Results 181-200 of 20,087 for in 'Written Answers' speaker:Heather Humphreys

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (20 Mar 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The main income supports to carers provided by my department 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. Carer's Benefit is available to people who leave the workforce or reduce their working hours to care for a child or an adult...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Offices (20 Mar 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 significant efforts and resources have been devoted to improvements in...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Staff (20 Mar 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 table below confirms the number of staff in the Social Welfare Appeals office for the past five years. Appeals...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals (20 Mar 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 table below confirms the number of appeals registered by the Social Welfare Appeals office for the past five years. ...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals (20 Mar 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 table below confirms the average time it has taken to complete appeals submitted to the Independent Social Welfare Appeals...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals (20 Mar 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 Invalidity Pension appeal by the person concerned was received in that...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (20 Mar 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 confirm that my Department received an application for Carer’s Allowance (CA) from the person concerned on 9...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (20 Mar 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The Department of Social Protection operates its contract for cash payment services with An Post. The Department and An Post agreed a protocol in 2014, which was renewed in 2019, governing the forms of identification which claimants, or their agents, must produce in order to collect payments. There has been no change in this agreed protocol or in the forms of identification required of...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Schemes (20 Mar 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Under the Supplementary Welfare Allowance (SWA) scheme, my Department may make an Additional Needs Payment (ANP) to help meet expenses that an eligible person cannot pay from their weekly income. This is an overarching term used to refer to Exceptional Needs Payments (ENPs) and Urgent Needs Payments (UNPs), and certain supplements to assist with ongoing or recurring costs that cannot be met...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Schemes (20 Mar 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The Treatment Benefit Scheme provides dental, optical and aural services to insured workers, the self-employed, retired people and their dependent spouse/partner who have the required number of social insurance (PRSI) contributions. The Department have been in contact with Optometry Ireland as the representative body for Optical practitioners in Ireland and have discussed a provisional...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Schemes (20 Mar 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The Treatment Benefit Scheme provides dental, optical and aural services to insured workers, the self-employed, retired people and their dependent spouse/partner who have the required number of social insurance (PRSI) contributions. The Department have been in contact with a representative body for Optical practitioners in Ireland and have discussed a provisional date for meeting to review...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Code (20 Mar 2024)

Heather Humphreys: I wish to inform the Deputy that his question is proper to my colleague, the Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly, T.D.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (20 Mar 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Jobseekers Benefit has been awarded under the part-time option for the person concerned. A personal rate of €232.00 per week, payable from 29/01/2024 has been awarded. Payment including arrears will issue to the persons nominated bank account on the 15/03/2024. A decision letter outlining this was issued to the person concerned on 12/03/2024.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic (20 Mar 2024)

Heather Humphreys: In November 2023, I published and laid a report before the Oireachtas entitled ‘Report on measures to include long COVID in the Occupational Injuries Benefit Regulations’. This report concluded that COVID-19 does not satisfy the criteria for recognition as an occupational illness under the Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005. A copy of the report can be found at: gov.ie -...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (20 Mar 2024)

Heather Humphreys: As part of Budgets 2023 and 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...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (20 Mar 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The records of my Department show that the payment details of the person concerned were sent to the Revenue Commissioners as part of our usual reporting in both 2023 and 2024. I have arranged for pension statements for 2023 and 2024 to issue to the person concerned which they may wish to forward to the Revenue Commissioners directly to assist with resolving the issue. I hope this clarifies...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (20 Mar 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The person concerned is claiming their state pension (contributory) from 7 April 2024. According to the records of my department, the person concerned has a total of 1,446 contributions and credits from 1973 to 2024 giving a yearly average of 28. Based on this record, the State Pension (contributory) has been awarded at the reduced weekly rate of €249.30 from 7th April 2024. As...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Gender Recognition (20 Mar 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Social Welfare payments, both benefit and assistance, are generally based on specific contingencies such as pregnancy, illness, unemployment, age etc. Where a person is in receipt of such a benefit or allowance, they will have met the criteria around the payment and therefore, a change of gender under section 8 of the Gender Recognition Act 2015, would not cause a payment to be lost. I trust...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals (20 Mar 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 system is underpinned by legislation which sets down the roles, powers and functions of the Social...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Funding (20 Mar 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The amounts received by non-governmental organisations in receipt of funding from the Department under the Miscellaneous Services subhead in 2022, 2023 and the allocation in 2024 is is outlined in the table below. - 2022 Outturn 2023 Provisional Outturn 2024 Revised Estimate €000 €000 €000 ...