Results 801-820 of 14,528 for speaker:Dara Calleary

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Funding (20 Mar 2025)

Dara Calleary: Pobal works on behalf of Government, and in conjunction with communities and local agencies, to support social inclusion and local and community development. Pobal provide administrative support to my Department for a wide array of programmes and schemes, including the LEADER programme, the Social Inclusion & Community Activation Programme (SICAP), the Scheme to Support National...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Contracts (20 Mar 2025)

Dara Calleary: I can confirm to the Deputy that my Department has not entered any contracts with the hotel referenced and has not had any discussions, or received any offers, in respect of using this premises for any reason, since 1 November 2024. In respect of the agencies under the aegis of my Department, information relating to any contracts entered with the hotel referenced are a matter for the bodies...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Men's Sheds (19 Mar 2025)

Dara Calleary: I thank the Deputy for raising this matter in respect of funding for men’s sheds. I acknowledge the fantastic work they do in County Tipperary and throughout the island. The emergence of men’s sheds has been a highly positive development for communities - not just men - across Ireland. The sheds provide an invaluable service, helping to tackle social isolation and providing a...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Men's Sheds (19 Mar 2025)

Dara Calleary: I will not give any specific commitment until I engage on the proposal. Nationally, the local enhancement programme has a €7 million budget for 2025. Applications for that closed on 7 March and will be dealt with quickly. I look forward to meeting representatives of the Irish Men's Sheds Association and to engaging with them. I know I speak for the Minister of State, Deputy Harkin,...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Pension Provisions (19 Mar 2025)

Dara Calleary: Under the law as currently enacted, entitlement to a Widows, Widowers or Surviving Civil Partner’s Contributory pension, and Widowed or Surviving Civil Partner Grant, is only available to a surviving partner who was party to a marriage or civil partnership. As the Deputy is aware, on 22nd January 2024, the Supreme Court delivered its judgment on the entitlement of an unmarried...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Education and Training Provision (19 Mar 2025)

Dara Calleary: In the case of Christmas Bonus 2024, customers in receipt of a jobseeker's payment for 12 months or 312 claim paid days were eligible for the bonus. Time spent on the Vocational Opportunities Scheme may be considered when establishing entitlement to the bonus and these cases are dealt with on an individual basis. A person in these circumstances should contact their local Intreo Centre to...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Tax and Social Welfare Codes (19 Mar 2025)

Dara Calleary: With effect from 1 January 2024, the upper age limit for general exemption from PRSI was changed from age 66 to age 70. This applies to the employee, the employer and the self-employed PRSI liability. This change applies to all persons who are employees or self-employed with the exception of the following main categories:people who have already been awarded the State Pension...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Properties (19 Mar 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Citizens Information Board (CIB) funds and supports eight independent regional Citizen Information Service (CIS) companies, which in turn operate a national network of Citizens Information Centres. It is important to note that each CIS is a limited company governed by a voluntary Board of Directors, which make decisions independently on the delivery of services in their regions. ...

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

Dara Calleary: The Social Welfare Appeals Office is an Office of the Department of Social Protection which is responsible for determining appeals against decisions in relation to social welfare entitlements. Appeals Officers are independent in their decision making functions. I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that an Appeals Officer, having fully considered all of the available evidence,...

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

Dara Calleary: Fuel Allowance is a means-tested payment to help with the cost of heating a home during the winter months, payable to people who either live alone or only with certain other qualified people. An application for Fuel Allowance was received from the person concerned on 16 October 2024. The application was assessed by a Deciding Officer. The claim was disallowed, because the household...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Tax and Social Welfare Codes (19 Mar 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Finance Act 2023 introduced the Mortgage Interest Tax Credit. This tax credit is for taxpayers who have made payments in respect of a qualifying loan for a principal private residence. The Mortgage Interest Tax Credit was originally only available for the year 2023. However, in Finance Act 2024, it has been extended to include the year 2024. Those who applied for and did not qualify for...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Community Welfare Services (19 Mar 2025)

Dara Calleary: This is not a matter for my Department but rather for my colleague the Minister for Health.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Data Protection (19 Mar 2025)

Dara Calleary: My Department has not been issued with any fines from the Data Protection Commission in respect of any breach of general data protection regulations from 1 January 2020 to date. My Department takes its data protection obligations very seriously; it has appointed a Data Protection Officer (DPO) as required under the GPDR and has more staff assigned to data protection roles than any other...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (19 Mar 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. It is a condition for receipt of CA that the carer cannot be engaged in employment or self-employment or...

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

Dara Calleary: My Department received an application for Illness Benefit from the person concerned on 24 February 2025. There was no medical certificate to accompany the Illness Benefit application form. A text message was sent to the customer on the 27 February 2025 stating the claim would be processed providing a Certificate of Incapacity for Work was received by the Department within 10 days. I...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: School Meals Programme (19 Mar 2025)

Dara Calleary: All of the remaining primary schools who have not yet joined the Hot School Meals Scheme were contacted in 2024 and asked to submit expressions of interest if their school wished to commence the provision of hot school meals. In Budget 2025, it was announced that the Hot School Meals Scheme will be extended to all remaining primary schools in 2025 meaning that approximately 3,200 schools...

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

Dara Calleary: 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. Generally, access to a free travel pass for those aged under 66 is linked to a person being in receipt of certain primary Social Protection payments, mainly related to disability and caring. A...

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

Dara Calleary: The Social Welfare Appeals Office is an Office of the Department of Social Protection which is responsible for determining appeals against decisions in relation to social welfare entitlements. Appeals Officers are independent in their decision making functions. I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that an Appeals Officer, having fully considered all of the available evidence,...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Pension Provisions (19 Mar 2025)

Dara Calleary: Under the law as currently enacted, entitlement to a Widows, Widowers or Surviving Civil Partner’s Contributory pension is only available to a surviving partner who was party to a marriage or civil partnership. As the Deputy is aware, on 22nd January 2024, the Supreme Court delivered its judgment on the entitlement of an unmarried cohabitant to a Widower's Contributory Pension. The...

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

Dara Calleary: One of the conditions for receipt of the Living Alone Increase requires the applicant to be in receipt of a qualifying payment from this Department. As the person concerned is not currently in receipt of a qualifying payment from my Department, they are not entitled to the Living Alone Increase. I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.