Results 1,861-1,880 of 5,587 for speaker:Kevin Humphreys

Seanad: One-Parent Family Payment: Motion (15 Jul 2015)

Kevin Humphreys: She is very knowledgeable.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Pension Provisions (15 Jul 2015)

Kevin Humphreys: The Deputy will be aware that the individuals concerned are the employees of private companies. It is not possible for the State to take over responsibility for funding pension arrangements for employees of private companies, even where those companies are reliant on State funding. Employers (including CE Sponsoring Organisations) are legally obliged to offer access to at least one...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: JobsPlus Scheme (15 Jul 2015)

Kevin Humphreys: The JobsPlus incentive is designed to encourage employers and businesses to focus their recruitment efforts on those who have been out of work for long periods or on young people seeking work. JobsPlus provides a direct monthly financial incentive to employers in the form of a monthly grant paid over two years with two levels of grant payable - €7,500 or €10,000 provided the...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes Eligibility (15 Jul 2015)

Kevin Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 47 and 48 together. There are main two streams of participation on Community Employment (CE). These streams and the limitations on participation have been a feature of CE procedures from as far back as the 1990s. The first stream is called the Part-Time Job option and is for persons who are over 35 years of age and have spent 3 continuous years on the...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes Eligibility (15 Jul 2015)

Kevin Humphreys: The aim of Community Employment (CE) is to enhance the employability and mobility of disadvantaged and unemployed persons by providing work experience and training opportunities for them within their communities on a temporary basis. The Department’s priority in supporting CE is having access to schemes that can provide job seekers and other vulnerable groups with good quality work...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes Eligibility (15 Jul 2015)

Kevin Humphreys: Community Employment (CE) has an upper age limit for funding of a participant. This is set at the State Pension age (66 years of age at present). No funding will be made available under CE for those participants who qualify for the State Pension. This has been the case on CE since the programme commenced in April 1994. There are also limits on the maximum duration of participation. For a...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes Eligibility (15 Jul 2015)

Kevin Humphreys: I can confirm to the Deputy that there are no savings to the Department by the non-renewal of Community Employment (CE) Scheme places for those of 60 years of age or older, or indeed any age, as the CE places are back-filled by other eligible customers. This turnover of places allows the programme to maximise access to the opportunities provided by Community Employment (valuable work...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Labour Activation Measures (15 Jul 2015)

Kevin Humphreys: The key objective of activation policy and labour market initiatives is to offer assistance to those in need of support in securing work and achieving financial self-sufficiency. This policy objective prioritises scarce resources to those in receipt of qualifying welfare payments. Accordingly the employment services and schemes provided by the Department are focused, in the first instance,...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Unemployment Data (15 Jul 2015)

Kevin Humphreys: The Central Statistics Office (CSO) is responsible for the publication of Live Register Data. The definition of what is included in that data is a matter for the CSO. The Live Register is not a measure of unemployment. The CSO's Quarterly National Household Survey (QNHS) data provides unemployment statistics and since last month the CSO has introduced a new series of monthly...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes Funding (14 Jul 2015)

Kevin Humphreys: The Government gave no commitment to provide gratuity payments to Community Employment Supervisors and Assistant Supervisors. In July 2008, the Labour Court recommended that an agreed pension scheme should be introduced for CE Supervisors and assistant supervisors and that such a scheme should be adequately funded by FÁS, the funding agency responsible for CE at that time. The...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Job Initiatives (14 Jul 2015)

Kevin Humphreys: Gateway is a work placement initiative delivered by county and city councils which aims to provide short-term work opportunities for those who are unemployed for more than 24 months. Participants will benefit by being involved in work, they will improve their work readiness and will be able to apply their skills and learn new ones. The scheme was introduced in December 2013 and selected...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: National Internship Scheme Data (14 Jul 2015)

Kevin Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 151 to 153, inclusive, and 155 together. I include tables giving numbers of individuals and host organisations who participated in JobBridge in the postal districts approximating to the South Dublin Local Authority area. The Department operates an internal monitoring list for host organisations that commit minor breaches of the scheme. Organisations placed...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance Scheme (14 Jul 2015)

Kevin Humphreys: The back to school clothing and footwear allowance (BSCFA) scheme provides a once-off payment to eligible families to assist with the extra costs when children start school each autumn. The Government has provided €44.3 million for this scheme in 2015. In general, the means tested allowance is payable in respect of eligible children between the ages of 4 and 17 and between the ages...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: JobsPlus Scheme (14 Jul 2015)

Kevin Humphreys: I am taking the reference to a bursary as a reference to the wage subsidies to employers available under the JobsPlus initiative. The JobsPlus incentive is designed to encourage employers and businesses to focus their recruitment efforts on those who have been out of work for long periods or on young people seeking work. JobsPlus provides a direct monthly financial incentive to employers...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Rent Supplement Scheme Administration (14 Jul 2015)

Kevin Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 239 and 244 together. Rent supplement continues to plays a vital role in supporting approximately 67,000 families and individuals at a cost of €298 million. Over 10,000 new tenancies have been processed since the start of the year, including new claims, change of address and churn within the scheme. This level of activity shows that significant...

Gender Recognition Bill 2014 [Seanad]: Report and Final Stages (9 Jul 2015)

Kevin Humphreys: There was a long debate on Committee Stage that was not guillotined.

Gender Recognition Bill 2014 [Seanad]: Report and Final Stages (9 Jul 2015)

Kevin Humphreys: The Deputy was entitled to attend the meeting.

Gender Recognition Bill 2014 [Seanad]: Report and Final Stages (9 Jul 2015)

Kevin Humphreys: The Deputy is entitled to make a contribution on Committee Stage.

Gender Recognition Bill 2014 [Seanad]: Report and Final Stages (9 Jul 2015)

Kevin Humphreys: Deputy Ó Snodaigh correctly stated that the pre-legislative scrutiny of this Bill was excellent. As he knows, the Bill goes well beyond the recommendations of that committee, and it is progressive. On many occasions in the House, the legislation of other countries has been mentioned, but there are also quite regressive elements in that legislation. The Bill surpasses such...

Gender Recognition Bill 2014 [Seanad]: Report and Final Stages (9 Jul 2015)

Kevin Humphreys: I move amendment No. 8:In page 8, line 38, to delete "section 91" and substitute "section 90".These are technical amendments dealing with references in the Bill to the register of inter-country adoptions and the foreign birth register. Amendments Nos. 8 and 9 refer to the Adoption Act 2010, under which the register of inter-country adoptions is maintained. Amendments Nos. 24, 30 and 31...