Results 221-240 of 795 for 5 million speaker:Heather Humphreys

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Community Development Projects (9 Dec 2021)

Heather Humphreys: ...community groups and organisations throughout the country. The amount allocated by my Department for urban and rural development and renewal purposes in the past three years to-date is, €133 million in 2017, €251 million in 2018, €315 million in 2019, €313 million in 2020, and €329 million to date in 2021. Kildare was allocated €2.9 million in...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Schemes (9 Dec 2021)

Heather Humphreys: ...and vacant buildings in our town centres to bring them back into use as multipurpose spaces, remote working hubs or as residential accommodation. Since the scheme was launched in 2016, funding of over €93 million has been approved for the delivery of 1,341 projects in towns and villages countrywide. I have set out in the table beneath a breakdown of this funding. Applications...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Schemes (9 Dec 2021)

Heather Humphreys: ...buildings in our town centres to bring them back into use as multipurpose spaces, remote working hubs or as residential accommodation. Since the launch of the Scheme in 2016, funding of over €93 million has been approved for more than 1,340 projects across Ireland. I have set out in the following tables details of €2.48 million funding allocated to projects in County...

Social Welfare Bill 2021: Second Stage (3 Dec 2021)

Heather Humphreys: ...introduced to deal with the pandemic - enhanced Covid illness benefit and the PUP - delivered on that. However, we must continue to be progressive. The social protection budget package amounts to €558 million in 2022. It is the largest social welfare package in 14 years. This Government is conscious of the cost-of-living pressures facing our citizens. Therefore, I am pleased to...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Regeneration Projects (2 Dec 2021)

Heather Humphreys: ...which will deliver on the National Strategic Objective of Strengthened Rural Economies and Communities. The funding from the RRDF will also further the aims of Our Rural Future, the Government's 5 year policy for rural development, which highlighted the need to build strongly on existing investment and to strive for even greater ambition to achieve significant and rapid progress...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Schemes (2 Dec 2021)

Heather Humphreys: ...which will deliver on the National Strategic Objective of Strengthened Rural Economies and Communities. The funding from the RRDF will also further the aims of Our Rural Future, the Government's 5 year policy for rural development, which highlighted the need to build strongly on existing investment and to strive for even greater ambition to achieve significant and rapid progress...

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2021
Vote 37 - Social Protection (Supplementary) (1 Dec 2021)

Heather Humphreys: I thank the committee for the invitation to meet with it today to present the 2021 Supplementary Estimate for the Department of Social Protection. I am seeking a Supplementary Estimate of €473.5 million for 2021. The purpose of this is to address a shortfall in funding for my Department that is partially needed to fund the Christmas bonus for Vote 37 social assistance recipients....

Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2021
Vote 37 - Social Protection (Supplementary) (1 Dec 2021)

Heather Humphreys: ...family dividend he mentioned, the impact of the Christmas bonus is built into those increases. For example, spending on the non-contributory State pension for 2021 is expected to come to €1.085 billion. This includes €21.9 million for the Christmas bonus. That is why there is an overspend of €19.5 million. Spending on the domiciliary care allowance for 2021 is...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Rates (30 Nov 2021)

Heather Humphreys: In Budget 2022, I was pleased to announce a €5 increase across all core weekly social welfare payments, including a proportionate increase for qualified adults. The increase, which is estimated to cost €375 million, will take effect from January 2022 and will benefit approximately 1.4 million recipients. I also announced a number of targeted measures which are aimed at...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Flexible Work Practices (30 Nov 2021)

Heather Humphreys: Our Rural Future, Ireland’s Rural Development Policy 2021-2025, recognises the opportunity for rural rejuvenation that remote working presents and commits to establishing a comprehensive and integrated network of 400 remote working hubs over the lifetime of the policy to 2025. My Department operates a number of funding schemes that focus on projects supporting remote working and that...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Fuel Poverty (25 Nov 2021)

Heather Humphreys: ...of the housing stock. My Department provides a range of supports to assist people with their fuel costs. Fuel allowance is currently paid to over 369,000 at an estimated annual cost of €323 million in 2021. As part of the overall welfare budget package of €600 million in increases which I secured for 2022, I was pleased to be able to increase the fuel allowance payment...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Fuel Poverty (25 Nov 2021)

Heather Humphreys: We are spending over €323 million on the fuel allowance and €195 million on the gas and electricity allowance. That is a considerable amount of money. For those who have problems, as I said, there is an exceptional needs payment available under the supplementary welfare allowance from the community welfare officer for heating costs. The fund is uncapped. As it is demand-led,...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (25 Nov 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The Fuel Allowance is a payment of €33.00 per week for 28 weeks (a total of €924 each year) from October to April, to 369,000 low income households, at an estimated cost of €300 million in 2021. The purpose of this payment is to assist these households with their energy costs. The allowance represents a contribution towards the energy costs of a household. It is not...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: School Meals Programme (25 Nov 2021)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 28, 89 and 102 together. The school meals programme provides funding towards the provision of food to some 1,506 schools and organisations benefitting 230,000 children. The objective of the programme is to provide regular, nutritious food to children who are unable, due to lack of good quality food, to take full advantage of the education provided to them....

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (25 Nov 2021)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 36 and 50 together. The Fuel Allowance is a payment of €33.00 per week for 28 weeks (a total of €924 each year) from October to April, to 369,000 low income households, at an estimated cost of €300 million in 2021. The purpose of this payment is to assist these households with their energy costs. The allowance represents a contribution...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Energy Prices (25 Nov 2021)

Heather Humphreys: ...or who satisfy a means test. The package is also available to some people under the age of 66, who are in receipt of certain welfare type payments. My Department will spend approximately €265.48 million this year on HHB for over 480,000 customers. In 2021 the estimated cost of the gas and electricity element of the package is €195.31 million. The gas and electricity...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: School Meals Programme (25 Nov 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The school meals programme provides funding towards the provision of food to some 1,506 schools and organisations benefitting 230,000 children. The objective of the programme is to provide regular, nutritious food to children who are unable, due to lack of good quality food, to take full advantage of the education provided to them. The programme is an important component of policies to...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (23 Nov 2021)

Heather Humphreys: ...by my Department are Carer’s Allowance, Carer’s Benefit, Domiciliary Care Allowance and the Carer’s Support Grant. The estimated expenditure on Carer’s Allowance in 2021 is approximately €953 million. Combined spending on all these payments to carers in 2021 is estimated to be in the region of €1.5 billion. My Department has recently received...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Funding (16 Nov 2021)

Heather Humphreys: Our Rural Future, Ireland’s Rural Development Policy 2021-2025, recognises the opportunity for rural rejuvenation that remote working presents and also the potential of remote working hubs as key economic assets for our rural towns and villages. My Department operates a number of funding schemes that focus on projects supporting remote working through the development of hubs,...