Results 18,921-18,940 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Carer's Allowance (14 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 application for CA was received from the person concerned on 14 November 2019. It is a condition for receipt of a CA...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Overpayments (14 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: Overpayments of social welfare assistance and benefit payments mainly arise as a consequence of decisions made under the relevant sections of the Social Welfare (Consolidation) Act, 2005 (as amended). Where an overpayment is raised, the Department is obligated to make every effort to recover sums overpaid in full in the shortest time period. In relation to the information sought by the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals (14 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that an Appeals Officer, having fully considered all the evidence, disallowed the appeal of the person concerned by way of summary decision on 12 February 2020. Under social welfare legislation the decision of an Appeals Officer is final and conclusive and may only be reviewed by an Appeals Officer in the light of new evidence or new...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Carer's Allowance (14 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 14 April 2020. It is a statutory requirement of the appeals process that the relevant papers and comments by or on behalf of the Deciding Officer on the grounds of appeal be sought from the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection. These papers were received...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pension (Contributory) (14 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The Social Welfare and Pensions Act, 2011 provided 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: Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (14 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The COVID-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment has been introduced as an emergency measure so that payments can be made as quickly as possible to the large number of people who have become fully unemployed due to the pandemic. This emergency payment is payable to people between the ages of 18 up to 66 which is consistent with the other Social Protection jobseeker schemes. It is paid to people...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (14 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I am advised that 4,849 people aged 66 or older have submitted an application for the Pandemic Unemployment Payment. The Pandemic Unemployment Payment is available to people aged 18 up to 66 years, and is consistent with other jobseeker and social protection income supports paid to working age persons. People aged 66 years and over may not avail of the Pandemic Unemployment Payment, but are...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Disability Allowance (14 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: An application for disability allowance (DA) from the person concerned was disallowed on medical grounds and because they failed to supply information which was requested by this Department. Notification of this decision and the reason(s) for it issued to the person on 3 June 2020. A further review of this decision was carried out on 7 July 2020. The original decision was confirmed and the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (14 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The Temporary Wage Subsidy Scheme, administered by the Revenue Commissioners is available to employers who keep employees on the payroll throughout the COVID 19 pandemic, so that employers can retain links with employees for when business picks up after the crisis. The short time work support is a social insurance contribution based income support available to full time employees who...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Back to Education Allowance (14 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The back to education allowance (BTEA) provides income support for jobseekers and others in receipt of certain social welfare payments that pursue courses of education at second or third level. The main focus of the BTEA is to assist qualifying applicants to improve their educational qualifications and improve their prospects of gaining employment. It is expected that, during the course of...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Registration of Deaths (14 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The establishment of a record of deaths abroad is legislated for under section 13 of the Civil Registration Amendment Act 2014, which inserts a new part 5A into the Civil Registration Act 2004 to provide for this. Implementation of Part 5A, and other provisions of the 2014 Act, have been delayed for a considerable time due to ongoing industrial relations discussions between staff of the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes (14 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: As you are 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 supervisors...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (14 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The Government acknowledges the crucial role that family carers play and is fully committed to supporting carers in that role. This commitment is recognised in both the Programme for Government and the National Carers’ Strategy. The main income supports to carers provided by my Department are Carer’s Allowance, Carer’s Benefit, Domiciliary Care Allowance and the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals (14 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that as a result of the current Covid-19 restrictions and in order to safeguard the health and safety of both appellants and staff the Social Welfare Appeals Office has not held any oral appeal hearings since 13 March 2020. No such hearings can be scheduled until further notice. The matter is being kept under review. Appeals are...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Carer's Allowance (14 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. Two applications for CA were received from the person concerned on 22 April 2020 in respect of both his parents....

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments Administration (14 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: My Department introduced a series of measures to maintain social welfare payments while assisting with social distancing measures designed to combat the spread of the Coronavirus. Fortnightly payments were introduced to minimise the need for people to attend and queue in banks or post offices to collect payments, so helping people restrict their movements to essential activities only....

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Disability Allowance (14 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: Following a successful appeal to the independent social welfare appeals office (SWAO), the person concerned was awarded a reduced amount of disability allowance (DA) with effect from 30 January 2019. DA is a means-tested payment. Means were assessed from the employment of the person concerned. On 4 September 2019 following a review, this lady was awarded an increased rate of DA as her...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance Scheme (14 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 742, 749 and 768 together. The back to school clothing and footwear allowance (BSCFA) scheme provides a once-off payment to eligible families to assist with the costs of clothing and footwear when children start or return to school each autumn. The scheme operates from June to September each year. The allowance is payable in respect of eligible children...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Fuel Allowance (14 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: Fuel allowance is a means-tested payment to assist householders on long-term social welfare payments towards the cost of their heating needs. It is not intended to meet those costs in full. Only one allowance is paid per household. The main eligibility conditions that apply to the fuel allowance scheme are that a person must be in receipt of a qualifying payment, must satisfy a means...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals (14 Jul 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that an Appeals Officer, having fully considered all of the available evidence, decided to disallow the appeal of the person concerned by way of a summary decision on 21 May 2020. Under social welfare legislation the decision of an Appeals Officer is generally final and conclusive. However, it may be reviewed by an Appeals Officer in the...