Results 301-320 of 20,274 for in 'Written Answers' speaker:Heather Humphreys

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (9 Apr 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Persons entitled to receive their social welfare benefit abroad are also entitled with once of bonuses to help with the cost of living. This includes, for example, recipients of State Pension Contributory, Widow's, Widower's or Surviving Civil Partner's (Contributory) Pension or Invalidity Pension. In 2023 there were approximately 63,000 recipients receiving 91,000 cost of living allowance...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (9 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 can confirm that my Department received an application for DA from the person...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Contracts (9 Apr 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The costs paid by the Department for external security at INTREO offices in 2023 and up to 31 March 2024 are stated in the below table: Year Company Contract expiration Total Paid for INTREO office security (€) 2023 (1 Jan – 31 Dec) SAR Security 30/09/24 €2,325,097.94 2024 (1...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (9 Apr 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Fuel allowance (FA) is a means-tested payment to assist householders on long-term social welfare payments and persons aged over 70 with the cost of their winter heating needs. Qualification for FA is subject to satisfying all the relevant qualifying conditions. Further to Dáil Question No. 230, the person concerned was awarded a FA payment of €594 which was paid with their...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (9 Apr 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Recipients of certain social welfare payments can claim an increase in their payment in respect of a qualified adult, subject to a means assessment. A qualified adult is the spouse, civil partner or cohabitant of the recipient who is being wholly or mainly maintained by that claimant. The information requested is not readily available. My Department is in the process of collating the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals (9 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 in relation to a decision on Disability...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pensions (9 Apr 2024)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 793, 795 and 796 together. The Roadmap for Social Inclusion contains a commitment to develop a benchmarking approach for use in adjusting the value of State pension payments. The approach proposed by the Department, known as the smoothed earnings approach, was subsequently endorsed by the Pensions Commission. Government subsequently decided that the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pensions (9 Apr 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The Department of Social Protection provides income supports through a mixture of contributory payments (which are based on a person's social insurance record) and means-tested social assistance payments. The State Pension (Non-contributory) is a means-tested payment for people aged 66 and over, habitually residing in the State, who do not qualify for a State Pension (Contributory), or who...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (9 Apr 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The Household Benefits Package comprises the electricity or gas allowance, and the free television licence. The Department of Social Protection will spend approximately €285 million this year on the Household Benefits Package for over 521,000 customers. People over the age of 70 receive the Household Benefits package, with one package provided per household. The package is also...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Pension Provisions (9 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 the Minister for Social Protection. Implementation of the AE system is well underway, with the Automatic Enrolment Retirement Savings System Bill 2024 now published and a tender process to contract for administration services being well advanced....

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Redundancy Payments (9 Apr 2024)

Heather Humphreys: It is an employer’s responsibility to pay statutory redundancy payments to all eligible employees. In the event that an employer is unable to pay due to financial difficulties, an application from the employer on behalf of an employee may be submitted to the Department for payment from the Social Insurance Fund. When a payment is made from the Social Insurance Fund, a debt for this...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Widow's Pension (9 Apr 2024)

Heather Humphreys: To qualify for widow's, widower's or surviving civil partner's contributory pension, a person must satisfy certain social insurance conditions, based on either their own or their late spouse's or civil partner’s record. The social insurance record of the person concerned comprises 539 paid and credited Irish social insurance contributions in respect of the period between 1997 and...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pensions (9 Apr 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The person concerned reached 66 years of age on 11 June 2015. Following the Government Decision in 2018 to introduce a Total Contributions Approach (TCA) to the calculation of State Pension (contributory), pensioners who reached pension age from September 2012 (i.e., those born on or after 1 September 1946) had their pension reviewed using this method of calculation. The pension...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Code (9 Apr 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Domiciliary Care Allowance is a monthly payment to a parent or guardian for a child aged up to 16 who has a severe disability and requires care and attention substantially over and above that required by other children their age. It ceases to be payable when a child reaches 16 years of age. The young person can then apply for Disability Allowance if they meet the eligibility requirements. ...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals (9 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 26th March 2024....

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Insurance (9 Apr 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Invalidity pension is a long-term income support payable to an insured person who satisfies certain PRSI contribution conditions and who is permanently incapable of work due to an illness or incapacity. Access to invalidity pension is available to class S self-employed contributors to protect them in the event of long-term injury or disablement. Illness Benefit is the primary short term...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (9 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. The person concerned applied for Child Benefit in June 2023. This claim was disallowed as she did not satisfy the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Employment Support Services (9 Apr 2024)

Heather Humphreys: In March 2022, the EU adopted the Temporary Protection Directive, which allows people arriving from Ukraine under the Temporary Directive to move through the EU as EU citizens. They are also entitled to avail of income supports from my Department. Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection who are in receipt of Jobseekers Allowance are subject to the same eligibility conditions as all other...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Code (9 Apr 2024)

Heather Humphreys: There are a number of control checks in place to ensure people in receipt of Jobseekers Allowance continue to meet the conditions for the payment they receive, including checks to ensure they are resident in the country. These checks include in person ‘signing-on’ at a DSP Intreo Centre and collection of payment at the Post Office. These control checks apply to all recipients...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (9 Apr 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The Fuel Allowance is a payment of €33 per week for 28 weeks (a total of €924 each year) from late September to April, at an estimated cost of €382 million in 2024. The purpose of this payment is to assist these households with their energy costs. Only one allowance is paid per household. While the Departments schemes are reviewed on an ongoing basis any further...