Results 181-200 of 16,698 for are speaker:Heather Humphreys

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Social Insurance (11 Jun 2024)

Heather Humphreys: ...detached from reality. With him, it is usually a case of spend, spend, spend on the grounds that somebody else can pay for it. That is how he operates. He got his answer at the weekend. People are not buying his view. The Government parties won over 500 seats and his political grouping won 13. That tells him all he needs to know. These are very modest increases. There is an...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Social Insurance (11 Jun 2024)

Heather Humphreys: ...sustainable. The proposal is for small incremental increases across the board. If you target one cohort alone, the amount will have to be bigger; it is as simple as that. Therefore, what we are doing is right.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Social Welfare Appeals (11 Jun 2024)

Heather Humphreys: ...ask for a review and if the review fails it then goes to an appeal. Often the issue gets resolved at review stage because maybe further information has been provided and then it goes through. We are changing the system. It has been modernised to improve the efficiencies and to decide quicker. I understand how important it is that people get an answer quickly because it can be worrying...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Social Welfare Rates (11 Jun 2024)

Heather Humphreys: ...prices into 2024. As part of this package, a wide range of lump-sum payments were paid in late 2023 and into 2024. These included supports for low-income working families, people with disabilities, carers, those living alone and those in receipt of the fuel allowance. A double bonus payment was paid both at Christmas and in January. I was also pleased to announce key reforms such as...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Social Welfare Rates (11 Jun 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Yes we have a number of schemes. There is the basic payment and then there are social transfers that also kick in depending on family size and depending on the situation. A number of different variables are taken into account when determining the default payment a family receives from social welfare. These variables are reviewed every year when I look at them. There are other things I...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Social Welfare Rates (11 Jun 2024)

Heather Humphreys: ...is no longer taken into consideration as part of the means test. A person does not have to go to court to prove what he or she is getting or not getting. All of that is being disregarded and one-parent families are now able to make their claim without the need for recourse to the courts. That maintenance is for the children and now it is not included as part of the means test. I was...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Social Welfare Appeals (11 Jun 2024)

Heather Humphreys: I thank the Deputy for raising this matter and for his kind comments about the staff of the Department. The social welfare appeals office is an office of the Department of Social Protection which is responsible for determining appeals against decisions relating to social welfare entitlements. Appeals officers are independent in their decision-making functions. Significant efforts and...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Social Welfare Appeals (11 Jun 2024)

Heather Humphreys: ...eventually. I will get that detail to him. For an appeal decided without an oral hearing, the average processing time was 17.6 weeks and for those with an oral hearing it was 29.2 weeks. We are trying to improve the system. It has been upgraded and the modernisation project is under way so we are trying to improve the times.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Citizens Information Services (11 Jun 2024)

Heather Humphreys: I am very aware of and wish to acknowledge the important advocacy services that the National Advocacy Service provides to adults with disabilities across the country, helping to ensure their wishes and preferences are heard in decisions that affect their everyday lives. As you are aware, the National Advocacy Service is a company limited by guarantee, and a registered charity. It is funded to...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (11 Jun 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Habitual residence is a condition that must be satisfied in order to qualify for certain social welfare payments and applies to everyone, irrespective of nationality. The habitual residence condition (HRC) consists of two parts, both of which need to be satisfied. The first part of HRC requires the person to have an unconditional, established right of residence in this country i.e. they are...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals (11 Jun 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 of the available evidence at...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals (11 Jun 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 the current response time to the Oireachtas representatives’ email...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (11 Jun 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The Social Welfare (Covid-19) (Amendment) Act 2020, provided, amongst other provisions, for the attribution of social insurance contributions to insured persons who were beneficiaries of certain Covid-19 income support payments. These payments included the pandemic unemployment payment and the temporary wage subsidy scheme. Consequently, self-employed individuals who were in receipt of the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: International Protection (11 Jun 2024)

Heather Humphreys: My department administers the Daily Expenses Allowance (DEA) which is paid to protection applicants who reside in, or are waiting for, accommodation provided by the International Protection Accommodation Services (IPAS). The current weekly rates of payment are €38.80 per adult and €29.80 per child. An increased rate of €113.80 per week for an adult applies where a person...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (11 Jun 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Illness benefit is the primary short term income support provided by my Department to those who are unable to work due to illness of any type and who are covered by social insurance. Eligibility for illness benefit depends on the person’s PRSI record and class. The person must have made the required number of contributions under class A, E, H or P to qualify. In general, self-employed...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals (11 Jun 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 average processing times for all appeals finalised in 2023 was 16 weeks. Significant efforts and resources have been devoted to...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Legislative Measures (11 Jun 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The following Bills are currently before the Oireachtas, which I expect to see enacted before the summer recess: The Automatic Enrolment Retirement Savings Systems Bill 2024 has completed all stages in Dáil Éireann and Second Stage in Seanad Éireann. Committee and Report Stages in the Seanad are scheduled for 19th June 2024. This Bill is designed to give legislative effect to...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (11 Jun 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 contribution conditions. The spouse of the person referred to was awarded IP from 23 August 2007 which was due to go into payment from 08 November 2007. However, as he passed away on 5 November 2007, he did not receive any IP...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (11 Jun 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 Code (11 Jun 2024)

Heather Humphreys: ...pension. The Supreme Court judgment overruled a previous High Court decision and found in favour of the claimant and his children. In simple terms, the Court found that section 124 of the Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005 (as amended) is inconsistent with the Constitution insofar as it excluded the claimant from the category of persons entitled to benefit from it. The Court reached...