Results 18,481-18,500 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Illness Benefit (30 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The criteria for eligibility for illness benefit are laid down in legislation. Illness Benefit may only be awarded to those who fulfil the contribution criteria. To qualify for illness benefit a customer must: - Be unable to work due to illness - Be under pensionable age (currently 66) - Satisfy the contribution conditions - At least 104 reckonable contributions - 39...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (30 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 795 and 796 and 829 to 831, inclusive, together. As part of a suite of measures announced in the July Stimulus, the Pandemic Unemployment Payment will now be extended to April 2021. By week-ending Friday, 31st July 2020, the PUP scheme will have cost an estimated €3 billion. The estimated cost of PUP in July 2020 is approximately €420...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Maternity Benefit (30 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 797 and 798 together. Maternity benefit is a payment made for 26 weeks to employed and self-employed women who are on maternity leave and who satisfy certain pay related social insurance (PRSI) contribution conditions. My colleague, the Minister for Justice and Equality, has policy and legal responsibility for maternity leave. In 2020 it is estimated...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Low Pay Commission (30 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The Low Pay Commission was established on 26thFebruary 2015 through the National Minimum Wage (Low Pay Commission) Act 2015.  Its principal function is, once each year, to examine the national minimum hourly rate of pay and to make a recommendation to the Minister respecting the rate, ensuring that all decisions are evidence based, fair and sustainable, and do not create significant...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Schemes (30 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The estimated full year cost of increasing each weekly social welfare scheme by €1 per week is as follows; Scheme Full year cost of a €1 increase €m Social  Insurance Schemes Pension Payments State Pension (Contributory) 24.02 ...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (30 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 801 and 849 together. The Minimum Essential Standard of Living (MESL) is an assessment, developed by the Vincentian Partnership for Social Justice, of the minimum income needed to live and partake in the social and economic norms of everyday life for various household types. The model produces a minimum income standard which is dependent on...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Qualified Child Allowance (30 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 802 and 803 together. The estimated full year cost of increasing the Qualified Child Increase for children age under 12 by €5 is €61.46 million.  The full year cost of increasing the Qualified Child Increase for children age 12 and over by €5 is estimated to be €38.81 million. The costs shown above are on a full year...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: One-Parent Family Payment (30 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The full year cost of increasing the age limit of the One-Parent Family Payment (OFP) to 14 would be very difficult to estimate with any great accuracy. There are a number of significant barriers to undertaking such a costing exercise.  Firstly, an increase in the age limits could result in a cohort of lone parents that are currently not in receipt of a social welfare payment...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Jobseeker's Payments (30 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: An age related jobseeker’s allowance rate of €112.70 generally applies to young jobseekers aged 18-24 to incentivise them to engage in education or training to improve their chances of obtaining full time sustainable employment.  If a young jobseeker participates in education or training they can receive the maximum weekly personal rate of up to €203.  The...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Child Benefit (30 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The estimated cost of providing a one-off double monthly payment of Child Benefit is €172.7m.   The cost provided is based on a double monthly child benefit payment in one month of the year and is based on the estimated number of recipients in 2020. 

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Child Benefit (30 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: Child benefit is a monthly payment made to families with children in respect of all qualified children up to the age of 16 years.  The payment continues to be paid in respect of children until their 18th birthday who are in full-time education, or who have a disability.  Child benefit is currently paid, as of end-June 2020, to over 639,300 families in respect of over 1.2 million...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Carer's Support Grant (30 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The estimated full year cost of increasing the Carer's Support Grant from €1700 to €2000 is €41.9 million. This cost is subject to change in line with emerging trends.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Jobseeker's Payments (30 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: My Department provides a number of options for income support to lone parents once their entitlement to the One-Parent Family Payment (OFP) ceases.  These include the Jobseeker’s Transitional Payment (JST) payment where the youngest child is aged 7-13 years (inclusive) and the Jobseeker’s Allowance (JA) payment which may be paid to lone parents where the youngest child is...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Working Family Payment (30 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The Working Family Payment (WFP) is an in-work support which provides an income top-up for employees on low earnings with children.  It is designed to prevent in-work poverty for low paid workers with child dependents and to offer a financial incentive to take-up employment.  To qualify for Working Family Payment, a person must be engaged in full-time insurable employment which is...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Working Family Payment (30 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The Working Family Payment is an in-work support which provides an income top-up for employees on low earnings with children.  It is designed to prevent in-work poverty for low paid workers with child dependents and to offer a financial incentive to take-up employment.  To qualify for Working Family Payment, a person must be engaged in full-time insurable employment which is...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: One-Parent Family Payment (30 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The full year cost of increasing the age limit of the One-Parent Family Payment (OFP) to 14 would be very difficult to estimate with any great accuracy. There are a number of significant barriers to undertaking such a costing exercise.  Firstly, an increase in the age limits could result in a cohort of lone parents that are currently not in receipt of a social welfare payment...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: One-Parent Family Payment (30 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The estimated full year cost of increasing the earnings disregard for the One Parent Family Payment to €175 per week is €4.6 million. The above costing is based on the number of recipients who were working and earning in excess of €175 per week as of May 2019.  The costings do not take into account potential behavioural changes, or the inflow of new entrants,...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: One-Parent Family Payment (30 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The estimated full year cost of increasing the earnings disregard for the One Parent Family Payment to €175 per week is €4.6 million. The above costing is based on the number of recipients who were working and earning in excess of €175 per week as of May 2019.  The costings do not take into account potential behavioural changes, or the inflow of new...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Child Maintenance Payments (30 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: Issues relating to child maintenance are a matter for my colleague, the Minister for Justice and Equality, who has responsibility for the Family Law Acts, which govern maintenance requirements. However, in order to address child maintenance and liable relative procedures, insofar as they relate to schemes in my Department, a Child Maintenance Review Group has been established to examine a...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pensions (30 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The Social Welfare and Pensions Act 2011 provided for the abolition of the State Pension Transition (SPT) in 2014.  This measure standardised the State pension age for all at 66 years.  When it existed, SPT was a scheme which allowed those who were retired to get a transitionary payment between the ages of 65 and 66 years.  The SPT maximum personal rate was equivalent to...