Results 21-40 of 25,281 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Gender Recognition (1 May 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The Gender Recognition Act 2015 was commenced in September 2015. The legislation enables a person to apply to my Department for a gender recognition certificate. When a gender recognition certificate is granted to a person, the person is formally recognised in their preferred gender for all purposes by the State. For the purposes of the Act, a person who applies for a gender recognition...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Citizens Information Services (1 May 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The Citizens Information Board (CIB) is the statutory body under the aegis of my Department with responsibility for supporting the provision of information, advice and advocacy on a wide range of public and social services. CIB delivers these functions primarily through a range of 22 Service Delivery Companies. These Service Delivery Companies are independent Companies Limited By Guarantee...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Postal Services (1 May 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Cash welfare payments are governed by the Department’s Cash Payment Services Contract with An Post which was signed in December 2019 following an open public procurement process. This contract came into effect on 1 January 2020. This contract is exclusively with An Post. There is no contractual relationship between my Department and post masters. The working arrangements of the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Oireachtas Committees (1 May 2024)

Heather Humphreys: My Department has not received any recommendations from the Public Accounts Committee in the context of the details supplied, therefore I am unable to provide any further information. I trust this clarifies matters for the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pensions (1 May 2024)

Heather Humphreys: State pension non-contributory is a means-tested payment for people aged 66 and over who have a legal right of residence and habitually reside in the state, and who do not qualify for a state pension contributory, or only qualify for a reduced-rate contributory pension based on their social insurance record. An application for state pension non-contributory was received from the person...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Burial Grounds (1 May 2024)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 332, 333, 334, 335 and 336 together. My Department has legislative responsibility for local authority burial grounds, however the actual operation of burial grounds (cemeteries) is the responsibility of the local authorities. Under the Local Government (Sanitary Services) Acts, 1878 to 2001, local authorities are deemed to be burial boards for their...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Staff (1 May 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The number of Whole Time Equivalent (WTE) accountants employed by my Department for the years in question is set out in the table below. Year Accountants 2022 2 2023 2 2024 2

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Schemes (1 May 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Material provided to the Deputy in Parliamentary Questions of 18th April set out details of amounts identified for recoupment on foot of inspections under the the Local Improvement Scheme across a number of years. My officials are currently collating data in relation to amounts subsequently recouped which will reflect the time lag between completion of works and inspections, the completion of...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Rural Schemes (1 May 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The Local Improvement Scheme supports improving rural roads and laneways that are not usually maintained by local authorities. As part of Our Rural Future, the government is committed to ensuring that the LIS is funded in the future. I recently announced revised funding of over €40 million, which has been secured for the 2024 and 2025 Scheme. This allocation brings the total...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: General Register Office (30 Apr 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The research room is based in Werburgh Street, Dublin and is operated by staff from the General Register Office and operates under the aegis of my Department. Prior to Covid-19 the office opened 5 days a week. The enforced closure of the office to the public during Covid highlighted an issue around access to the records held in the research room. Access to the indexes used for research...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Correspondence (30 Apr 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The Deputy will appreciate that I cannot comment or intervene on the pension arrangements applying to a particular pension scheme. My Department has no role in setting the level of pension increases received by members of occupational pension schemes, irrespective of whether those schemes operate in the public or private sector. Pension increases for occupational pensions are a matter...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (30 Apr 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Disability Allowance (DA) is a weekly allowance paid to people with a specified disability who are aged 16 or over and under the age of 66. This disability must be expected to last for at least one year and the allowance is subject to a medical assessment, means test and Habitual Residency conditions. I confirm that my department received an application for DA from this person on 21...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Carer's Leave (30 Apr 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The main income supports to carers provided by the Department of Social Protection are Carer’s Allowance, Carer’s Benefit, Domiciliary Care Allowance and the Carer’s Support Grant. Spending on these payments is expected to amount to over €1.7 billion this year. The Carer’s Leave Act 2001 allows employees to leave work temporarily to provide full-time care...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Schemes (30 Apr 2024)

Heather Humphreys: My Department offers supports for people seeking employment though the Intreo service including EmployAbility, Early Engagement and grants such as JobsPlus. We are in the middle of reviewing and reforming a number of schemes aimed specifically at supporting disabled people into employment. The Reasonable Accommodation Fund provides financial support for people with disabilities and for...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (30 Apr 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Cash welfare payments are governed by the Department’s Cash Payment Services Contract with An Post which was signed in December 2019 following an open public procurement process. This contract came into effect on 1 January 2020. This contract is exclusively with An Post. There is no contractual relationship between my Department and post masters. The working arrangements of...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Broadband Infrastructure (30 Apr 2024)

Heather Humphreys: My department has a total of 18 copper communication lines and has a programme underway to remove the dependency on copper-based leased lines.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: School Meals Programme (30 Apr 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The objective of the School Meals Programme is to provide regular, nutritious food to children to support them in taking full advantage of the education provided to them. The Programme is an important component of policies to encourage school attendance and extra educational achievement. Following the expansion of the Programme in recent years, some 2,600 schools and organisations,...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (30 Apr 2024)

Heather Humphreys: As part of Budget 2024, the Department of Social Protection assisted families and vulnerable citizens through a mix of lump sum supports and increases to weekly payments. The measures introduced included the provision of once-off Cost-of-Living lump sums, to recipients of Disability Allowance, Blind Pension, Invalidity Pension and the Carer's Support Grant. Recipients who are in receipt of...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pensions (30 Apr 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The data requested by the Deputy is shown in the attached tabular statement. Note that these figures include instances where a person may have been entitled to a higher rate of payment on the State Pension Non-Contributory. In these cases the claim is rejected but the person is awarded the non-contributory pension instead. Month Number rejected January...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (30 Apr 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Domiciliary Care Allowance (DCA) is a monthly allowance payable to a parent/guardian in respect of a child aged under 16 who has a severe disability requiring continual or continuous care and attention substantially in excess of the care and attention normally required by a child of the same age and where the level of the child's disability is such that the child is likely to require this...