Results 301-320 of 14,528 for speaker:Dara Calleary

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Schemes (29 Apr 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Free Travel scheme provides free travel on the main public transport services and on private transport services operating the Free Travel scheme. As part of Budget 2025, the government announced that from September 2025, all those aged 70 years or over in receipt of Free Travel will have an entitlement to receive a Free Travel Companion Public Services Card (PSC). This means those...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (29 Apr 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Basic Supplementary Welfare Allowance provides immediate assistance for those in need who are awaiting the outcome of a claim or an appeal for a primary social welfare payment or do not qualify for payment under other State schemes. It is a means tested payment and takes account of the income a person or couple has in terms of cash, property - other than the family home - and capital. It...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Contracts (29 Apr 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Department currently holds five contracts with the company in question. All contracts were for ICT related work and were awarded from the Departments ICT framework; of which the company is one of the members. My Department publishes details of all contracts awarded over €25k every quarter on gov.ie: .

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (29 Apr 2025)

Dara Calleary: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1416 and 1444 together. The Humanitarian Assistance Scheme (HAS), administered by my department through the Community Welfare Service (CWS), was activated on 23 January 2025 to assist householders affected across the country by Storm Éowyn. Humanitarian assistance is available in three stages. Stage 1 of the HAS is available to people while they are...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: School Meals Programme (29 Apr 2025)

Dara Calleary: The objective of the School Meals Programme is to provide regular, nutritious food to children to support them in taking full advantage of the education provided to them. The programme is an important component of policies to encourage school attendance and extra educational achievement. The school referred to by the Deputy, has received funding under the School Meals Programme since 2016...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (29 Apr 2025)

Dara Calleary: Child Benefit is a monthly payment to the parents or guardians of children under 16 years of age. Child Benefit can also be claimed for children aged 16, 17 and 18 if they are in full-time education or full-time training, or have a disability and cannot support themselves. Child Benefit becomes payable in respect of newborn babies in the month after their birth, subject to the qualifying...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Employment Support Services (29 Apr 2025)

Dara Calleary: I am very aware of the impact that prolonged unemployment can have on mental health, confidence and self-worth on people with disabilities and those with mental illness. My Department already offers a range of supports for people with disabilities. As such, the establishment of an independent employment support service is not being considered at this time. My Department's disability...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (29 Apr 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Department of Social Protection provides a suite of income supports for those who are unable to work due to illness or disability. Entitlement to these supports is generally not contingent on the nature of the illness but on the extent to which a particular illness impairs or restricts a person’s capacity to work. Invalidity Pension is a social insurance scheme, and eligibility...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (29 Apr 2025)

Dara Calleary: Invalidity Pension (IP) is payable to an insured person who satisfies certain Pay-Related Social Insurance (PRSI) contribution conditions and who is permanently incapable of work due to an illness or incapacity and for no other reason. Claimants must have at least 260 (5 years) paid PRSI contributions (class A, E, H or S) since entering social insurance and 48 contributions paid or credited...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (29 Apr 2025)

Dara Calleary: 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. My Department received an application for IP from the person concerned on 21 November 2024. Based on the information supplied, it was refused on the grounds that the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: School Meals Programme (29 Apr 2025)

Dara Calleary: The objective of the School Meals Programme is to provide regular, nutritious food to children to support them in taking full advantage of the education provided to them. The programme is an important component of policies to encourage school attendance and extra educational achievement. The ethos of the Hot School Meals Programme is that every child should have access to at least one hot...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Code (29 Apr 2025)

Dara Calleary: Matters relating to taxation are a matter for the Revenue Commissioners and my colleague the Minister for Finance. Matters relating to sick leave and employment rights are a matter for my colleague, the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment. Therefore, queries relating to those issues should be directed to the relevant Ministers. My Department provides a suite of income...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Civil Marriages (29 Apr 2025)

Dara Calleary: Section 51 of the Civil Registration Act 2004 sets out a number of substantive requirements for a marriage to be recognised in the State. One of these requirements is that a marriage must be solemnised by a registered solemniser. To be a registered solemniser in the State a person must be nominated for registration in the Register of Solemnisers. A solemniser must be either, a registrar...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Civil Marriages (29 Apr 2025)

Dara Calleary: Section 51 of the Civil Registration Act 2004 sets out a number of substantive requirements for a marriage to be recognised in the State. One of these requirements is that a marriage must be solemnised by a registered solemniser. A solemniser must be either, a registrar employed by the Health Service Executive (for civil marriages) or be a member of a religious or a secular body in Ireland...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (29 Apr 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 a medical assessment, a means test and habitual residency conditions. I confirm that the Department received an application for DA from the person concerned...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (29 Apr 2025)

Dara Calleary: Supports from my Department are not generally intended to cover circumstances where responsibility rests with another Government Department or Agency. Responsibility in relation to supports for housing adaptions and or repairs, for the purposes of rendering a house more suitable for the accommodation needs of an older person, including any shortfalls in funding, is a matter for my colleague...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (29 Apr 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. An application for CA was received from the person concerned on 13 December 2024. It is a condition for receipt of...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: School Meals Programme (29 Apr 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Nutritional Standards for School Meals were developed by a technical Nutrition Subgroups comprised of: Dieticians from the Irish Nutrition and Dietetic Institute of Ireland; the HSE; Safefood; and The Food Safety Authority of Ireland. These standards are available to all schools, organisations and suppliers and are publicly available here: Nutritional Standards for School Meals. ...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: School Meals Programme (29 Apr 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Nutritional Standards for School Meals were developed by a technical Nutrition Subgroups comprised of: Dieticians from the Irish Nutrition and Dietetic Institute of Ireland; the HSE; Safefood; and The Food Safety Authority of Ireland. These standards are available to all schools, organisations and suppliers and are publicly available here: Nutritional Standards for School Meals. ...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pensions (29 Apr 2025)

Dara Calleary: People who turn 66 are still able to retire at that age and draw down their pension in exactly the same way as they always have. However, since January 2024, a person now has the option to defer drawing down their state pension (contributory), to any time up the age of 70. Where a person defers drawing down this pension, they can continue to pay PRSI and increase their contribution record,...