Results 18,681-18,700 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (29 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: 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 employment. During the course of the roadmap to...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic (29 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The Covid-19 crisis continues to have a significant impact on the labour market.  The CSO estimates an unemployment rate of 22.5% in June 2020, when adjusted to include claimants of the Pandemic Unemployment Payment.  Even though the situation is improving, 800,000 of our workers, friends and family remain unemployed and rely on some form of State income support to make ends meet;...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (29 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The legislation which provides for public holidays is the Organisation of Working Time Act 1997.  This Act provides that certain days may be prescribed as public holidays.  At present, there are nine public holidays.  Any proposal for the provision of an additional public holiday would require careful consideration and wide-ranging consultations with relevant...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Irish Fiscal Advisory Council (29 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The Irish Fiscal Advisory Council (IFAC) is an independent statutory body whose purpose is to provide its assessment of official budgetary forecasts and proposed fiscal policy objectives.  The IFAC recently published its Long-term Sustainability Report: Fiscal challenges and risks 2025-2050.  This report provides the IFAC’s assessment of the long-run sustainability...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Carer's Allowance (29 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: Social welfare legislation provides that all income and property belonging to the claimant (and his or her spouse/partner, where applicable) is assessable for means testing purposes for social assistance schemes, such as Carer’s Allowance.  In the assessment of earnings, various disregards and tapers are in place which can allow recipients to take up employment.  Earnings...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic (29 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The Covid-19 crisis continues to have a significant impact on the labour market.  The CSO estimates an unemployment rate of 22.5% in June 2020, when adjusted to include claimants of the Pandemic Unemployment Payment. Even though the situation is improving, 800,000 of our workers, friends and family remain unemployed and rely on some form of State income support to make ends meet;...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Enterprise Support Services (29 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The Enterprise Support Grant is being extended to assist eligible self-employed recipients who are exiting the COVID-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment scheme after 25th June 2020 to re-start their business.  The purpose of this grant is to assist self-employed individuals with the transition from the weekly Pandemic Unemployment Payment back to their self-employment. The COVID 19...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: School Meals Programme (29 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The school meals programme provides funding towards the provision of food to some 1,580 schools and organisations benefitting 250,000 children at a total cost of €61.6 million in 2020. The objective of the scheme is to provide regular, nutritious food to children who are unable, due to a lack of good quality food, to take full advantage of the education provided to...

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 the affected workers through its Intreo service to help them in whatever way we can in terms of income supports and job-seeking over the coming weeks and months.  Indeed over the past number...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: School Meals Programme (29 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The school meals programme provides funding towards the provision of food to some 1,580 schools and organisations benefitting 250,000 children.  The objective of the scheme is to provide regular, nutritious food to children who are unable, due to lack of good quality food, to take full advantage of the education provided to them.  The programme is an important...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Enterprise Support Services (29 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 206 and 207 together. The Enterprise Support Grant is a support available to participants of the Back to Work Enterprise Allowance to assist with start-up costs experienced by new enterprises.  In 2019, approximately 4,800 applications were awarded at a cost of almost €3 million.  This information is not maintained on a county basis. This...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Job Losses (29 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: My sincere thoughts are with all Debenhams workers and other who are dealing with job losses at this difficult time. My officials have been assisting the affected workers through its Intreo service to help them in whatever way we can in terms of income supports and advice on further education and training options that will help them to find work within their sector or in other sectors as the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Family Support Services (29 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: My Department moved swiftly to put in place enhanced and new supports for individuals and families during the public health emergency. These supports aimed to shelter the incomes of those who lost their job or were working reduced hours as a result of COVID-19. A priority from the outset has been to ensure that income still flows into the households which need it most. My Department...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: One-Parent Family Payment (29 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 1 May 2020. It is a statutory requirement of the appeals process that the relevant Departmental papers and comments by the Deciding Officer on the grounds of appeal be sought. The Social Welfare Appeals Office is still awaiting a response from the Department of...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Rent Supplement Scheme (29 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The person concerned submitted an application for a Rent Supplement on 23/7/2020. A written request for further documentation in order to progress her application issued to the person concerned on the same date. On receipt of the requested documentation, the application will be assessed and a decision will issue to the person concerned. I trust this clarifies the matter.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (29 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: From the 29th June the rate of the Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) which a person will receive will depend on their gross weekly employment earnings as follows; - For those whose prior gross earnings were €200 per week or higher (about 75% of recipients), the PUP payment rate will remain at €350 per week; - For those whose prior gross earnings were up to €199.99 per...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pension (Contributory) (29 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The person concerned reached pension age on 24 January 2014. According to the records of my Department, they have a total of 758 qualifying paid and credited Irish contributions which equates to a yearly average of 16 contributions. This gives an entitlement to a standard State pension (contributory) at 65% of the maximum rate. They were notified in writing of this decision and arrears due...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (29 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The emergency Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment has been introduced as a time-limited emergency measure so that payments can be made as quickly as possible to the large number of people who have become fully unemployed due to the pandemic. During the month of March, my Department received and processed jobseeker claims equivalent in number to a three year claim-load. These...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (29 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: As part of the Government's July stimulus package announced last week, the pandemic unemployment payment has been extended to 1 April 2021. From 17 September 2020 until 31 January 2021 the Pandemic Unemployment Payment will be paid at 3 rates. The payment rate will continue to depend on the amount previously earned. For employees, their gross weekly earnings will be used to determine the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Freedom of Information (29 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: Since the Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) was introduced in March last, over 1.2 million applications in respect of 800,000 people have been received and, to date, almost 7.8 million payments have issued. Against the backdrop of the very high volume of PUP claims, the Department has continued to register and acknowledge FOI requests and to contact requestors to explain that it may not...