Results 18,641-18,660 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys
- Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (29 Jul 2020)
Heather Humphreys: I thank the Deputy. Where a person is self-employed, his or her gross average weekly income for 2018 is used to calculate the rate of the pandemic unemployment payment. That is because it is the last tax year for which verifiable data on self-employed income is available. The nature of self-employment is such that it is not possible for Revenue and for PRSI purposes to attribute...
- Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (29 Jul 2020)
Heather Humphreys: I thank the Deputy. As I said last night, we have to take a common-sense approach to this because some sectors have not fully opened up yet. We will do that, and I have asked my officials to ensure that that sensible approach is taken for those who cannot return to work and who are waiting for their job to come back. If they work in a pub, and we hope pubs will reopen by 10 August, they...
- Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Employment Rights (29 Jul 2020)
Heather Humphreys: Firstly, I would like to say that my thoughts are with all Debenhams workers who are dealing with job losses at this difficult time. I want to assure everybody that my Department is assisting and will continue to assist the affected workers through its Intreo service in whatever way we can in terms of income supports and job-seeking over the coming weeks and months. Indeed...
- Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes (29 Jul 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...
- Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (29 Jul 2020)
Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 33, 62, 71, 219 and 224 together. From the outset, the Pandemic Unemployment Payment has been made available to both employees and the self-employed. For employees, their gross weekly earnings determine the rate of pandemic unemployment payment. The approach used is that both an employee’s average gross weekly earnings in 2019 and in...
- Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (29 Jul 2020)
Heather Humphreys: The pandemic unemployment payment was designed to support workers who lost their employment due to the COVID 19 pandemic. In order to do this, the qualifying conditions were kept as simple as possible with no requirement that applicant had to have any specific number of contributions paid. The payment was introduced on 16 March with the requirement that the applicant had...
- Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Employment Rights (29 Jul 2020)
Heather Humphreys: Firstly, I would like to say that my thoughts are with all Debenhams workers who are dealing with job losses at this difficult time. I want to assure everybody that my Department is assisting and will continue to assist the affected workers through its Intreo service in whatever way we can in terms of income supports and job-seeking over the coming weeks and months. Indeed...
- Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes (29 Jul 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...
- Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (29 Jul 2020)
Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 33, 62, 71, 219 and 224 together. From the outset, the Pandemic Unemployment Payment has been made available to both employees and the self-employed. For employees, their gross weekly earnings determine the rate of pandemic unemployment payment. The approach used is that both an employee’s average gross weekly earnings in 2019 and in...
- Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (29 Jul 2020)
Heather Humphreys: The pandemic unemployment payment was designed to support workers who lost their employment due to the COVID 19 pandemic. In order to do this, the qualifying conditions were kept as simple as possible with no requirement that applicant had to have any specific number of contributions paid. The payment was introduced on 16 March with the requirement that the applicant had...
- Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (29 Jul 2020)
Heather Humphreys: The COVID 19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment was introduced in March 2020 as a time-limited emergency measure to meet the surge in unemployment which resulted from the effects of the Coronavirus pandemic. Government approval has been secured to legislate for workers in receipt of the pandemic Unemployment Payment and the Temporary Wage Subsidy Scheme, who are currently not subject to a...
- Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pension (Contributory) (29 Jul 2020)
Heather Humphreys: There is no statutory retirement age in Ireland. The age at which employees retire is determined by the employment contract between the employer and the employee. Many such contracts may have been entered into in the context of previous state pension arrangements. However, a mandatory retirement age did not apply. Statistical data on long-term demographic changes...
- Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (29 Jul 2020)
Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 37, 51, 54, 63, 67, 73, 75, 85, 91, 93, 209, 211, 212, 232 and 238 together. As part of the Governments July stimulus package announced last week the pandemic unemployment payment has been extended to 1st April 2021. Changes have been introduced to the structure of the payment which means that it continues to be a strong support but is also fair and...
- Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Rates (29 Jul 2020)
Heather Humphreys: Last year, my Department undertook a consultation process with a number of interested stakeholders to hear their views on possible approaches to indexation of social welfare rates. This process also included discussion with representatives of the community and voluntary sector at the Pre-Budget Forum in July 2019 as well as at bilateral meetings with...
- Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Money Advice and Budgeting Service (29 Jul 2020)
Heather Humphreys: The Money Advice and Budgeting Service (MABS), under the aegis of the Citizens Information Board, provides assistance to people, in particular those on low incomes who are over-indebted and need help and advice with debt problems. As part of its free, confidential and independent service, MABS also provides help and advice to those in mortgage arrears, and provides a range of services...
- Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals (29 Jul 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. The information requested by the Deputy regarding the average waiting times for appeals in respect of schemes operated by the Department...
- Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Carer's Allowance (29 Jul 2020)
Heather Humphreys: As of end of June 2020, there were 87,643 people in receipt of Carer's Allowance. The projected expenditure in 2020 is approximately €919 million. A primary qualifying condition for the Carer’s Allowance payment is that the applicant provides full-time care and attention to a person in need of such care. However, in order to support a...
- Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes (29 Jul 2020)
Heather Humphreys: The aim of the Community Employment (CE) programme is to enhance the employability of disadvantaged and unemployed people by providing work experience and training opportunities for participants within their communities. The programme helps break the cycle of unemployment and improve a person’s chances of returning to the labour market. Participation on CE is intended...
- Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: National Minimum Wage (29 Jul 2020)
Heather Humphreys: Setting the National Minimum Wage is governed by the National Minimum Wage Act 2000, and the National Minimum Wage (Low Pay Commission) Act 2015. The National Minimum Wage Act 2000 deals with setting the National Minimum Hourly Rate of Pay. The National Minimum Wage 2000 was amended upon the establishment of the Low Pay Commission in 2015. The Low Pay Commission is the...
- Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic (29 Jul 2020)
Heather Humphreys: My Department will continue to deliver supports to those in our society who most need it, with a focus on adapting to meet the challenges associated with the changes in our economic and social circumstances as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic and the related restrictions. As Minister with responsibility for Employment Affairs and Social Protection and for Rural and...