Results 201-220 of 15,792 for speaker:Dara Calleary

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Maternity Leave (10 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: My colleague the Minister for Health has 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 Irish...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (10 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: Working Family Payment (WFP), formerly Family Income Supplement, is a weekly in-work support which provides an income top-up for employees on low earnings with children. To qualify for Working Family Payment the customer must have at least 1 qualified child who normally resides with them and be working a minimum of 38 hours per fortnight in ongoing insurable employment. A WFP application...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (10 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: 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 medical assessment, a means test, and habitual residency conditions. I can confirm the Department received an application for DA from the person concerned...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (10 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: Carer's Benefit is a payment made to insured people who leave the workforce or reduce their working hours to care for a child or an adult in need of full-time care and attention. To qualify, the carer must satisfy PRSI conditions, employment conditions, show that they are providing full-time care and attention, and show that the care recipient requires full-time care and attention. An...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Schemes (10 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: Carer’s Allowance is the main scheme by which the Department provides income support to carers in the community. Carer’s Allowance is a means tested social assistance payment awarded to those who are caring for people who need full-time care and attention. Like other income supports the payment is intended to provide an income support for people who cannot earn income through...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Artificial Intelligence (10 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: My Department is currently examining the potential future use of Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) technologies. This has involved active participation in several stakeholder groups, such as, the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment's working group on the implementation of EU AI Act. An A.I. Chatbot on the MyGovID platform is currently in use, providing real-time advice to customers...

Written Answers — Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Flexible Work Practices (10 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: Our Rural Future recognises the opportunity for rural rejuvenation that remote working presents and commits to establishing a comprehensive and integrated national network of 400 remote working hubs by the end of 2025. There are currently 387 remote and co-working facilities across the country on-boarded to the platform, including nine in County Kildare. Details of all the onboarded hubs...

Written Answers — Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Departmental Expenditure (10 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: My Department has a strong commitment to developing its staff; to build appropriate skills and expertise, and also to support their efforts in the area of self-development and life-long learning. Each year, staff are offered the opportunity to receive funding to study a second or third level course through the Department's Education Support Scheme. This scheme operates in line with Circular...

Written Answers — Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Artificial Intelligence (10 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: My Department follows the guidance issued by the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) and the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (OGCIO) on the responsible use of Artificial Intelligence (AI). The NCSC guidance recommends that new AI technology should only be adopted based on a clearly defined business need following an appropriate risk assessment. My Department’s...

Written Answers — Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Community Development Projects (10 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Community Centre Investment Fund (CCIF) has provided approximately €110 million since 2022 for the enhancement and refurbishment of existing community centres and the construction of new centres. I am committed to delivering further iterations of the scheme in the coming years in line with the commitment in the Programme for Government for this to become a permanent rolling...

Seanad: Social Welfare (Bereaved Partner’s Pension and Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2025: Second Stage (9 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: As Senators know, in January 2024 the Supreme Court overturned the Department’s decision not to pay the widower’s contributory pension to Mr. Johnny O’Meara. At the outset of this debate, and as I have done constantly throughout all of the debates, I want to acknowledge the tremendous loss that Johnny O’Meara and his family have suffered. Johnny’s...

Seanad: Social Welfare (Bereaved Partner’s Pension and Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2025: Second Stage (9 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: I apologise. I have been called to the Dáil for a vote.

Seanad: Social Welfare (Bereaved Partner’s Pension and Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2025: Second Stage (9 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: I will be back.

Seanad: Social Welfare (Bereaved Partner’s Pension and Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2025: Second Stage (9 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: I first apologise to the House for the suspension. There are no pairs available. I have great respect for the House and did not wish to interrupt Senator Craughwell's contribution and the business of the House. I thank all those who participated in this debate for their contributions. While there are individual differences on aspects of the Bill, it is clear there is broad support for...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (9 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: Domiciliary Care Allowance (DCA) is payable to a parent / guardian in respect of a child aged under 16 who has a severe disability requiring continual or continuous care and attention substantially in excess of the care and attention normally required by a child of the same age and where the level of the child's disability is such that the child is likely to require this level of care and...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (9 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Programme for Government has clearly set out a timeline which commits to significantly increasing the income disregards for Carer’s Allowance in each Budget with a view to phasing out the means test during the lifetime of the Government. This is a major change to the Carer's Allowance and to the Irish social welfare system generally.  It is important that we make progress...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (9 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: Domiciliary Care Allowance is a monthly non-means-tested payment of €360 to a parent or guardian for a child aged up to 16 who has a severe disability. The child must require care and attention substantially greater than that required by other children of the same age. Domiciliary Care Allowance stops being paid when a child reaches 16 years of age. This aligns with the age of...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (9 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Bereavement Grant, which was a once-off payment for funeral costs, was discontinued in January 2014. In this context, it is worth noting that there are other supports available for people following bereavement which provide more significant support than the former grant. These include the Widowed or Surviving Civil Partner grant, which is a once-off payment of €8,000 available...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (9 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: My Department provides a suite of income supports for those unable to work due to illness or disability. 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, and...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Isolation (9 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Roadmap for Social Inclusion 2020-2025 is a whole of Government strategy, with a five-year timeframe, that aims to reduce consistent poverty to 2% or less, and to make Ireland one of the most socially inclusive countries in the EU. The Roadmap, published in January 2020, is an overarching statement of Government strategy, which acknowledges the range of sectoral plans already in place...