Results 1,041-1,060 of 16,601 for speaker:Dara Calleary

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals (8 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: Social Welfare Appeals (8 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: Social Welfare Schemes (8 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: I propose to take Questions Nos. 568 and 584 together. The Humanitarian Assistance Scheme, administered by my department through the local Community Welfare Services, was activated on Thursday 23 January 2025 to assist householders affected across the country by Storm Éowyn. The purpose of the Humanitarian Assistance Scheme is to provide financial support to people whose homes are...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Reports (8 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Roadmap for Social Inclusion 2020-2025 includes a commitment for the Department of Social Protection to "Consider and prepare a report for Government on the potential application of the benchmarking approach to other welfare payments". In response to the recommendations from the Commission on Pensions, a series of reforms to the State Pension system were announced in September 2022....

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Rates (8 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: The estimated full-year cost of increasing each weekly social welfare scheme by €1 per week is €76.8 million, as set out in the table below. Payment Personal Qualified Adult Total €m €m €m Social Insurance Schemes ...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Rates (8 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: The table below outlines the estimated annual cost of increasing the Child Support Payment by €1 for children under 12 and by €1 for children aged 12 and over. - Current Weekly Rate Proposed Weekly Rate Increase Annual Cost Child Support Payment Under 12 €50 €51 €1 ...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Rates (8 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: The estimated annual cost of increasing Child Benefit by €1, from €140 to €141 per month, is €15.32 million. This costing is based on the estimated average number of recipients in 2025, and is subject to change in light of emerging trends and subsequent revision of the estimated number of recipients.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Rates (8 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: The estimated annual cost of increasing the weekly fuel allowance rate by €1, from €33 to €34, is €11.6M. This costing is based on the number of Fuel Allowance recipients as at December 2024, and is based on the cost across a full 28 week fuel season. The costing is subject to change in light of emerging trends and subsequent revision of the number of recipients.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Rates (8 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: The estimated cost of increasing the Living Alone Allowance by €1 is €13.1 million. This represents an increase in the weekly rate from €22 to €23. The above costing is on a full year basis and is based on the estimated number of recipients in 2025. It should be noted that this costing is subject to change in the context of emerging trends and associated...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (8 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: The One-Parent Family Payment is a means tested payment for lone parents, under 66, whose youngest child is under seven. The current earnings disregard for One Parent Family Payment is €165 per week. In addition, 50% of earnings above this figure is also disregarded in the assessment of means. Increasing the disregards by €1, to €166 per week, could result no change...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (8 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Programme for Government 2025 has committed to examining extending the Free Travel scheme to include children benefitting from the Domiciliary Care Allowance. Domiciliary Care Allowance is a non means tested payment payable at €360 a month per child. In addition, all recipients of Domiciliary Care Allowance qualify for the Carer's Support Grant in June of each year. The...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Rates (8 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: The estimated annual cost of increasing the Domiciliary Care Allowance by €1 from €360 per month to €361 per month is €0.78 million. This costing is based on the estimated average number of recipients in 2025, and is subject to change in light of emerging trends and subsequent revision of the estimated number of recipients.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (8 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: The new Jobseeker's Pay-Related Benefit scheme was introduced at the end of March this year. This social insurance-based income support has replaced the Jobseeker's Benefit scheme for people who have become fully unemployed since the commencement of the scheme on 31 March. The origins of this payment is the experience during the Covid period when many workers lost their income suddenly...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (8 Jul 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 supports....

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pensions (8 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: Widow's, Widower's and Surviving Civil Partner's Contributory Pensions (WSCPCP) periodically undertake payment reviews to confirm the continuing entitlement of selected recipients to the payment. This work constitutes an integral component of the scheme area’s control strategy and is subject to scrutiny by the Department’s Internal Audit Unit and the Comptroller and Auditor...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pensions (8 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: Matters relating to foster care are the responsibility of my colleague, the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality. This Government acknowledges the important role that carers, including foster carers, play and remains fully committed to supporting them. The State Pension (Contributory) system already provides a range of measures to recognise caring periods outside of paid...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (8 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: Carer's Benefit was extended to the self-employed from January 1st this year. People who are self-employed in 2025 are not required to file their tax returns until the end of October 2026. My Department usually does not receive this PRSI data until early in the following year, which in this case would be early 2027. As such, my Department cannot at this time provide an accurate...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (8 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Programme for Government 2025 has committed to expand the eligibility for the Fuel Allowance to families in receipt of the Working Family Payment. The estimated annual cost of extending eligibility to all Working Family Payment recipients is €39.7 million, covering a full fuel season. This costing is based on the estimated average number of recipients in 2025, and is subject to...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (8 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: Officials in my Department regularly monitor and review the processing times for the schemes administered by the Department. The volume of claims received, the average processing time, the performance under the current target, and any operational changes are all considered when a decision is made to revise a target. Targets are reviewed each year as part of the Estimates process. The...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals (8 Jul 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. The Chief Appeals Officer has put in place measures to deal with the increase in appeals received during 2024. 20 Appeals...