Results 18,321-18,340 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Legislative Measures (8 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The importance of electronic communications to the success of many businesses and organisations has been highlighted by the Covid-19 crisis. The increased use of mobile technology, which is already a well-established aspect of the modern workforce, has enabled many workers to remain connected and in employment, despite the closure or reduction of workspaces. However, a long-acknowledged,...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (8 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 639, 645, 648, 652, 653, 656, 657, 666, 667, 747 and 764 together. The Department is aware that there are some sectors of the economy that will not reopen for some time and it will take a common-sense approach where people who are in receipt of the Pandemic Unemployment Payment expect to return to their previous employment or reopen their business as soon as...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (8 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: Following a review, the Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) for the person concerned has been rerated back to €350 with effect from 26/06/2020 and all arrears due will be paid in the coming week. The person concerned closed his PUP claim on 02/09/2020 on the basis that he was returning to work. I trust this clarifies the matter.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Job Creation (8 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: My Department has an approved €5 million allocation under the Dormant Accounts Action Plan 2020 which will provide Measures to Support and Improve Employment Opportunities for Carers and Persons with a Disability. The funding will support three measures as follows: - Measure 1 - Access to Employment and Training/Education Supports for Family Carers: this funding will be targeted at...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Employment Support Services (8 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The Ability Programme is a pre-activation programme for young people with disabilities. The funding for this programme will amount to around €16 million over a three year period and is being provided jointly under the EU's ESF Programme for Employability, Inclusion and Learning (PEIL) Operational Programme 2014-2020 and the Irish Exchequer. The programme will support over 2,600 young...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Commemorative Events (8 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: As Minister for Social Protection I have no statutory remit to name or rename a public holiday in order to memorialise or commemorate a well-respected person such as John Hume. I currently hold responsibility for the Organisation of Working Time Act, which provides, amongst other matters, for the prescribing of certain days as public holidays. At present, there are nine public holidays...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (8 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: As announced in the July Stimulus package, the enterprise support grant was extended to assist eligible self-employed, including sole traders, who exit the COVID-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment or jobseekers schemes after 18th May 2020 to re-start their business which was closed due to the impact of the pandemic. The grant, of up to €1,000, is payable to sole traders which employ...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Back to Education Allowance (8 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 646, 684 and 720 together. The back to education allowance (BTEA) 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 BTEA is to assist qualifying applicants to improve their educational qualifications and improve their prospects of...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: School Staff (8 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The processing times for jobseeker claims, including those from school crossing wardens, is currently in line with the Department’s target for timely decision making on these claims. If the Deputy is aware of any case where a customer is experiencing delays and details can be provided, I will be happy to make further enquiries.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes (8 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 (8 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 650 and 789 together. Firstly, I would like to say that my thoughts are with all workers who have been temporarily laid off or who are faced with job losses at this difficult time. I want to assure the Deputy that the purpose of the emergency measure, which relates to redundancy entitlements following temporary periods of lay-off and short-time work due...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Public Services Card (8 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 651, 703 and 732 together. 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...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (8 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: Following a review, the Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment for the person concerned has been rerated back to €350 with effect from 26/06/2020. All rerated arrears have been paid. I trust this clarifies the matter.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (8 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 scheme is subject to conditionality, in particular the requirement to be resident in Ireland to receive the payment under the scheme. Under the provisions of the Social Welfare Consolidation Act...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (8 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 be resident in the State and must have lost their employment due to the pandemic and are now fully unemployed. To...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Carer's Allowance (8 Sep 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 allow 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 Employment Affairs...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Carer's Allowance (8 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The main income supports for carers provided by my Department are Carer’s Allowance, Carer’s Benefit, Domiciliary Care Allowance and the Carer’s Support Grant. The projected expenditure on Carer’s Allowance in 2020 is approximately €919 million. Combined spending on all these payments to carers in 2020 is expected to exceed €1.3 billion. ...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (8 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 661, 662 and 689 together. My Department announced that people who are in receipt of a jobseekers payment who wish to travel to Green List countries can do so without their payment being affected. Legislation to put the Pandemic Unemployment Payment on a statutory footing has been enacted and regulations in relation to payment while absent from the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Personal Public Service Numbers (8 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: Eligibility for Treatment Benefit is based on a person having the required number of PRSI contributions paid, in total and in the relevant contribution year. Where a person does not have the required contributions themselves they may qualify if they are considered to be financially dependent on a spouse/partner who is a qualified contributor, A person is considered to be financially...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes (8 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The Community Employment (CE) Scheme is an active labour market programme designed to provide eligible long-term unemployed people and other disadvantaged persons with an opportunity to engage in useful work within their communities on a temporary, fixed term basis. In general, the period of participation on CE is for one year. However, CE participants who are working towards a major...