Results 18,861-18,880 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

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

Heather Humphreys: The information requested (where available) by the Deputy is detailed in the attached tabular statements. The Department is unable to segregate the information in relation to claims that are registered, awarded or rejected for any scheme under it's remit by county or other geographical area. An Appeals Officer’s decision may be reviewed and revised by an Appeals Officer in accordance...

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

Heather Humphreys: The average processing time for new Domiciliary Care Allowance (DCA) applications at 30th June 2020 was under 7 weeks, with 95% of applications processed within 10 weeks. The processing target set for the scheme is to have 90% finalised within 10 weeks and this target is currently exceeded. My Department does not routinely collate statistical information relating to DCA applications on a...

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

Heather Humphreys: All applications for Domiciliary Care Allowance (DCA) are processed centrally and are dealt with in order of date of receipt. Statistical information on DCA applications is not routinely collated on a county basis; as a result the numbers awaiting a decision in each county is not available. At the end of June 2020, there were a total of 725 DCA applications awaiting a decision. I hope this...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Domiciliary Care Allowance (16 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. The statistics required by the Deputy are set out in the attached table. They reflect all current domiciliary care allowance appeals, whether they...

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

Heather Humphreys: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that the average processing time in 2019 for domiciliary care allowance appeals dealt with by way of summary decision was 27.3 weeks and it was 30.3 weeks for those requiring an oral hearing. The figures for 2020 to the end of June were 24.1 weeks for appeals dealt with by way of summary decision and 31.8 weeks for those requiring an oral...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Domiciliary Care Allowance (16 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 Social Welfare Appeals Office that there are currently 624 domiciliary care allowance appeals at various stages of the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (16 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: From the 29/06/2020 the rate of the Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) which a person receives depends on their gross weekly employment earnings. As a consequence of its flat rate structure a number of people, mainly low-hours workers, receive a higher State income support than they received in employment income. It is important that the integrity of the social welfare system is maintained...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Exceptional Needs Payment (16 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: Further to the Deputy’s representations on behalf of the person concerned, I am advised that an official of my Department has contacted the person concerned and is currently working with him to ascertain what supports are available to him and to his family, appropriate to their current circumstances. I trust this clarifies the matter.

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

Heather Humphreys: The person concerned was in receipt of a Basic Supplementary Allowance Payment of €85.90 per week from 6thAugust 2019 to 19thFebruary 2020 pending a decision on his Disability Allowance application. His Disability Allowance application was refused on the basis of his having means of €270.26 per week, which is higher than the statutory limit of €203.00. This decision was...

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

Heather Humphreys: The Social Welfare and Pensions Act, 2011 provides for increases to the State pension age to make the State pension system more sustainable as life expectancy increases. This began in January 2014 with the abolition of the State Pension (Transition). This measure standardised the State pension age for all at 66 years. The legislation provides for increases to the State pension age - to 67...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Enterprise Support Services (16 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 25thJune 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 re-opening a business which was closed due to the COVID-19...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (16 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 133 and 134 together. Where a person is self-employed their average weekly income for 2018 was used to determine their rate of payment for the pandemic unemployment payment. This is the last tax year for which complete data on self-employed income is available. The submission deadline for self-employment returns for 2019 is October or November 2020. Any...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Poverty Impact Assessment (16 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The poverty impact assessment of maintaining reduced rates of jobseeker payments for young jobseekers aged 18-24 years is being finalised by my department for my consideration. In due course I will arrange for it to be published and presented to the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Employment Affairs and Social Protection. It will also be laid before both Houses of the Oireachtas.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Medical Aids and Appliances (16 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: Section 23 of the Social Welfare (No. 2) Act 2019 provides that the Minister “shall prepare and lay a report before the Houses of the Oireachtas on the cost of hearing aids and the adequacy of financial supports available, taking into account the low level of hearing aid uptake in Ireland and that the report shall be presented to the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Employment Affairs and...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Treatment Benefit Scheme (16 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: Section 24 of the Act provides that the Minister “shall conduct a review and lay a report before the Houses of the Oireachtas on the current criteria in place in order to qualify for treatment benefit and specifically to examine the number of contributions required for 25-65 year olds and that the report shall be presented to the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Employment Affairs and...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (16 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I am advised that, based on the Pandemic Unemployment Payments issued on July 14th, a total of 95,834 recipients received a payment of €203. Of this number, 15,817 have certified themselves as being self-employed.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Rent Supplement Scheme (16 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 139 and 140 together. Rent supplement continues its vital role in supporting families and individuals in private rented accommodation, with the scheme currently supporting some 21,000 recipients. The scheme provides short-term income support to eligible people living in private rented accommodation whose means are insufficient to meet their...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (16 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: Where a person was due to take up employment but was not in employment immediately prior to 13th March, he or she is not eligible to receive the pandemic unemployment payment. It would be impossible to construct a scheme based on claims of potential or prospective but unrealised employment, particularly where the economy was operating at full-employment with many unfilled vacancies prior to...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (16 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The Government is aware of the challenges facing community and voluntary organisations and is committed to working closely with the sector in managing through these, recognising that it will require a whole of Government approach. In that context my Department is providing funding supports to organisations through a number of different schemes. The Community and Voluntary Sector Covid-19...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (16 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The Government is aware of the challenges facing community and voluntary organisations and is committed to working closely with the sector in managing through these, recognising that it will require a whole of Government approach. The Community and Voluntary Sector Covid-19 Stability Fund is intended to be a targeted once-off cash injection for organisations and groups currently delivering...