Results 18,801-18,820 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pensions (22 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. I am advised by the Chief Appeals Officer that, due to the current Covid-19 restrictions, in person oral appeal hearings have been suspended since 13...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Widow's, Widower's or Surviving Civil Partner's (Contributory) Pension (22 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: Section 124 (3) of the Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005 states a person shall be disqualified from receiving a Widow's, Widower's or Surviving Civil Partner's (Contributory) Pension for as long as he/she cohabiting with another person as a couple. The person concerned was refused a Widow's, Widower's or Surviving Civil Partner's (Contributory) Pension on the 4th March 2020 on the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pension (Contributory) (22 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: According to the records of my Department, the person concerned reached pension age in 2009 and has not applied for a State pension (contributory) to date. Without a formal application the person’s pension entitlement cannot be determined. I have arranged for an application form to issue to them. Their pension entitlement will be investigated upon receipt of the completed application...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Carer's Allowance (22 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: Carer's allowance (CA) is a means-tested social assistance payment made to a person who is habitually resident in the State and who is providing full-time care and attention to a child or an adult who has such a disability that as a result they require that level of care. An increased payment can be made where full-time care is being provided to two people. CA is payable up to two care...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Child Benefit (22 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: Under Section 220 of the Social Welfare Consolidation Act, 2005, Child Benefit is payable to the person with whom a qualified child normally resides. Regulations governing normal residence for Child Benefit purposes are contained in S.I. 142/2007 (Article 159) and they provide inter alia for the following: 1.In the event that a qualified child is resident with both mother and father, he...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (22 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: My Department is currently managing a large number of review requests for the Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) re-rate at this time. For this reason we are not in a position to respond to enquiries as promptly as we would like. Following a review of the person’s record, I am pleased to inform you that his PUP has been re-rated to €350 per week. Any arrears due will...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (22 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: From 29thJune, the higher rate of PUP is only payable to those who had average weekly reckonable income of €200 or greater from self-employment prior to applying for the PUP. As my Department has identified the person concerned as self-employed, it is basing its decision on his return of income in the 2018 tax year. Based on the income advised by the Revenue Commissioners the lower...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Low Pay Commission (22 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The Programme for Government states that the Low Pay Commission is to examine Universal Basic Income, informed by a review of previous international pilots, and resulting in a universal basic income pilot in the lifetime of the Government. The practical arrangements for giving effect to this commitment are still being considered, but it is my intention is that this matter will be progressed...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (22 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The Department's main unemployment supports are jobseekers benefit and jobseekers allowance. The qualifying conditions for both schemes require a person to be unemployed, available for and genuinely seeking full-time work and to be fully unemployed for at least four in any seven consecutive days. For jobseekers benefit they must have the necessary social insurance contributions and have...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (21 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 435, 437 to 439, inclusive, 445 and 450 together. The COVID-19 pandemic unemployment payment was introduced as an emergency measure to meet the surge in unemployment which resulted from the effects of the Coronavirus pandemic. The Government has set employment recovery as its top priority and the jobs stimulus package to be announced later this month will...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Youth Unemployment (21 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: Government policy to reduce youth unemployment is twofold: - to create an environment in which business can succeed and create jobs; and - to ensure that as many of these new jobs and other vacancies that arise in our economy are filled by people taken from the Live Register, including young people. Providing education and employment opportunities to young jobseekers forms a central tenet of...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (21 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: My Department is aware of the current situation in the airline referred to where workers are being placed on reduced hours and are in receipt of the temporary wage subsidy scheme. To qualify for a jobseeker’s payment a person must satisfy all of the qualifying conditions for the scheme. Jobseeker’s payments operate on the basis of days of unemployment. A person in receipt...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Job Losses (21 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: My sincere thoughts are with all employers and employees faced with the prospect of forced restructuring and redundancies at this difficult time. Many sectors and industries have been badly affected by the measures the Irish Government, like many other governments across the globe, has had to take in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. It is probably fair to say that sectors associated with...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Job Losses (21 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: Firstly, I would like to say that my thoughts are with all of the workers concerned who are faced with job losses at this difficult time. I wish to assure the affected workers that my Department is available through its Intreo service to assist them in whatever way we can in terms of income supports and job-seeking over the coming weeks and months. The Protection of Employment Act 1977...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pensions (21 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 443 and 480 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. It should be noted that CE...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Registration of Deaths (21 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The Civil Registration Act 2004, as amended, provides that deaths may be registered at any time following death. Currently, the obligation to register a death rests with the relatives of the deceased, or in their absence, other persons specified in the Act. A death must be registered within three months of the date of death. However, there are no sanctions if a death is registered beyond...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Working Family Payment (21 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The latest available PRSI data in respect of class H PRSI, the payable rate for non-Commissioned Officers and enlisted personnel of the Defense Forces, refers to 2019; 2020 PRSI data is not yet available. Accordingly, recipients of Working Family Payment in June 2020 is based on payment of PRSI class H in 2019. Period Working Family Payment 2017 ...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Public Services Card (21 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The SAFE registration process, which my Department uses to authenticate a person's identity, is a face-to-face process which results in the issuing of a Public Services Card (PSC). At the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, my Department temporarily postponed the SAFE registration process. This decision was taken to comply with HSE and WHO guidelines in respect of social distancing. As a...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (21 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: My Department is currently managing a large number of review requests for the PUP rerate at this time and for this reason we are not in a position to respond to enquiries as promptly as we would like. Following a review of the person’s record, I am pleased to inform you that his PUP has been re-rated back to €350 per week. Any arrears due will issue this week. I trust this...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (21 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: Where a person’s gross weekly earnings were €200 or higher then there is no change to the rate of the pandemic unemployment payment. If a person’s gross weekly earnings were under €200 then the rate of the pandemic unemployment payment has been adjusted to €203 per week which is in line with the standard personal rate of jobseeker's benefit. Where no...