Results 2,161-2,180 of 16,601 for speaker:Dara Calleary

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Schemes (7 May 2025)

Dara Calleary: Farm Assist is a statutory means-tested income support specifically for farmers on low incomes. There are approximately 3,400 claims in payment at present. The government has provided almost €47 million for the scheme in 2025. Under the Farm Assist means test, income from a range of agri-environmental schemes attract a disregard of €5,000, with 50% of the balance assessed...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Schemes (7 May 2025)

Dara Calleary: Carer's Allowance(CA) is a means-tested social assistance payment made to a person who is habitually resident in the State and who is providing full-time care and attention to a child or an adult who has such a disability that, as a result, they require that level of care. A primary qualifying condition for CA is that the applicant provides full-time care and attention to a person in need...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Data (7 May 2025)

Dara Calleary: My colleague the Minister for Health has lead responsibility for the Health (Assisted Human Reproduction) Act 2024. This complex and far-reaching legislation encompasses the regulation for the first time of a wide range of practices undertaken in this jurisdiction, including domestic altruistic surrogacy, but also provides for the regulation of future surrogacy arrangements undertaken by...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Bodies (7 May 2025)

Dara Calleary: The State bodies operating under the aegis of my Department are the Citizens Information Board, the Pensions Authority, the Pensions Council and the Social Welfare Tribunal. Of these State bodies, only the Citizens Information Board and the Pensions Authority are required to submit quarterly prompt payment reports. The data for the period in question is published quarterly on gov.ie at:...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Bodies (7 May 2025)

Dara Calleary: The State bodies operating under the aegis of my Department are the Citizens Information Board, the Pensions Authority, the Pensions Council and the Social Welfare Tribunal. Of these State bodies, only two are required to submit quarterly prompt payment reports - Citizens Information Board and the Pensions Authority. I can confirm that both bodies have submitted prompt payment reports...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Schemes (7 May 2025)

Dara Calleary: The purpose of the voluntary contributions scheme is to provide persons who were, but are no longer, compulsorily insured under the social insurance system with the opportunity to pay contributions directly to my Department. Voluntary contributions ensure continuity of social insurance for pension purposes during periods where former contributors are no longer insured as employed or...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Schemes (7 May 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Homemakers Scheme and Homecaring Periods are specific Pension Caring Supports within the State Pension system that give significant recognition to those whose work history includes extended periods outside of paid employment, often to raise families or in a full-time caring role. They are not qualifying contributions for the State Pension (Contributory) but can be used once a person has...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Schemes (7 May 2025)

Dara Calleary: As you will be aware, the Citizens Information Board (CIB), under the aegis of this Department, funds and supports eight Citizens Information Service (CIS) companies, to provide important information, advice and advocacy services to the public nationwide. As each CIS is an independent limited company overseen by a voluntary Board of Directors, each CIS company makes decisions independently...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Citizens Information Services (7 May 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Citizens Information Board (CIB) is the statutory body under my Department’s aegis, that funds and supports eight independent regional Citizen Information Service (CIS) companies, which in turn operate a national network of Citizens Information Centres. Each CIS is a limited company governed by a Board of Directors which make decisions independently on the delivery of services in...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Data (7 May 2025)

Dara Calleary: The new Programme for Government contains a commitment to introduce the Automatic Enrolment (AE) Retirement Savings System. The aim of introducing AE is to address the pension coverage gap that exists in Ireland and to provide workers with greater comfort and security regarding their retirement savings. The new system will be called 'My Future Fund'. It will automatically enrol all...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: School Costs (7 May 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance scheme provides a once-off payment to eligible families to assist with the costs of clothing and footwear when children start or return to school each autumn. The scheme operates from June to September each year. The allowance is payable in respect of eligible children between the ages of 4 and 17 in respect of whom a Child Support Payment...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Ministerial Responsibilities (7 May 2025)

Dara Calleary: Minister Buttimer was appointed as Minister of State at my Department and at the Department of Transport. With regard to functions in this Department the formal delegation of functions to the Minister of State will be concluded in the coming weeks, and once it is finalised and signed the relevant Order will be published on the Irish Statute book.

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Schemes (7 May 2025)

Dara Calleary: My Department supports a wide range of projects which provide essential and accessible facilities in towns and villages all across Ireland. The Department places a strong focus on ensuring that our schemes benefit all members of our communities including people who are neurodivergent. Details of the thousands of projects supported by my Department are available at Funding allocated by the...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Funding (7 May 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Local Improvement Scheme (LIS) supports improving non-public rural roads and laneways not usually maintained by local authorities. Since its establishment in 2017, almost €170 million has been provided by Government to local authorities for LIS and this includes funding allocations which have been provided to each local authority for the period 2024/2025. I have engaged with my...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Cycling Facilities (7 May 2025)

Dara Calleary: My Department is keen to continue to support the use of the Cycle to Work Scheme as a means of promoting a healthy lifestyle under our Health and Wellbeing Programme. The scheme is run within the parameters set out by Revenue. I've listed the number of applications processed each year from 2020 to 2024 in the table below. These figures are the combined figures for the Department of Rural...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Rural Schemes (7 May 2025)

Dara Calleary: The CLÁR programme provides funding under a number of different measures for small-scale infrastructural projects in designated rural areas. Maps of CLÁR designated areas, including in County Laois, are available on my Departments website. I have attached a copy of the CLÁR map showing designated areas in Co Laois. The Programme for Government makes a commitment to carry out a...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Bodies (7 May 2025)

Dara Calleary: I propose to take Questions Nos. 612 and 613 together. Details of payments made under the prompt payment legislation are published on a quarterly basis on my Department’s website at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/organisation-information/294dc7-financial-info rmation/. This includes information for one agency, the Charities Regulator, as their payments are processed through the...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Heritage Projects (7 May 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Rural Regeneration and Development Fund (RRDF) is a capital investment fund that is key to the delivery of Ireland's rural development policy, Our Rural Future 2021-2025. RRDF provides funding for the development and construction of capital projects in towns and villages in rural areas across Ireland. Funding is allocated to local authorities and other State-funded bodies, who take the...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Funding (7 May 2025)

Dara Calleary: The development and enhancement of community centres across the country is a priority for me and this Government. Full details of the supports available within my Department, including those for community centres, can be accessed at This information also outlines the eligibility criteria for each scheme, including the type of organisations who can apply for funds, be they a sporting or...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: School Meals Programme (1 May 2025)

Dara Calleary: I agree with the Deputy entirely. We want this scheme to work. We will do the final roll-out in September so that every primary school pupil in the country will have had the opportunity to have hot school meals within their school. At that time I intend to stand back and examine at the scheme to see where it has been working and where it has not. I will be very focused on DEIS secondary...