Results 141-160 of 1,060,644 for in 'Dáil debates' OR (speaker:Violet-Anne Wynne OR speaker:Seán Fleming OR speaker:Damien English OR speaker:Paul Kehoe) in 'Committee meetings'

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Social Welfare Code (24 Sep 2024)

Heather Humphreys: It has been increased over the years. It started at ten hours, then went to 15 hours and the most recent increase was to 18.5 hours. We need to strike a balance here because a person needs to provide full-time care and attention and when that 18.5 hours is added to the 34 or 35 hours of care that must be provided, that is a good few hours. There are a lot of things I would like to do in...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Social Welfare Code (24 Sep 2024)

Denis Naughten: I will raise it tomorrow morning, early.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Social Welfare Code (24 Sep 2024)

Heather Humphreys: I increased the income disregards in the last budget and I always look at everything. I have taken a number of steps in recent budgets. In November, a €400 lump sum was paid to people who receive the carer's support grant. A Christmas bonus of a double payment was paid to people who are in receipt of carer's allowance and carer's benefit. I have increased the domiciliary care...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Social Welfare Code (24 Sep 2024)

Denis Naughten: What I am looking for here is a small bit of discretion with the social welfare officers rather than having the 18.5 hours set in stone. We are probably speaking about maybe 15 or 20 people in total across the State who would avail of this where their son or daughter is in full-time education or training, he or she is picked up in the morning and dropped home in the evening and for the rest...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Social Welfare Code (24 Sep 2024)

Heather Humphreys: A person has to be caring for 35 hours to qualify for the carer's allowance. He or she is allowed to work for 18.5 hours, so that brings it up to 53.5 hours per week. That is a fair week's work, in fairness, when both are done. The Deputy made a point and I do not disagree with him. Sometimes discretion can be great and then sometimes it can land you into a lot of bother, depending on who...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Social Welfare Code (24 Sep 2024)

Seán Ó Fearghaíl: We move to Question No. 10 which is also in the name of Deputy Naughten.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Social Welfare Code (24 Sep 2024)

Question No. 9 taken with Written Answers.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Employment Support Services (24 Sep 2024)

Employment Support Services

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Employment Support Services (24 Sep 2024)

Denis Naughten: 10. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the steps she is taking to increase part-time employment participation levels among those in receipt of jobseekers payments from her Department; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37489/24]

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Employment Support Services (24 Sep 2024)

Denis Naughten: This question has come up consistently at our Oireachtas committee from people who are involved in the caring profession such as home support workers, home helps and staff such as those. They find it very difficult to get staff to take on these roles and the social welfare rules, where someone can only work for up to three days per week, acts as a barrier.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Employment Support Services (24 Sep 2024)

Heather Humphreys: My Department delivers a range of supports to help people in receipt of a jobseekers payment to secure and sustain full-time employment. The Intreo employment service works with jobseekers on an individualised basis to identify skills, work experience and work preferences with a view to matching people to suitable job opportunities and to address skills gaps or training needs by referring...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Employment Support Services (24 Sep 2024)

Denis Naughten: The problem is that this concept of working three days per week comes from when I was in short pants. The reality is someone can work up to 24 hours per week and still receive a social welfare payment if he or she does it over three days. However, if someone works two hours per day as a home help for five days per week, he or she cannot get it. The difficulty is that if he or she is...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Employment Support Services (24 Sep 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The Deputy mentioned the case of people who want to do home help work for two or three hours per morning five days per week as opposed to working for three full days. This issue has been raised with me by these organisations as well. The aim is to get people into full-time work, not to subsidise employers because that could have unintended consequences. There are more people working...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Employment Support Services (24 Sep 2024)

Denis Naughten: The fact is that under the social welfare code as it stands a person can work for eight hours per day, three days per week - that is, 24 hours of work - and still receive a social welfare support under the jobseeker's payment. However, a person cannot work for four hours per day, five days per week. He or she is denied it even though they are working four hours fewer per week as a result of...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Employment Support Services (24 Sep 2024)

Heather Humphreys: I have considered this issue but I do not want to be in the position where we are subsidising employers to give people fewer hours either. I want to be conscious of that and we have looked at many different ways to incentivise people to get back to full-time work because that is where we want them. I know this is an issue and it is certainly something we have looked at. I will look at it...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Covid-19 Pandemic (24 Sep 2024)

Denis Naughten: I refer to the publication last August in Nature Medicine by Dr. Al-Aly and his team. He works in Washington University with veterans. They looked at studies all over the globe on long Covid. They made the point that recovery rates are extremely low after one year. Medical officers in the Minister's Department based in Longford have been taking a flexible approach in relation to patients...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Covid-19 Pandemic (24 Sep 2024)

Heather Humphreys: I have not seen the report to which the Deputy referred. I know he has done a great deal of work representing people with long Covid. He has highlighted the issue on many occasions. I too have met people in my constituency office who told me they still feel the effects of Covid and are unable to do the same things physically they could before they had it. There are a number of existing...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Covid-19 Pandemic (24 Sep 2024)

Denis Naughten: I will come back to the report again. One of the points made in the report is that there needs to be streamlining of disability benefit processes. I accept that schemes are available from the Minister's Department but it would be better if it was clearly defined on the Department's website, "If you have the symptoms of long Covid for a period of time, these are the options available to...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Covid-19 Pandemic (24 Sep 2024)

Heather Humphreys: In fairness to most employers, generally they try to be flexible because my attitude has always been, if you give a little you usually get far more back. Partial capacity payment should perhaps be promoted more; I accept that. To be fair to the Department of Social Protection, it is good at telling people the options available to them when it replies to them. We will make sure they are...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Covid-19 Pandemic (24 Sep 2024)

Questions Nos. 3, 5 and 6 taken with Written Answers.