on 13 July 2020. It is a condition for receipt of a CA that...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Carer's Allowance (24 Sep 2020)

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. Social welfare relevant legislation provides for the continuation of payment of the allowance for up to thirteen weeks...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Carer's Allowance (24 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that the appeal from the person concerned was referred to an Appeals Officer on 14 April 2020. Having considered the evidence in this appeal, the Appeals Officer was of the opinion that the case could not be properly determined on a summary basis and in those circumstances decided to convene an oral hearing. However due to the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Disability Allowance (24 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: Based on the evidence supplied in support of their application for disability allowance (DA), this person’s application was disallowed on the grounds that the medical qualifying condition was not satisfied. They were notified in writing of this decision on 16 June 2020. The person concerned requested an appeal of the decision and submitted additional medical evidence for...