Results 81-100 of 20,109 for in 'Written Answers' speaker:Heather Humphreys

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Schemes (11 Apr 2024)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 272 to 276, inclusive, together. Our Rural Future, Ireland's Rural Development Policy 2021 – 2025 represents the Irish Government’s blueprint for the development of rural Ireland. It sets out a range of actions for delivery across Government, and sets the strategic framework for the delivery of capital investment under my Department's Rural...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals (10 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 the evidence, disallowed the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (10 Apr 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The data requested by the Deputy is shown in the attached tabular statement. Scheme Number of recipients end December 2023 Blind Persons Pension 968 Carer's Allowance 95,787 Carer's Benefit 3,904 Illness Benefit 56,806 Disablement Benefit 14,513 ...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (10 Apr 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Parental leave is a matter for my colleague, the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth. I hold responsibility for the associated benefit payments. Parent's Leave and Benefit are currently available for seven weeks to all eligible parents of children born or adopted from 1 November 2019 and must be availed of within the first two years of the child’s...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pensions (10 Apr 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The person concerned reached state pension age on 11 June 2017. An application for the state pension contributory and state pension (non-contributory) were received in my Department prior to the person reaching pension age. Officials in my Department examined entitlement to both pensions. It was decided that the person concerned had an entitlement to the state pension (non-contributory)...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Schemes (10 Apr 2024)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 95 and 96 together. The Free Travel scheme provides free travel on the main public and private transport services for those eligible under the scheme. There are over one million customers with direct eligibility. This increases to 1.75million customers when spouses and companions are included. The estimated expenditure on the Free Travel in 2024 is...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pensions (10 Apr 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The governing social welfare legislation for backdating payments is contained in section 241 of the Social Welfare Consolidation Act, 2005 (as amended) and Article 186 of Social Welfare (Consolidated Claims, Payments and Control) Regulations 2007 (S.I. 142 of 2007). This legislation specifies the rules regarding backdating for a range of payments. The legislation provides for...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Schemes (10 Apr 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The Town and Village Renewal Scheme 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 over €156 million has been allocated to more than 1,700 projects across Ireland. As committed under Our Rural Future, Ireland's rural development policy, and in line with the Town Centre First...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Rural Schemes (10 Apr 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The LEADER Programme is a key intervention of Our Rural Future, the Government’s Policy for rural development which aims to deliver a range of actions to rural communities over the lifetime of the policy. It supports a broad range of activities which aim to respond to the diversity of the local needs of our rural areas. The LEADER Food Initiative was launched by my Department and...

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

Heather Humphreys: Child Benefit is a universal monthly payment made to families with children up to the age of 16 years. The payment continues to be paid in respect of children until their eighteenth birthday who are in full-time education, or who have a disability. In Budget 2024, the Government decided to extend the payment of Child Benefit to 18-year-olds who are in full-time education or have a...

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

Heather Humphreys: Invalidity Pension is a payment for people who are permanently incapable of work because of illness or incapacity and for no other reason and who satisfy the contribution conditions. Following a successful appeal, the person concerned has been awarded Invalidity Pension with effect from 3 November 2022 and will receive their first payment to their nominated bank account on 4 April 2024....

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

Heather Humphreys: Child Benefit is a monthly payment made to families with children up to the age of 16 years. Currently, the payment continues to be paid in respect of children until their 18th birthday where they are in full-time education, or have a disability. In Budget 2024, the Government decided to extend the payment of Child Benefit to 18-year-olds who are in full-time education or have a...

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

Heather Humphreys: New legislation to bring into effect a revised approach to supporting new arrivals from Ukraine has been implemented from 14 March 2024. Under the revised approach, anyone fleeing the war in Ukraine who seeks State-provided accommodation in Ireland will be accommodated for a maximum of 90 days. During this time, they will be provided with food, laundry, other services and integration...

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

Heather Humphreys: My Department provides a suite of income supports for those who are unable to work due to an illness or disability. These include contributory payments based on PRSI contributions, such as Illness Benefit and Invalidity Pension, and non-contributory payments based on a means test, such as Disability Allowance. Entitlement to these supports is contingent on the extent to which a...

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

Heather Humphreys: My Department provides a suite of income supports for those unable to work due to illness or disability. These include insurance-based schemes, based on Pay Related Social Insurance (PRSI) contributions, and means-tested social assistance schemes. The primary social assistance scheme for people who are blind or visually impaired is the Blind Pension, which is a means-tested payment payable...

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

Heather Humphreys: To date in 2024, no foreign travel or accommodation costs were incurred by the Department of Social Protection to cover costs associated with Ministerial visits abroad. I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

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

Heather Humphreys: The Department of Social Protection does not own or lease any properties. With the exception of the Department headquarters - Áras Mhic Dhiarmada, Store Street, Dublin 1, which is held by the Minister on behalf of the Social Insurance Fund, all buildings and property occupied by the Department of Social Protection, are owned or leased by the Office of Public Works.

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

Heather Humphreys: The person concerned submitted a One Parent Family (OPF) claim on 25/01/2024. On February 13th, the claim was disallowed on the basis the person concerned is not separated from her spouse/partner. This decision was made under Section 172(1)(c) & Section 177(a) of the Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005, as amended, and Article 125 of S.I. No. 142 of 2007, as amended. The person...

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

Heather Humphreys: Child Benefit is a monthly payment made to families with children up to the age of 16 years. Currently, the payment continues to be paid in respect of children until their 18th birthday who are in full-time education, or who have a disability. From May 1st, Child Benefit will be paid to anyone who is 18 and in full-time education (including 3rd level), or who has a disability, up until...

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

Heather Humphreys: The proposal referred to in the question had been considered by officials in my Department and elsewhere previously. Then, in the context of the Pensions Council being the independent statutory body established to provide the Minister with advice on pensions matters, I requested the Council, in April 2023, to provide me with its own assessment of the proposal under five different headings. ...