Results 18,021-18,040 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Housing Regeneration (23 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The Town Centre Living Initiative Synthesis Report, which was published on 22June 2020, is an independent report on the pilot Town Centre Living Initiative which was trialled in 6 different towns across the country between October 2018 and the middle of 2019. The aim of the initiative, which was supported by my Department and led by the relevant Local Authorities, was to explore how to...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Housing Regeneration (23 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The aim of the pilot Town Centre Living Initiative was to explore how to encourage increased residential occupancy in rural towns and villages and, at the same time, address the issue of vacant properties. The independent report on the Initiative was published on 22 June 2020 and contained a number of suggested actions for further consideration. An Inter-Departmental Steering Group...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Carer's Allowance (22 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: sI thank the Deputy. I understand the point he is making. This is part of a wider debate that crosses into health policy. He will understand that the key role of my Department is income support. We are charged with identifying where a person has an income support need and providing that support in the form, for instance, of a jobseeker's payment, a disability allowance or a carer's...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Carer's Allowance (22 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I am not taking away from the wonderful work that carers do throughout the country. They do the State a great service through what they do for people who need this support and assistance, whether elderly people or people with disabilities. They provide a vital service. The Deputy has hit the nail on the head as to whether it is about an income and paying somebody for a job they do or...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Carer's Allowance (22 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I will be happy to engage with him through the committee. It is not confined to one Department. There is a bigger conversation to be had and it is important that we have it.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (22 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. The PUP was introduced as an emergency measure to provide an income support to those who had lost their employment as a result of Covid. A flat payment rate was introduced to ensure that the scheme was simple and accessible for the unprecedented number of applicants. On 26 June 2020, the PUP moved to two rates of payment. This change more...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (22 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I thank the Deputy for raising the issue. As he said, we are working through them and we will try to expedite all these issues as quickly as we can.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Social Welfare Benefits (22 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I thank the Deputy for raising this question on the extent to which the processing of applications for various social welfare payments can be expedited. My Department is committed to providing a quality service to all its customers. This includes ensuring that accurate decisions on entitlements are made as quickly as possible. Processing targets for my Department are set out each year in...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Carer's Allowance (22 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: At the end of August 2020, there were 87,733 people in receipt of carer's allowance. The projected expenditure in 2020 is approximately €919 million. A primary qualifying condition for the carer’s allowance is that the applicant provides full-time care and attention to a person in need of such a level of care. However, to support a carer’s continued attachment to the...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Carer's Allowance (22 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: As I said, this was reviewed and it was looked at in detail. The recommendation that came from that review was 18.5 hours for people who are doing this really important work. As I said it was only brought in this year in budget 2020. I take the point the Deputy is making about people on CE schemes getting 19.5 hours but these things are, as I said, always kept under review. In view of the...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Carer's Allowance (22 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I hear the Deputy's point. As I said, it has only just been changed and in view of that fact I do not know why the situation he refers to was not taken into consideration when they were making this consideration. I will certainly look at the basis for the recommendation. We always keep these things under review.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Carer's Allowance (22 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I thank the Deputy for raising this specific issue which also relates to carers. As the Deputy knows, carer's allowance is a means-tested payment for carers who, on a full-time basis, look after certain people in need of full-time care and attention, where the carer's income falls below certain limits. At the end of August 2020, there were 87,733 people in receipt of carer's allowance and...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Free Travel Scheme (22 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The Deputy is absolutely right that the free travel scheme is hugely important to people in many communities. I see it often in Cootehill on a Friday morning when the Local Link bus service brings people into the town to do their shopping and meet up with friends. Unfortunately, that type of activity is somewhat changed in the Covid environment. The extent and adequacy of public...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Public Services Card (22 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: Every day the State delivers important and valuable services and benefits to the people living in the State. It is critically important that we can do so in the knowledge that the person in receipt of such services is who he or she claims to be. It is also important that we minimise the requirement for people to authenticate their identity each time they need to enter into a transaction...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Public Services Card (22 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: As I have outlined, the matter is subject to a court case. The Deputy will appreciate that I do not want to pre-empt or in any way prejudice that court case. My understanding is that the matter may be coming for hearing shortly. That is as much information as I can give the Deputy in this regard. It is important to note that, as the Deputy knows, many people ask their public...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Public Services Card (22 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The public services card was first provided for in law in 1998. The clear intention at the time was to replace the old social services card with one that could be used across all State services. That was the concept behind it. The overwhelming majority of users surveyed by a third-party research company support the card. In October 2017, the Data Protection Commissioner initiated an...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Rental Sector (22 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The strategic policy direction of my Department is to return rent supplement to its original purpose of being a short-term income-support scheme. Under the HAP scheme, responsibility for the provision of rental assistance to those with a long-term housing need is transferring to local authorities. HAP has been designed to simplify the current system of housing supports. It allows people to...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Rental Sector (22 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: In reacting to Covid, the important thing is for people to be able to remain in their houses. As the Deputy knows, the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government introduced protections through the Residential Tenancies and Valuation Act 2020 which became law on 1 August. That includes protections for tenants facing rent arrears and as a result are at risk of losing their tenancy....

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Free Travel Scheme (22 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue. 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. Approximately 978,770 customers are in receipt of free travel. However, over 1.6 million people currently benefit from the scheme when companion...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Free Travel Scheme (22 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I thank the Deputy. He made a valid point about rural transport. I would be standing for a long time at the end of my lane before a bus would go past - there is no bus. The rural transport programme provides services to people whose travel needs are not met by scheduled bus or train services. I think the Deputy will agree that the LocalLink company covering Cavan and Monaghan is one of...