Results 801-820 of 16,601 for speaker:Dara Calleary

Written Answers — Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: An Ghaeltacht (29 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Official Languages Act 2003 (Section 9) Regulations 2008 (SI 391/2008) place obligations on relevant public bodies around:recorded oral announcements;stationary;signage; andplacenames orders.Application of those regulations note that:3.(3) These Regulations do not apply to(b) traffic signs— (i) to which Regulations under section 95(2) of the Act of 1961 apply, or (ii) to which...

Written Answers — Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Rural Schemes (29 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: I propose to take Questions Nos. 3488, 3489 and 3490 together. The establishment of a Rural Youth Assembly was a commitment in Our Rural Future 2021-2025, with the objective of providing young people living in rural Ireland with the opportunity to make an ongoing contribution to issues that impact on them and their future. The Assembly takes place annually and is held in collaboration...

Written Answers — Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Rural Schemes (29 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: Since its establishment in 2017, my Department has allocated funding to tens of thousands of projects through its schemes which support community and rural groups throughout every county in the country. While some projects are funded directly by the Department, others are channelled through partners such as Local Authorities, Local Community Development Companies, Local Development Companies...

Written Answers — Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Community Development Projects (29 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: As the Deputy is aware, Mayo County Council is responsible for the maintenance and development of piers on Inishturk and Clare Islands and also Roonagh pier which serves these islands year round. Access between the islands and the mainland is the most fundamental requirement for those living on our offshore islands and is a lifeline for island communities. Access impacts on every aspect of...

Written Answers — Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Community Development Projects (29 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: The LEADER programme is co-financed by the European Commission under the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), through the European Agriculture Fund for Rural Development. It is a multi-annual programme, with allocations being linked to a programming period set at EU level, rather than an annual basis. Table 1 below provides a breakdown of the final LEADER allocations for the porgramming...

Written Answers — Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Community Development Projects (29 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: The current LEADER Programme, which runs to 2027 is operational across the country. It supports a broad range of enterprises and community groups to develop projects which improve the quality of life and economic activity in rural areas. It is delivered through Local Action Groups across rural Ireland, facilitating a community-led, bottom-up approach to rural development. The LEADER...

Written Answers — Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Community Development Projects (29 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...

Written Answers — Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Community Development Projects (29 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: My Department's CLÁR programme provides funding under a number of different measures for small-scale infrastructural projects in designated rural areas. The closing date for receipt of applications under CLÁR 2025 has now passed for all measures. My officials have begun assessing the applications received, I would expect to announce allocations in respect of Measure 2 in...

Written Answers — Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Irish Language (29 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Programme for Government 2025: Securing Ireland’s Future contains a commitment to ‘maintain and where possible enhance support for Mná Tí at Gaeltacht summer colleges’. In this regard, my Department provides a number of supports for households providing accommodation to the colleges sector. In order to foster language acquisition and enrichment...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Employment Support Services (17 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: I propose to take Questions Nos. 389 and 404 together. My Department's Intreo service is a single point of contact for all employment and income supports in the State. Disabled people can access mainstream employment schemes such as Community Employment and Tús as well as referral to tailored supports such as Employability. This is a service that offers a professional job-matching...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Data (17 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: Expenditure on Training Support Grants over the last ten years is set out in the table below. Expenditure to date in 2025 is not readily available. Expenditure is recorded at the scheme level, not the individual level. Accordingly, it is not possible to attribute expenditure to individual-level characteristics such as county. Funding for the scheme is centrally allocated. ...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Data (17 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Work Placement Experience Programme (WPEP) is a voluntary work experience and training program for unemployed jobseekers receiving a qualifying social welfare payment. Launched in July 2021, it is part of the national employment strategy, Pathways to Work 2021-2025. Expenditure on WPEP is by way of a payment made directly to the participant. Funding is not therefore allocated on a...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: School Meals Programme (17 Jul 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. In Budget 2025, it was announced that the Hot School Meals Scheme will be extended to all remaining...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Schemes (17 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: Regulations, signed in June 2022 by the Minister for Social Protection with the consent of the Minister for Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform, provide that payments made under the Troubles Permanent Disablement Payment Scheme, in accordance with the Victims’ Payments Regulations 2020 (2020 No. 103) (Northern Ireland), are disregarded in the means tests for all social...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Wage-setting Mechanisms (17 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 Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Public Procurement Contracts (17 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: Procurement is closely monitored across my Department and contracts are only tendered following a rigorous assessment of need.  The majority of contracts are tendered under central arrangements via the Office of Government Procurement. Since 2019 there has been approximately 300 contracts awarded over €25k which have been openly tendered and 18 tenders have been recorded as...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Public Private Partnerships (17 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: My Department did not have any Public-Private Partnership projects under its remit for the period in question.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Carer's Allowance (17 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Social Welfare Appeals Office is a service 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: Departmental Contracts (17 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: My Department has not procured services from the company referred to. There are four bodies under the aegis of my Department; The Citizens Information Board, The Pensions Authority, The Pensions Council and The Social Welfare Tribunal.  All of these bodies have confirmed that they have not procured services from the company referred to.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Reviews (17 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: The fuel allowance is a contribution towards the energy costs of a household. The payment of €33 per week for 28 weeks (a total of €924) is paid from late September to April to assist households with their energy costs. The person concerned applied for Fuel Allowance on 10 July 2025. Following a review of their application, a letter issued on 15 July 2025 to advise the person...