Results 18,261-18,280 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (15 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The COVID-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment is an emergency payment payable to people between the ages of 18 up to 66 which is consistent with the other Social Protection jobseeker schemes. It is paid to employees who are not working or self-employed who would be available to take up full-time employment. People aged 66 years and over are provided for through the contributory State...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (15 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 499 and 501 together. The information requested by the Deputy in respect of the Pandemic Unemployment Payment is detailed in the table below. A total of 219,913 people received a PUP the week ending September 12th 2020. This information is published by my Department on a weekly basis and is available at www.gov.ie/en/publication/f4c60c-covid-19-statistics/....

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (15 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) is currently paid at two rates. As outlined at www.gov.ie/en/publication/0b0fc-covid-19-pandemic-unemployme nt-payment-rates-from-17-september-2020/, from 17th September 2020 the PUP will be paid at three rates. Previous average weekly earnings based on PRSI data for PUP recipients the week ending 12th September are given below in these rate bands. It...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Overpayments (15 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. It is a condition for receipt of a CA that the carer is not engaged in employment or self-employment outside their home....

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Invalidity Pension (15 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: Invalidity pension (IP) is a payment for people who are permanently incapable of work because of illness or incapacity and for no other reason and who satisfy the pay related social insurance (PRSI) contribution conditions. The department received a claim for IP for the person concerned on 25 June 2020. She was awarded IP and she was notified on 2 September 2020 of this decision. Payment...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Pensions Reform (15 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The public policy and social issues in relation to funding a sustainable and adequate State pension system are complex. The Programme for Government commits that a Commission on Pensions will be established to examine a range of issues including contributions, calculation methods, sustainability, eligibility and intergenerational fairness. The Terms of Reference for the Commission on...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals (15 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 10 August 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 Social Protection. These papers were received in the Social Welfare...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals (15 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 02 January 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. These papers were received in the Social Welfare Appeals Office on...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Back to Education Allowance (15 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The Back to Education Allowance (BTEA) guidelines provide for customers to be approved for courses of education as part of their education progression, up to degree level, on the basis that their employment prospects would be enhanced. Customers with level 7 or level 8 qualifications are not entitled to apply for courses in another area. The approved course must be part of a natural...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments Administration (15 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: Since the introduction of the Pandemic Unemployment Payment scheme in March, approx. 750,000 people have applied for payment and in some cases, they have done so on a number of occasions as they moved in and out of employment. Consequently, there are over 1 million applications to be examined to determine if arrears are due. During the month of March, my Department received and processed...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Pension Provisions (15 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: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (15 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 515 and 520 together. The Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI) Grant, payable by the Department of Education and Skills, represents the primary support for people pursuing third level education. The matter of supports for students for the forthcoming academic year should be referred to the Department of Education and Skills. The Back To...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Jobseeker's Allowance (15 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The form UP14 (or new form UP80) is used to obtain details of employment (work patterns, earnings and accrued holidays) to support a person's claim for a jobseeker’s payment. An employer who has employees who are working part-time or on systematic short time work is required to complete the form in order for my Department to decide on claims from their employees. Employer engagement...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Rent Supplement Scheme (15 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 19,400 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 to them...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Island Communities (15 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: My department provides an increase, known as the island allowance, to certain weekly payments to people who are ordinarily resident on an island off the coast of Ireland. The objective of the scheme is to compensate for the additional costs of living on these specified islands when compared to people resident on the mainland. The allowance is paid at the rate of €12.70 per week. ...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Jobseeker's Allowance (15 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: My department provides assistance to jobseekers through a training support grant to fund quick access to short term training. The grant can be provided where an immediate skills gap is identified that represents an obstacle to taking up a job offer or accessing other opportunities. Courses up to and including QQI level 6 can be supported, including PASS courses. This grant provides the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (15 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 521, 527 and 528 together. The Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government is the lead Department for severe weather emergencies and the Office of Public Works (OPW) has responsibility for capital flood relief activities. However, my Department has an important role to play in assisting households in the immediate aftermath of emergency events, such...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Disability Allowance (15 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: My Department introduced a series of measures to maintain social welfare payments while assisting with social distancing measures designed to combat the spread of the Coronavirus. Fortnightly payments were introduced to minimise the need for people to attend and queue in banks or post offices to collect payments, so helping people restrict their movements to essential activities only....

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Maternity Leave (15 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: Maternity benefit is a payment made for 26 weeks to employees and those in self-employment who are on maternity leave and who satisfy certain pay related social insurance (PRSI) contribution conditions. A decision to extend the period of maternity leave for employees would have to be implemented by my colleague, the Minister for Justice and Equality, who has policy and legal responsibility...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Back to Education Allowance (15 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 525 and 526 together. The back to education allowance (BTEA) provides income support for jobseekers and others in receipt of certain social welfare payments that pursue courses of education at second or third level. The main focus of the BTEA is to assist qualifying applicants to improve their educational qualifications and improve their prospects of gaining...