Results 18,721-18,740 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

Social Welfare (Covid-19) (Amendment) Bill 2020: Committee and Remaining Stages (28 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The Department will take a common-sense approach, so if one is in a sector that is waiting to reopen soon, that is okay, but we have to realise that, unfortunately, a lot of people will not be returning to the job they were in pre-Covid, so we want them to start looking for work. We want to help them to get back to work. That is why there is a €200 million jobs stimulus as part of...

Social Welfare (Covid-19) (Amendment) Bill 2020: Committee and Remaining Stages (28 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: People want to get back to work, and we want to help them get back to work. As I said, that is why we have provided €200 million for employment and labour activation measures.

Social Welfare (Covid-19) (Amendment) Bill 2020: Committee and Remaining Stages (28 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I am sorry if I did not answer that part of the question; I thought I had. My Department will work with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform to determine how much of the public expenditure incurred to date should be properly charged to the Social Insurance Fund given that many people who have been in receipt of the pandemic unemployment payment had an underlying entitlement to...

Social Welfare (Covid-19) (Amendment) Bill 2020: Committee and Remaining Stages (28 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The green list is not a list of holiday destinations and the public health advice is still for people not to go abroad. UK holidaymakers discovered last week that while they were on a Spanish holiday, Spain was removed from a green list, as were all the Spanish islands, and moved to the red list. These people have now returned home to a 14-day quarantine period they had thought would not be...

Social Welfare (Covid-19) (Amendment) Bill 2020: Committee and Remaining Stages (28 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The Deputy should take that back. I have no set against the arts.

Social Welfare (Covid-19) (Amendment) Bill 2020: Second Stage (28 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I thank the Deputies for their good wishes and I look forward to working with them in my new role. I want to clarify that the Department of Rural and Community Development is a separate Department, as is the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection. They are being maintained on a separate basis and I look forward to working as Minister, separately, for both Departments. ...

Social Welfare (Covid-19) (Amendment) Bill 2020: Order for Second Stage (28 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I move: "That Second Stage be taken now."

Social Welfare (Covid-19) (Amendment) Bill 2020: Second Stage (28 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time." I congratulate the Leas-Cheann Comhairle on her election to the esteemed position of Leas-Cheann Comhairle. I wish her well in her role, and particularly so as the first woman to hold that position. All very best wishes to her. I am pleased to be here to introduce this important legislation. The Social Welfare (Covid-19)...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Parental Leave (28 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The Minister for Justice and Equality has policy responsibility for parental leave.  My Department has responsibility for the payment of parent’s benefit which is provided for in the Parent’s Leave and Benefit Act 2019.  Parent’s benefit is a payment made for two weeks per parent to employed and self-employed parents who are on parent’s...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Adoption Data (28 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: Adoptive benefit is a payment made for 24 weeks to an employed or self-employed parent who is on adoptive leave and who satisfies certain pay related social insurance (PRSI) contribution conditions. The Department of Justice and Equality have policy and legal responsibility for adoptive leave entitlements. In total there were 29 claims for adoptive benefit awarded in 2019 at a cost of some...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Maternity Benefit (28 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 563 and 616 together. The estimated full year cost of increasing maternity, paternity benefit and adoptive benefit by €10 per week is as follows: Maternity Benefit Paternity Benefit Adoptive Benefit €10.8m €0.6m €0.003m The costs shown above are on a full year basis and...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes (28 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 564 and 588 together. 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...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Citizens Information Services (28 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The Citizens Information Board (CIB) is the statutory body responsible for supporting the provision of information, advice (including money and budgeting advice) and advocacy services on a wide range of public and social services.  It provides some services directly to the public and also supports and directly funds an extensive range of services through its service...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Money Advice and Budgeting Service (28 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The Citizens Information Board (CIB) is the statutory body responsible for supporting the provision of information, advice (including money and budgeting advice) and advocacy services on a wide range of public and social services. CIB delivers on this remit through its provision of some services directly to the public and through a network of service delivery companies. In February...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic (28 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 567 and 607 together. 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. A once-off grant will be awarded for 80% of eligible costs up to a maximum of €1,000 covering vouched costs associated with...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Maternity Benefit (28 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: Maternity benefit is a payment made for 26 weeks to employed and self-employed pregnant women who are on maternity leave and who satisfy certain pay related social insurance (PRSI) contribution conditions. A decision to extend the period of maternity leave for employees would have to be implemented by the Minister for Justice and Equality who has policy and legal responsibility for this area....

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pensions (28 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: As the Deputy is aware, the public policy and social issues in relation to funding a sustainable and adequate State pension system are complex.  Therefore, the new Programme for Government “Our Shared Future” commits to establishing a Commission on Pensions to examine a range of issues including contributions, calculation methods, sustainability, eligibility and...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Bereavement Grant (28 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The number of bereavement grant claims in 2013 was 23,716 at a cost of €20.29 Million. This represented an increase of approximately 4% on 2012.  Based on a similar yearly increase each year since 2013, it is estimated that the number of bereavement grant claims that might arise in 2021, were the scheme to be reintroduced, would be in the region of 32,500, and the number would be...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Back to Education Allowance (28 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The back to education allowance (BTEA) is a scheme that allows persons in receipt of certain social welfare payments the opportunity to pursue a course of study, while still maintaining their income support, subject to satisfying a number of conditions. As part of the July stimulus package, the Government has announced an extension of the BTEA supports to recipients of pandemic...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Working Family Payment (28 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 24 June 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.  These have been received and the appeal by the person concerned was referred on 23...