Results 18,101-18,120 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments Administration (22 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: Fortnightly payments were introduced by my Department to assist with social distancing measures in accordance with public health guidelines. While some welfare schemes have reverted to a weekly payment pattern, fortnightly payments have been retained for a number of schemes, including Disability, Pensions and Carers’ payments. These schemes mainly involve payments to people who...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (22 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The pandemic unemployment payment is available to all employees and self-employed persons aged between 18 and 66 years and has been extended until the end of March 2021 to support employees and businesses who continue to be severely impacted by ongoing public health restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic. I have also secured agreement that the scheme will remain open to new applicants...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Vocational Training Opportunities Scheme (22 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The qualification period for recipients of the Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) looking to pursue education has been waived where the applicant transfers their PUP to a Jobseeker's payment. If the person concerned is eligible for a Jobseeker's payment she can apply for a place on the Vocational Training Opportunities Scheme (VTOS) through the Education and Training Boards (ETBs)....

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (22 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: In the case where a person has had a reduction in their days of employment, the Department has clarified that, subject to satisfying the relevant eligibility criteria, employees may claim casual Jobseeker’s payments or Short-Time Work Support payments for days of unemployment, even where their employer is claiming the Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme for days of employment. ...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Aer Lingus (22 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I can confirm that officials in my Department are engaging with the company referred to by the Deputy so that claims for social welfare support are prioritised. In the case where a person has been fully laid off from their employment, they should make an application for the Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment. I have recently announced that the time-frame for receiving new...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (22 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: All social welfare schemes are subject to control and compliance checks in order to ensure that the Exchequer resources provided for those schemes are protected. The pandemic unemployment payment (PUP) scheme is subject to conditionality, in particular that a person must have lost their employment due to the pandemic and are now fully unemployed. Where payments of any social welfare scheme...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Carer's Benefit (22 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: Carer's benefit (CARB) is a payment made to insured people who leave the workforce or reduce their working hours to care for a child or an adult in need of full-time care and attention. My Department received an application for CARB from the person concerned on 12th August 2020. Under the provisions of the legislation, a person claiming CARB must be in remunerative full time employment,...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (22 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: From 17 September 2020 until 31 January 2021 the Pandemic Unemployment Payment will be paid at 3 rates. If a customer earned less than €200 per week - the rate of the payment will be €203 per week , which is the same as the primary rate of Jobseekers Benefit. If a customer earned between €200 and €300 per week - the rate of payment will be €250 per week. If...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Free Travel Scheme (22 Sep 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: Redundancy Payments (22 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: Firstly I would like to say that the decision to extend the emergency measure relating to temporary lay-off or short-time work which arose as a result of Covid-19 has been a difficult one. I know many employees who have been laid off are experiencing great uncertainty but in making this decision the Government had to consider the need to ensure businesses survive, which in turn ensures...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (22 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The Pandemic Unemployment Payment was introduced as an emergency measure to provide an income support to those who had lost their employment as a result of Covid. In order to ensure that the scheme was simple and accessible for the unprecedented number of applicants, a flat payment rate was introduced. This rate was the equivalent of the rate for a two-person household. From 26 June...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Probate Applications (22 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: State pension non-contributory is a means-tested social assistance payment. Following award, claimants are obliged to notify , in a timely manner, any changes in their circumstances that may affect their pension entitlement. A list of the reportable changes of circumstance is included in the initial notification of pension award and in all subsequent review communications issued. Social...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Code (22 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The provison of statutory leave is not a matter for my Department. Family leave, force majeure leave and other similar provisions fall under the Department of Justice, which is also the lead department for the policy response to issues related to domestic violence. Since August, I introduced changes to the rent supplement scheme to make it more easily accessible to victims of domestic...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Exceptional Needs Payment (22 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 526, 530 and 554 together. Under the supplementary welfare allowance scheme, my Department may make a single exceptional needs payment (ENP) to help meet essential, once-off expenditure which a person could not reasonably be expected to meet out of their weekly income. An urgent needs payment (UNP) may be made to persons who may not normally qualify for...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Reviews (22 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: In December 2019, my Department engaged with external consultants in order to undertake a review of all current contracted Public Employment Services (PES), including JobPath. The consultants' research, recently completed, will help inform the Government's approach on the future structure of all contracted PES. I expect that the final report will be formally submitted to me shortly. The...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes (22 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: As the Deputy will be aware, Community Employment (CE) supervisors and assistant supervisors have been seeking for several years, through their union representatives, the allocation of Exchequer funding to implement a 2008 Labour Court recommendation relating to the provision of a pension scheme. CE sponsoring authorities are the legal employers of their CE supervisors, CE assistant...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Fuel Allowance (22 Sep 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: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (22 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The Government has extended the Pandemic Unemployment Payment until the end of March 2021 to support employees and businesses who continue to be impacted by the on-going public health restrictions. I have also secured approval to keep the scheme open to new applicants until the end of the year. This payment in addition to other existing supports are available to the sector referred to by...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals (22 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 18 March 2020. It is a statutory requirement of the appeals process that the relevant papers and comments by or on behalf of the Deciding Officer on the grounds of appeal be sought from the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection. These papers were received...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Invalidity Pension (22 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: Invalidity pension (IP) is a payment for people of working age who are permanently incapable of work because of illness or incapacity and who satisfy the pay related social insurance (PRSI) contribution conditions. Those in receipt of the personal rate of invalidity pension at pension age generally transfer automatically to the State pension (contributory) at the full payment rate....