Results 1-20 of 25,502 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (16 May 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Domiciliary Care Allowance (DCA) is a monthly allowance payable in respect a child aged under 16 who has a severe disability requiring continual or continuous care and attention substantially in excess of the care and attention normally required by a child of the same age, and the child must be likely to require this level of care for at least 12 consecutive months. Where an application...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (16 May 2024)

Heather Humphreys: My Department administers more than 90 separate schemes and services, which affect the lives of almost every person in the State. We are fully committed to ensuring that members of the public are aware of the welfare supports and services available, and to promoting social security as an investment. My Department actively works to encourage take up of benefits and entitlements by promoting...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals (16 May 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 of her Carer’s Benefit claim was...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: School Meals Programme (16 May 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: Social Welfare Benefits (16 May 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Invalidity Pension (IP) 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 pay related social insurance (PRSI) contribution conditions. The Department received an application for IP from the person concerned on 8 December 2023. Upon examination of his application, the person was refused IP on the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (16 May 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The person concerned is currently in receipt of the increase for a qualified adult (IQA) on another person's State Pension Contributory (SPC). The IQA is a means-tested payment, payable to a claimant whose spouse, civil partner or cohabitant is being wholly or mainly maintained by them, and where that qualified adult’s personal means from any source does not exceed a means test...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals (16 May 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 there is no record of any appeal by the person concerned having been...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (16 May 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Invalidity Pension (IP) 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 pay related social insurance (PRSI) contribution conditions. My Department received an application for IP from the person concerned on 29 August 2023. Based on the information supplied, it was refused on the grounds that the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Public Services Card (16 May 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The Personal Public Service Number (PPSN) is the unique reference number for transactions between individuals and Government Departments and other public service providers, and forms part of the Public Services Identity (PSI) data set. Verification of a person’s identity is carried out during the SAFE Registration process following which a Public Services Card (PSC) is issued. A...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Schemes (16 May 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. In 2023, €44.68 million was paid in respect of approximately 1 million Optical Treatments. The process of conducting a review of the optical benefit...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (16 May 2024)

Heather Humphreys: One-Parent Family Payment (OFP) is a payment for parents under 66 years who are parenting without the support of a partner and whose youngest child is under 7 years of age. Following your representation, an OFP application form was posted to the person concerned on 15/05/2024. The fully completed application form can be returned to the Newbridge Intreo Centre, Moorefield Road, Newbridge,...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Rates (16 May 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. Following a successful appeal, the person concerned was awarded Disability Allowance on...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (16 May 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Under the Supplementary Welfare Allowance (SWA) scheme, my Department may make an Additional Needs Payment (ANP) to help meet essential expenditure which an eligible person could not reasonably be expected to meet from their weekly income. An ANP application can be made for assistance with funeral and burial expenses where there is an inability to pay these costs, in part or in full, by the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Rates (16 May 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Disability Allowance (DA) is a weekly benefit for eligible individuals with a disability expected to last over a year, subject to medical assessment, means testing, and Habitual Residency conditions. The Department approved a DA application for this individual on 10 August 2022, granting the maximum personal rate and additional payment for qualified child from the same date. As previously...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Funding (16 May 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The Local Improvement Scheme (LIS) supports the improvement of rural roads and laneways that are not normally maintained by local authorities. As part of Our Rural Future, my government is committed to ensuring that LIS is funded into the future. Since the re-introduction of the Scheme in 2017, my department has allocated almost €170 million to local authorities under the scheme....

Ceisteanna Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (15 May 2024)

Heather Humphreys: 1 o’clock As a former Minister with responsibility for business, I am somewhat aware of what the Deputy is referring to. I know the Irish Centre for High-End Computing, ICHEC, does a lot of work in that area. I cannot give the Deputy the detail as to why this has not happened but I am sure there is a good reason for it. I will ask the Minister to come back to the Deputy with...

Ceisteanna Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (15 May 2024)

Heather Humphreys: I have been to Cappoquin many times. It is a fine place and the Deputy is doing great work there. Funding of €3.3 million was announced for Ardmore and I know the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, was very keen that we would support it. That came under the rural regeneration development programme. The Gaeltacht areas get support when they put in applications. A Gaeltacht area...

Ceisteanna Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (15 May 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Wherever you draw the line when it comes to means tests, people will be either on this side of it or that side of it. There will always be winners and losers. No matter how high the bar goes, there will be losers. From June onwards, a carer can earn €900 per week, for a married couple, and it will not impact on their payment. That has been increased and kicks in in June. Coming up...

Ceisteanna Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (15 May 2024)

Heather Humphreys: I was here yesterday when Deputy Farrell raised this matter with the Taoiseach. He said he would raise the matter with the Minister and he agreed with what Deputy Farrell was saying. We are investing in apprenticeships to meet skills needs. The apprenticeship narrative in this country has completely changed and that is a good thing. If people are waiting, we will do everything we can to...

Ceisteanna Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (15 May 2024)

Heather Humphreys: I know the Tánaiste raises those matters with his counterpart, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, on every occasion he meets him. The last meetings were on 18 and 29 April and they were raised at those meetings. He will continue to do so. I will raise the Deputy's concerns with him.