Results 61-80 of 15,792 for speaker:Dara Calleary

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Citizens Information Services (16 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Citizens Information Board (CIB) is the statutory body under the aegis of my Department, that has an independent mandate to provide information, advice and advocacy on a wide range of public services. CIB itself is governed by an independent Board of Directors. The Citizens Information Service (CIS), in turn, comprises of eight regional companies that are funded by CIB to deliver...

Written Answers — Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Departmental Staff (16 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: My Department places great importance on making sure we have people in roles and is actively recruiting to fill any existing vacancies. Listed in the table below are current vacancies within my Department from Administrative Officer grade and above; I expect these to be filled in the coming weeks. Grade Number of Vacancies ...

Written Answers — Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: An Teanga Gaeilge (16 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: Tá tábhacht nach beag ag baint le hinfheistíocht sa réimse digiteach, d’fhorbairt na Gaeilge agus do phobal a labhartha. Tá maoiniú suntasach ceadaithe ag mo Roinn do thionscadail éagsúla, i réimsí éagsúla den earnáil dhigiteach; tá na mór-réimsí sonraithe sa tábla thíos: ...

Seanad: Social Welfare (Bereaved Partner’s Pension and Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2025: Committee and Remaining Stages (15 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: Gabhaim buíochas leis an mbeirt Seanadóir as ucht an leasaithe seo. I do not propose to accept the amendments. As I said during the Dáil debate, it is not appropriate to include commitments to produce reports in primary legislation, particularly legislation that is as complex as the Social Welfare Consolidation Act and this Bill. With respect to the specific issues, as...

Seanad: Social Welfare (Bereaved Partner’s Pension and Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2025: Committee and Remaining Stages (15 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: With the Acting Chair's indulgence, I will make a few remarks. I thank the Senators for their consideration both at Second Stage and at the Stages this evening, including Senators Rabbitte, O'Donovan, McCormack and Ruane, whose contributions were really instructive. As we all know, this legislation will bring a very important change for hundreds of people who are directly affected by the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Priorities (15 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...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Closed-Circuit Television Systems (15 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Office of Public Works (OPW) is responsible for the provision and maintenance of CCTV systems for my Department. As the Deputy will appreciate, for sensitive security reasons, it would not be appropriate to disclose the specific technical details requested, such as the number of CCTV cameras owned or the video file formats used by my Department and bodies under its aegis. Releasing...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (15 Jul 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. The CA application form (CR1) should, in all cases, be completed in full and signed by the claimant. The claimant...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: General Register Office (15 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: Under Section 19 of the Civil Registration Act 2004, as amended, it is the duty of a parent of a child born in the State to have the birth registered within 3 months, following which a certificate may be produced. A person who has knowledge of the particulars of birth may apply to either the General Registers Office or a Civil Registration Office for a birth certificate for a person born...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Birth Certificates (15 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: Under Section 61 of the Civil Registration Act 2004, as amended, a person who has knowledge of the particulars of birth may apply to either the General Register Office, or to a Civil Registration Office for a birth certificate in respect of a person born in the State. A prescribed fee is payable in advance of any certificate issuing. This availability of certificates is a longstanding...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Policies (15 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Department has delivered significant achievements since 23rd January 2025. Since taking office as Minister for Social Protection, I have worked hard with my officials to deliver commitments contained in the Programme for Government. Key achievements to date include:The delivery of the new Pay Related Jobseeker’s Benefit at the end of March, which provides greater income support...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pensions (15 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: The State Pension (Contributory) is funded by the contributions paid into the Social Insurance Fund in contrast to a Public Service Pensions where the terms and conditions including pension entitlement are part of the employment contract. More broadly, matters relating to the pension entitlements of public servants, and the rates of these pensions and any increases, are a matter for the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: School Transport (15 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: Part time school bus drivers who are not paid outside of school term time and who apply for a social welfare payment are included as Educational Sector Workers (ESWs). ESWs who wish to avail of income support while temporarily laid-off during the school breaks can apply for a jobseeker’s payment. A jobseeker’s payment is paid for days of unemployment that the person is not...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (15 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: My Department provides support to people with disabilities in the form of the Free Travel Scheme. The objective of the Free Travel Scheme is to ensure older people and people with disabilities remain active within their community by providing access to existing public and private transport routes. The Free Travel Scheme provides free travel on the main public and private transport...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Rates (15 Jul 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...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Postal Services (15 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Department is unaware of any current delays in postal deliveries. Deciding Officers operate independently in their decision-making and are required to apply the provisions of social welfare legislation. Persons requested to provide information within statutory timelines or time periods must do so. A person may be required to furnish information for the purposes of determining a...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Schemes (15 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Homemakers Disregard Scheme was introduced in April 1994 for use in the Yearly Average calculation of the State Pension (Contributory). This allowed an applicant to apply under the Homemaker's Scheme for those years out of the workforce since April 1994 spent caring for children under age 12 or other dependent relatives to be disregarded in the calculation under the Yearly Average...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (15 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: I propose to take Questions Nos. 621 to 624, inclusive, together. 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 between 16 and 18, if they are in full-time education or full-time training or have a disability and cannot support themselves. As of 30/06/2025, Child Benefit was in payment...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Communications (15 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: My Department has a broad ranging and comprehensive control strategy, the Compliance and Anti-Fraud Strategy, which aims to ensure that suspected fraud and non-compliance in our welfare system is kept to a minimum. A range of checks are pursued to prevent, detect, and deter abuse within the welfare system including checks before claims are awarded and subsequent reviews where claims are in...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals (15 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Basic Supplementary Welfare Allowance (SWA) provides immediate assistance for those in need. SWA payments are means tested and as part of the application process, a person must provide personal, financial, household, and other information in support of their claim to determine eligibility and to establish a need as considered necessary. The person concerned was in receipt of a weekly...