Results 18,841-18,860 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

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

Heather Humphreys: Intreo Centres (ICs) are a single point of contact for all employment and income supports. The Centres are designed to provide a streamlined approach, offering practical, tailored employment services and supports for jobseekers. The range of services provided by Clifden IC are similar to those provided by ICs nationally including those provided by Galway IC. In the interests of continuing to...

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

Heather Humphreys: My Department, like all Government departments and agencies is required to operate within a staff ceiling figure and a commensurate administrative staffing budget. The staffing needs for all areas within the Department are continuously reviewed, taking account of workloads, management priorities and the ongoing need to respond to new demands across a wide range of services. This is to ensure...

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

Heather Humphreys: The Duffy-Cahill Report, which was commissioned by the Government in the aftermath of the Clery’s closure, highlighted how the issues raised by that event and the subsequent legal cases are highly complex. The Duffy-Cahill Report was sent to the Company Law Review Group (CLRG) in 2016 for its consideration as part of the work of that group in advising the Minister for Business...

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

Heather Humphreys: People aged 66 years and over are provided for within the Social Protection income support framework through the State Pension, either the contributory State pension based on PRSI contributions or the non-contributory means tested pension. The maximum weekly rate of payment for a person in receipt of the State Contributory pension in a two person household with an adult dependent who is over...

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

Heather Humphreys: My Department has not received reports of delays in the application of credits to the accounts of customers with the energy supplier identified by the Deputy. I understand the Deputy has been in contact with the person concerned to ascertain required information to allow my Department to examine the matter. Once this information, including the person's name and PPSN, is received from the...

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

Heather Humphreys: Invalidity pension (IP) is a payment for people who are permanently incapable of work because of illness or incapacity and for no other reason and who satisfy the pay related social insurance (PRSI) contribution conditions. A claim for IP was received from the lady concerned on 21 February 2020.The claim was refused on the grounds that the medical conditions for the scheme were not...

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

Heather Humphreys: This parliamentary question should have been addressed to me in my role as the Minister for Rural, Community Development and the Islands. Indecon International Economic Consultants were commissioned by the then Department of Rural and Community Development to carry out an independent review of the Community Services Programme. I am advised that the final report was received in February...

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

Heather Humphreys: The person concerned reached pension age on 30 June 2020. According to the records of my Department, they have a total of 1,940 qualifying paid and credited Irish contributions which equates to a yearly average of 41 contributions. This gives an entitlement to a standard State pension (contributory) at 98% of the maximum rate. They are also eligible for fuel allowance (payable during winter...

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. My...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: National Broadband Plan (21 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The National Broadband Plan (NBP) contract was signed with National Broadband Ireland (NBI) in November 2019 to roll out a high-speed and future-proofed broadband network to almost 540,000 premises across the State. Among the first premises to be connected under the NBP are approximately 300 Broadband Connection Points (BCPs). Each site will be provided with a wireless high speed broadband...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: CLÁR Programme (21 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The CLÁR programme provides funding for small scale infrastructure projects in designated rural areas that have experienced significant levels of de-population. The 2020 CLÁR programme, which was launched on 25th May last, has been tailored to help rural communities respond to COVID-19. The Measure which previously funded the enhancement and development of playgrounds has received...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Ministerial Advisers (21 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: On the commencement of every Dáil, the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform issues guidelines setting out the arrangements for the staffing of Ministerial Offices. The Guidelines for the 33rd Dáil are currently awaiting Government approval. It should be noted that the appointment of individual Special Advisers is a matter for each Government Minister subject to the...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Dormant Accounts Fund (21 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The 2020 Dormant Accounts Fund Action Plan approved funding for 43 measures across 9 departments, up to a total of €45.5 million. The Department of Rural and Community Development has responsibility for the overall administration of the Dormant Accounts Fund, with each individual Departments responsible for the delivery and administration of their own measures. All measures funded must...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Contracts (21 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I can confirm that my Department did not award contracts to Aramark during the timeframe in question. However, Pobal, an agency under my Department's remit, had contracts during the timeframe totalling €2,486.01 at external locations where Aramark held those contracts.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes (16 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 assistant...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Proposed Legislation (16 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: Under the current legislation it is possible for both parties in a same-sex female relationship to be declared parents and, also, to have both of their particulars entered in the register of births as parents of the child. The provisions in relation to parentage are contained in Part 2 of the Children and Family Relationships Act 2015 (CFRA 2015), which provides for determination of...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Public Services Card (16 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 116 and 118 together. In August 2019, the Data Protection Commission's (DPC) Final report into the Public Services Card (PSC), which examined my Department's compliance with its obligations in relation to legal basis and transparency, was received. On 6thDecember 2019, my Department received an Enforcement Notice from the DPC in respect of that August 2019...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Public Services Card (16 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 117 and 119 together. Since 1998, when legislative provision was first made for the Public Services Card (PSC), it was always intended that it would be used widely across the public service to assist people in their dealings with public sector organisations. The list of public bodies that are authorised to use the PSC is set out in Schedule 5 of the Social...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes (16 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: Community Employment (CE) is a positive initiative that enables the long-term unemployed to make a contribution to their communities whilst up-skilling themselves for prospective future employment and gaining valuable work experience. The scheme helps to break the cycle of unemployment and improve a person’s chances of returning to the labour market. A number of new conditions...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Domiciliary Care Allowance (16 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The information requested by the Deputy in relation to the number of persons in receipt of domiciliary care allowance in each county is detailed in the table below. Recipients of domiciliary care allowance by county at the end of June 2020 County Recipients Carlow 693 Cavan 631 Clare 1,029 ...