Results 201-220 of 15,432 for speaker:Dara Calleary

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Social Welfare Benefits (19 Jun 2025)

Dara Calleary: I thank the Deputy for his feedback. We discussed this matter in the context of preparing a reply to his question. We are putting a huge number of resources into dealing with appeals. We have 20 extra staff who have been assigned to the appeals unit. They have been trained up and are working. The number of domiciliary care appeals decreased from approximately 1,200 in the middle of May...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Social Welfare Benefits (19 Jun 2025)

Dara Calleary: In recent weeks, I took the time to try to visit all the Department's regional offices in which many of these claims are dealt with, including our head office in Dublin. I met all the staff, and they are doing absolutely fantastic work. We have nearly 7,000 members of staff across the Department of Social Protection, many of whom are managing these claims and turning them around as quickly...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: School Costs (19 Jun 2025)

Dara Calleary: On the back-to-school clothing and footwear allowance for foster families, it was an anomaly that foster children could not qualify for this scheme. This was even to the extent that there could be foster children and other children within a family. Some of the children would have qualified and the foster children would not. I have corrected that anomaly. There are means tests, however,...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Child Poverty (19 Jun 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Government welcomes the publication of the fourth child poverty monitor. I acknowledge and thank the Children's Rights Alliance and its constituent members for the work they have put into this. The child poverty monitor draws on the survey on income and living conditions, SILC, 2024, which was published by the Central Statistics Office, CSO, in March 2025. It is based on a survey...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Child Poverty (19 Jun 2025)

Dara Calleary: I wish to reiterate that we are disappointed by the latest child poverty figures. However, it is important to recognise that in 2023, when the SILC income data was collected, the Government had not yet brought in free school meals for all primary schools, which we have now done, or free school books across second level, which we have now done. Those supports will make a difference to...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Social Welfare Eligibility (19 Jun 2025)

Dara Calleary: Absolutely. I am always open to any engagement with unions on this. This system was designed for workers who are going to be re-employed relatively quickly. Hopefully in the coming weeks, we will get the first signal of that, because the first cohort of people will be coming to the end of the top payment of 13 weeks. That payment declines as they are no longer employed so to do a full...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Social Welfare Code (19 Jun 2025)

Dara Calleary: Carer's benefit is, as the Deputy knows, a payment available to insured people who may need to leave work or reduce their hours to care for a person or people in need of full-time care and attention. It is financed from the Social Insurance Fund. Since January, the scheme has been extended to the self-employed. Recipients of carer's benefit were among the 138,000 carers who received a...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Social Welfare Code (19 Jun 2025)

Dara Calleary: Absolutely. I think in a couple of weeks the Deputy will see a full indication of this Government's ongoing commitment to carers. As he knows, the carer's benefit is subject to an earnings limit of €450 per week after tax. As part of budget 2025, the income limit will increase to €625 with effect from July, which will allow far more carers to avail of carer's benefit. We...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Social Welfare Code (19 Jun 2025)

Dara Calleary: I have met the carers' forum in the Department. I will continue to use that forum with carers' groups for consultation. I am sure the joint committee will have good input on that, as well as Deputies in this House. We have made changes this year. As I said, carer's benefit was extended to the self-employed as part of budget 2025. At the end of April, we had 139 applications from...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: School Costs (19 Jun 2025)

Dara Calleary: I thank the Deputy. I do not mind at all. The back-to-school clothing and footwear allowance scheme provides a once-off annual payment to eligible families to assist with the cost of clothing and footwear when children start or start back at school each autumn. Last year, the back-to-school clothing and footwear allowance payments totalled €57.04 million. This was paid to more...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Social Welfare Eligibility (19 Jun 2025)

Dara Calleary: Maidin mhaith ar ais duit, a Theachta. The new jobseeker's pay-related benefit was introduced at the end of March. This new social insurance-based income support has replaced the jobseeker's benefit scheme for those who have become fully unemployed since the commencement of the scheme on 31 March. On 7 June 2025, some 11,900 jobseeker's pay-related benefit claims had been awarded under...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Social Welfare Eligibility (19 Jun 2025)

Dara Calleary: I am always open to considering the Deputy's suggestions. We will be reviewing the jobseeker’s pay-related benefit after a year of operation. This is the first time in more than 40 years we have had such a benefit. In connection with other questions that have arisen, it will provide the foundation for other potential pay-related benefits. If there are relevant cases, the Deputy...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals (19 Jun 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Social Welfare Appeals Office of the Department of Social Protection is responsible for determining appeals against decisions in relation to social welfare entitlements. Appeals Officers are independent in their decision-making functions. I understand from the Chief Appeals Officer that there are currently 566 Domiciliary Care Allowance appeals on hands. This is down from a figure of...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (19 Jun 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Government is very conscious of the important role of foster carers in our society. Support for foster carers is the responsibility of my colleague, the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality, and Tusla, an agency under the aegis of that Department.The Foster Care Allowance is paid by Tusla. In 2025 it is paid at rate of €400 per week for children aged under 12 and...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (19 Jun 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Programme for Government commits to introducing a permanent annual Cost of Disability Support Payment with a view to incrementally increasing this payment.Developments in this area will build on progress made in recent years where steps have been taken in recognition of the additional costs associated with having a disability. Over the last four budgets, the Government has...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (19 Jun 2025)

Dara Calleary: My Department regularly monitors and reviews the processing times for the schemes it administers. The targets are reviewed each year as part of the Estimates process, and also form part of the Public Service Performance Report compiled by the Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, alongside other Departmental targets. The Comptroller and...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (19 Jun 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Fuel Allowance is a payment of €33 per week for 28 weeks. That is a total of €924 each year, available from late September to April, at an estimated cost of €400 million in 2025.The criteria for Fuel Allowance are framed in order to direct the limited resources available to my Department in as targeted a manner as possible. To qualify for the Fuel Allowance payment,...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (19 Jun 2025)

Dara Calleary: The parties to Government have agreed a number of commitments that are to be achieved over the lifetime of the Government, some of which are relevant to my Department.Deputies can be assured that I am determined to deliver on these commitments and will take the opportunity afforded at budget time each year to progress them as far as possible. Deputies will understand that not everything can...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals (19 Jun 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Social Welfare Appeals Office is responsible for determining appeals against decisions in relation to social welfare entitlements. Appeals Officers are independent in their decision-making functions. In 2023 the average processing time for Social Welfare Appeals was 16 weeks and 11,075 appeals were successful.In 2022 the average processing time for Social Welfare Appeals was 14.9 weeks...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (19 Jun 2025)

Dara Calleary: Under the Supplementary Welfare Allowance scheme, my Department can make Additional Needs Payments to help meet essential expenses that a person cannot pay from their weekly income. An application can be made under the Additional Needs Payment scheme for assistance with funeral and burial expenses where there is an inability to pay these costs, in part or in full, by the family of the...