Results 401-420 of 16,830 for are speaker:Heather Humphreys

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (30 May 2024)

Heather Humphreys: ...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 to those aged between 18 and 66. Blind Pension is the only income support payment designed to cater...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pensions (30 May 2024)

Heather Humphreys: ...a reduced rate contributory pension based on their social insurance record. The person concerned is in receipt of state pension non-contributory. Based on their assessed weekly means, they are entitled to a reduced-rate pension payment, together with a living alone increase, telephone support allowance and a fuel allowance (payable during the winter season). A review of the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (30 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 they have been in touch with the Deputy's office in relation to this case....

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (30 May 2024)

Heather Humphreys: ...2024, a review was undertaken on the person concerned entitlement for Fuel Allowance Based on the information provided to the Department, this person does not qualify for the allowance as they are not living alone, and their household consists of another individual who is not on qualifying payment for receipt of Fuel Allowance The person concerned was notified of this decision in...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (30 May 2024)

Heather Humphreys: ...in the immediate aftermath of emergency weather events under the Humanitarian Assistance Scheme. The Humanitarian Assistance Scheme, administered by my Department through the local Community Welfare Service, was activated to assist householders affected following Storm Babet. This scheme remains open to those affected by this weather event to apply for assistance. The purpose of the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (30 May 2024)

Heather Humphreys: My Department is committed to providing a quality service to all its customers and understands the many pressures faced by people. The Department always seeks to ensure that claims and reviews are processed quickly and efficiently. I wish to reassure the Deputy that claim processing is kept under active review, with all possible steps taken to improve processing times.? This includes...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Rural Schemes (30 May 2024)

Heather Humphreys: ...amount approved under each annual iteration of the scheme rather than in the calendar year. For example, Measure 1 projects under the ORIS 2023 scheme were formally announced at the start of 2024 but are included under the ORIS 2023 scheme below. I will announce approvals from the 2023 scheme under measures 2 and 3 very shortly. I expect to launch the 2024 scheme later in the year, as...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Paternity Leave (29 May 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Paternity Benefit is a payment for employed people who are on Paternity Leave from work and who satisfy certain PRSI contribution conditions and for self-employed people who satisfy the contribution conditions. It is paid for two weeks at €274 per week, the same rate as Maternity Benefit, Adoptive Benefit and Parent’s Benefit. Paternity benefit was paid to 27,111 recipients in...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Parental Leave (29 May 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Parental Leave allows parents to take 26 weeks unpaid leave for each eligible child before their twelfth birthday. My colleague the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth holds responsibility for Parental Leave. There is no associated benefit payable with Parental Leave. There is a separate scheme called Parent's Leave which is also the responsibility of...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Data (29 May 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The estimated full-year cost of a €1 increase in each of the social insurance schemes, social assistance schemes, other schemes is set out in the table below. The costs are on a full year basis and are based on the estimated number of recipients in 2024. It should be noted that these costings are subject to change in the context of emerging trends and associated revision of the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (29 May 2024)

Heather Humphreys: ...reinstate such a universal grant would have to be considered in an overall policy and budgetary context, including its actual effectiveness in helping people with funeral costs. It is worth noting that there are a range of supports available for people following bereavement which provide more significant support than the former grant. These include weekly-paid Widow's, Widower's...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Legislative Measures (29 May 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Social Welfare legislation provides for the payment of PRSI by way of employment contributions in respect of employment under a contract of service or apprenticeship. Self-employed persons who are employed under a contract for service pay PRSI by way of self-employment contributions. The Courts have long held that in determining whether a contract of employment is a contract of service...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: International Protection (29 May 2024)

Heather Humphreys: ...applicants who reside in accommodation provided by the International Protection Accommodation Services (IPAS) of the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth or who are on a waiting list to move into this accommodation. The DEA is paid to these applicants to allow them to meet incidental and personal expenditure and the current sole payment method for this...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (29 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. I confirm that my Department received an application for DA from the person concerned...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals (29 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 was registered in that office on 14...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (29 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. Applicants must have been incapable of work for at least 12 months and be likely to be incapable of work for at least another 12 months (you may have been getting...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (29 May 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 and Blind Pension. Invalidity Pension is a social insurance scheme paid from...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (29 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. I confirm that my Department received an application for DA from the person concerned...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals (29 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: State Pensions (29 May 2024)

Heather Humphreys: ...or qualifies for less than the maximum rate, they may instead qualify for one of the following: The means-tested State Pension (Non-Contributory) which is a means-tested payment (based on their share of household means) with a maximum payment of 95% of the State Pension (Contributory); or An increase for a qualified adult (based on their own means), amounting up to 90% of a full rate...