Results 1-20 of 20,160 for speaker:Heather Humphreys in 'Written Answers'

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pensions (24 Apr 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The marriage bar was a legal requirement for women in the Irish civil service and some areas of the public service to retire from employment after marriage. While the legislation applied only to the civil and public sector, a similar policy was adopted by other sectors, such as the banking sector. The marriage bar for civil servants was removed from legislation in 1973. The impact of the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals (24 Apr 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The Social Welfare Appeals Office is an Office of the Department of Social Protection which is responsible for determining appeals against decisions in relation to social welfare entitlements. Appeals Officers are independent in their decision making functions. The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered on the 8th April 2024. It...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (24 Apr 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Child Benefit is a monthly payment made to families with children up to the age of 16 years. From May 2024, new legislation allows the payment to continue in respect of children until their 19th birthday who are in full-time education, or who have a disability that prevents them from attending such education. Child Benefit will resume from May for this customer and will continue until...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (24 Apr 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Partial Capacity Benefit (PCB) is a social welfare scheme which allows a person to return to work or self-employment and continue to receive a payment from my department. A person must be in receipt of Illness Benefit (IB) for a minimum of six months or Invalidity Pension (IP) in order to apply for PCB. The application process for the PCB is twofold. Initially, an applicant must inform my...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (24 Apr 2024)

Heather Humphreys: While my department has received medical certificates from the person concerned, we have not yet received an application for Illness Benefit. An application can be made online at MyWelfare.ie, or by submitting a physical IB1 application form which is available from their GP. I note that the person concerned is in receipt of Widow's Contributory Pension. A person cannot receive payment of...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (24 Apr 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Child Benefit is a monthly payment to the parents or guardians of children under 16 years of age. Child Benefit can also be claimed for children aged 16 and 17 if they are in full-time education or full-time training or have a disability and cannot support themselves. From May 2024, new legislation allows the payment to continue in respect of children until their 19th birthday while they...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals (24 Apr 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The Social Welfare Appeals Office is an Office of the Department of Social Protection which is responsible for determining appeals against decisions in relation to social welfare entitlements. Appeals Officers are independent in their decision making functions. The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered on the 13th November 2023....

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (24 Apr 2024)

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. I can confirm an application for CA was received from the person concerned on 29 December 2023. The application was...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (24 Apr 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Carer's Benefit is a payment made to insured people who leave the workforce or reduce their working hours to care for a child or an adult in need of full-time care and attention. To qualify, the carer must satisfy PRSI conditions, employment conditions, show that they are providing full-time care and attention and must show that the care recipient requires full-time care and attention....

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (24 Apr 2024)

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. Please find below the most recent figures of the number of carers in receipt of half rate CA broken down by their...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (24 Apr 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The Social Welfare Appeals Office is an Office of the Department of Social Protection which is responsible for determining appeals against decisions in relation to social welfare entitlements. Appeals Officers are independent in their decision making functions. I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that an Appeals Officer, having fully considered all of the available evidence,...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Pension Provisions (24 Apr 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The introduction of an automatic enrolment (AE) retirement savings system is a Programme for Government commitment and a key priority for me as Minister for Social Protection. Implementation of the AE system is well underway, with the Automatic Enrolment Retirement Savings System Bill 2024 now having completed Second Stage in the Dáil and a tender process to contract for administration...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Advertising (24 Apr 2024)

Heather Humphreys: My Department is committed to ensuring that members of the public are aware of the welfare supports and services that are available to them and that they are notified of any scheme changes, which may affect them. Public information campaigns are targeted carefully, using the best mix of media formats, to ensure that the Department’s messages reach members of the public effectively. ...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Contracts (24 Apr 2024)

Heather Humphreys: I can confirm that my Department has not engaged the services, or allocated funding to the Global Disinformation Index. I can also confirm that neither I, nor officials from my Department, have engaged with employees from that company. I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Schemes (24 Apr 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The Town and Village Renewal Scheme (TVRS) was introduced in 2016 and is one of a number of measures designed to rejuvenate rural towns and villages throughout Ireland. Since the launch of the scheme, more than €156 million has been allocated to in excess of 1,700 projects throughout Ireland. In line with the commitment in Our Rural Future, TVRS priorities are reviewed at the end...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Advertising (24 Apr 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The information requested by the Deputy is set out in the table below. I can also confirm that my Department does use an agency to place advertising. Year Total spend (all forms of advertising) Advertising spend on local print media Advertising spend on local broadcast media 2022 €53,332.16 €43, 944.10 Nil...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Contracts (24 Apr 2024)

Heather Humphreys: I can confirm to the Deputy that my Department has neither engaged the services of the company referred to or allocated funding or support to it in any capacity. Furthermore, I can confirm that neither I, or any official at my Department, have engaged with personnel from the company referenced.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: School Meals Programme (23 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, covering...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: School Meals Programme (23 Apr 2024)

Heather Humphreys: In March 2023, I published an independent evaluation of the School Meals Programme which sets out the positive impact the Programme is having in terms of children’s education and wellbeing. The key finding was an overwhelming consensus among all participants in the evaluation that the Programme is effective. Most parents suggested that their child had an improved attitude towards...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (23 Apr 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The RS scheme provides short-term income support to eligible people living in private rented accommodation whose means are insufficient to meet their accommodation costs and who do not have accommodation available to them from any other source. The scheme ensures that those who were renting, but whose circumstances have changed due to temporary loss of employment, can continue to meet their...