Results 841-860 of 16,601 for speaker:Dara Calleary

Written Answers — Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Departmental Programmes (17 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: The original RAPID programme ran from 2001 and closed to new applications in 2011. A recast programme was launched in 2017 and following a review, RAPID was replaced by the Community Enhancement Programme (CEP) in 2018. The CEP is now known as the Local Enhancement Programme (LEP).  RAPID relaunched in 2017 and the funding allocation was €5 million for that year. Each Local...

Written Answers — Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Departmental Programmes (17 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: The CLÁR Programme provides funding under a number of different measures for small-scale infrastructural projects in designated rural areas that have experienced significant levels of depopulation over a defined period. The attached table outlines the funding granted through each local authority between the scheme's reintoroduction in 2016 and 2024. These figures include projects...

Written Answers — Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Departmental Funding (17 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: Since its establishment in 2022, the Community Centre Investment Fund (CCIF) has provided approximately €110 million for the enhancement and refurbishment of existing community centres and the construction of new centres. Over €45.8 million was approved for some 861 community centres nationwide under CCIF 2022. In early 2024, funding of over €30 million was approved...

Written Answers — Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Departmental Funding (17 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Community Recognition Fund (CRF) was first introduced in 2023 to recognise the huge efforts made by communities in welcoming and supporting people coming to Ireland. Under the CRF 2023 and 2024 a total of €100 million in funding has been allocated to local authorities to be made available to communities across Ireland. Over 1,400 projects that have been awarded funding under the...

Written Answers — Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Departmental Programmes (17 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 (LAGs) across rural Ireland, facilitating a community-led, bottom-up approach to rural development. The LEADER...

Written Answers — Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Departmental Schemes (17 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Local Improvement Scheme (LIS) supports improving non-public rural roads and laneways not usually maintained by local authorities. Since its establishment in 2017, almost €170 million has been provided by the Government to local authorities for LIS. While the Department provides funding for the scheme, it is administered by local authorities who hold responsibility for...

Written Answers — Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Departmental Schemes (17 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Scheme (ORIS) provides funding for the development and enhancement of outdoor recreational infrastructure such as walking trails, cycleways, water-based recreation sites and mountain trails. Since 2016, funding of over €129 million has been approved for over 1,700 projects nationwide. The table attached provides detail on the amount of funding...

Written Answers — Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Departmental Funding (17 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: I propose to take Questions Nos. 622 and 607 together. The Rural Regeneration and Development Fund (RRDF) is a major capital investment programme which seeks to support large-scale, ambitious projects which can achieve sustainable economic and social development in rural areas. The objective of the Fund, which was launched in 2018, is to support coordinated and integrated projects between...

Written Answers — Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Rural Schemes (17 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: My Department's Walks Scheme was launched in 2008. The Walks Scheme contracts land-holders to undertake maintenance work on national waymarked ways and other priority trails that traverse their lands. The landholders receive modest payments for maintenance work undertaken in line with agreed work plans. Following my announcement in May 2025, which saw an additional 22 trails added to the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Weather Events (16 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage is the lead Department for severe weather emergencies. My Department has an important role to play in assisting households in the immediate aftermath of emergency weather events under the Humanitarian Assistance Scheme. The purpose of the Humanitarian Assistance Scheme is to provide financial support to people whose homes are damaged...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Public Sector Staff (16 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: The figures below represent permanent staff of Galway Intreo Centres at 3rd June 2025. This does not include staff from other business areas based in the building. Intreo Centre and Grade Number of Staff WTE Clifden Intreo Centre Clerical Officer 3 3 Executive Officer ...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Insurance (16 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. The number of appeals on hand in relation to Insurability is 56. Appeals originating from decisions of the Department’s...

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

Dara Calleary: There are a small number of Insurability appeals on hand in relation to State and semi-State body pensions. Given the small numbers, it is not possible to given any further details as there is a danger that the appellants could be individually identified. Appeals originating from decisions of the Department’s Scope section are generally considered the most complex type of appeal...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Insurance (16 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. There are a small number of appeals currently on hand in relation to Insurability with regard to a dispute over the modified rate...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (16 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 Schemes (16 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Humanitarian Assistance Scheme, administered by my Department through the local Community Welfare Services (CWS), was activated on Thursday 23 January 2025 to assist householders affected across the country by Storm Éowyn. The Humanitarian Assistance Scheme (HAS) is operated in 3 stages. The majority of payments made to people to date as a result of Storm Éowyn have been Stage...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Children in Care (16 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: I propose to take Questions Nos. 164 and 165 together. This Government acknowledges the important role that carers, including foster carers, play and remains fully committed to supporting them. That is why I was really pleased to announce that Back-to-School Clothing and Footwear Allowance eligibility is being extended to include children for whom Foster Care Allowance is being paid. The...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (16 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Living Alone Increase is an extra payment for people on social welfare payments who are living alone. A breakdown by county of those receiving the Living Alone Increase at the 31st December in each of the years 2021-2024 is provided in the table below. It is not possible to provide the expenditure associated with the Living Alone increase as expenditure is recorded under the primary...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (16 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Telephone Support Allowance is a weekly payment for people who live alone and are already in receipt of certain other social welfare payments. It is paid at a single rate of €2.50 a week. The number of recipients of Telephone Support Allowance by county at the 31st December in each year from 2021 to 2024 is provided in Table 1 below, and overall expenditure in these years is...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (16 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: Parent’s Benefit was first introduced in 2019 with an initial entitlement of 2 weeks per parent. By July 2023, the entitlement increased to 7 weeks per parent and as of August 2024, 9 weeks of Parent’s Benefit is available to each parent. Since its introduction, the weekly rate of Parent’s Benefit has been increased in line with Budget announcements. Most recently, as...