Results 18,361-18,380 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

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

Heather Humphreys: The Social Welfare Appeals Office functions independently of the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection and of the Department and is responsible for determining appeals against decisions in relation to social welfare entitlements. I am advised by the Chief Appeals Officer that, due to Covid-19 restrictions, in person oral appeal hearings were suspended since 13 March 2020....

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments Administration (8 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: Invalidity Pension (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 disallow 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...

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

Heather Humphreys: The person concerned submitted an application for disability allowance (DA) on 29 June 2020. Their application, based upon all the evidence submitted, was refused on medical grounds as they were not found to be substantially restricted in taking up employment. The person concerned was notified in writing of this decision on 28 July 2020 and was also notified of their right to request a...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Domiciliary Care Allowance (8 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: Domiciliary Care Allowance (DCA) is a monthly payment in respect of a child aged under 16 with a disability so severe that the child requires care and attention and/or supervision substantially in excess of another child of the same age. This care and attention must be provided to allow the child to deal with the activities of daily living. The child must be likely to require this level of...

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

Heather Humphreys: Following a review of the entitlement of the person concerned, disability allowance (DA) was disallowed with effect from 26 August 2020. Based on the information provided to my department, the person concerned was deemed to have means in excess of the statutory limit for her circumstances. When assessing means for DA, the Department has to establish an acceptable average pattern of...

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

Heather Humphreys: According to the records of my Department, the person concerned has been in receipt of a casual Jobseeker’s Benefit payment since 07/10/2019. Records reflect that their employment ceased on 18/03/2020. If employment ended as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic and if the person concerned fulfils other qualifying criteria she may be entitled to a Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Exceptional Needs Payment (8 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: According to the records of my Department the person concerned made an application on 28/05/2020 for the exceptional needs payment towards the cost of funeral expenses. This application was refused on the basis that the combined household income is in excess of the Supplementary Welfare Allowance rate appropriate to the family size. The person concerned was advised of this decision by...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pension (Non-Contributory) (8 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: State pension non-contributory is a means-tested payment for people aged 66 and over, habitually residing in the State, who do not qualify for a state pension contributory, or who only qualify for a reduced rate contributory pension based on their social insurance record. An application for state pension non-contributory was submitted by the person concerned on 9 July 2020. Following...

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

Heather Humphreys: The Social Welfare (Covid-19) (Amendment) Act 2020, provides, amongst other provisions, for the attribution of social insurance contributions to insured persons who were beneficiaries of certain Covid-19 income support payments. These payments include the pandemic unemployment payment and the temporary wage subsidy scheme. The attribution of contributions measure will ensure that the...

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

Heather Humphreys: The Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment was introduced on 16 March 2020 as an emergency income support payment for employees and self-employed people, aged between 18 and under 66, who were in employment or self-employment immediately prior to 13 March 2020 and have lost their employment or self-employment due to the downturn in economic activity as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. ...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Farm Relief Scheme (8 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: Farm Assist is an income support for low-income farmers. To be eligible for the scheme a person must be aged between 18 and 66 years, a farmer, be farming land in the State and satisfy a means test. The changes introduced in the Social Welfare and Pensions Act, 2011 provided that the State pension age would increase to age 67 in 2021 and to age 68 in 2028. In January 2014, the abolition of...

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

Heather Humphreys: To date, 110,730 people have received at least one Pandemic Unemployment Payment of €203, with 58,115 people in receipt on September 1st 2020. Approximately 13,400 people have queried the reduction in their PUP rate. Currently, some 5,583 cases are outstanding. All customers who were successful in their review are paid the higher rate of €350. Figures on the number of...

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

Heather Humphreys: The position of Deputy Secretary General became vacant on 24 August 2020. The Department is currently engaging with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform on arrangements to fill the post in line with standard procedures for appointments.

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

Heather Humphreys: The person concerned has had their Pandemic Unemployment Payment reviewed. Her payment has been re-rated to the higher weekly amount and arrears will issue this week. I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

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

Heather Humphreys: To manage the delivery of services across the county, the country is split into eight divisional areas. The divisions are based on the location and catchment areas of the Department's various offices, rather than county boundaries. Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) recipients are not assigned to an Intreo or branch office, and so cannot readily be broken into these divisional areas....

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

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 710 and 714 together. The Programme for Government commits to introducing a Retirement Payment for 65 year olds paid at the same rate as Jobseeker's Benefit without a requirement to sign on, partake in any activation measures or be available for and genuinely seeking work. I wish to assure the Deputy that I have made the introduction of the new Retirement...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Supplementary Welfare Allowance (8 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The supplementary welfare allowance (SWA) scheme is the safety net within the overall social welfare system in that it provides assistance to eligible people in the State whose means are insufficient to meet their needs and those of their dependants. Basic weekly SWA may be paid to customers awaiting the outcome of a claim or an appeal for a primary social welfare payment. In certain...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance Scheme (8 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 paid for each eligible child aged from 4 to 11 years on or before 30 September 2020 is €150 while an...