Results 1,041-1,060 of 14,528 for speaker:Dara Calleary

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (27 Feb 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Carer’s Allowance is the main scheme by which my department provides income support to carers in the community. There are currently 98,311 people in receipt of Carer's Allowance. Expenditure on the scheme in 2025 is estimated to be over €1.24 billion. Of course, there are other supports for carers provided by the Department of Social Protection which are not based on a...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Community Welfare Services (27 Feb 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Humanitarian Assistance Scheme is the term used to describe urgent and exceptional needs payments made via the Community Welfare Service to affected households in the period immediately after an emergency event such as a storm or serious flood. My first act as Minister, following my appointment, was to activate the scheme on the 23rd January 2025 to assist householders across the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (27 Feb 2025)

Dara Calleary: I am pleased to say that, so far, 215 newborn baby grant payments have been made to 211 families in Tipperary. This new payment of €280 was announced in Budget 2025 to be paid to families of babies born on or after 1st December 2024. This grant is paid alongside but in addition to the first month’s Child Benefit payment of €140. So, parents of newborns will receive a...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (27 Feb 2025)

Dara Calleary: I can assure the Deputy that the situation he describes of a person experiencing a net reduction in income from the Department will not arise. In fact, in the scenario set out the person concerned will receive an increase in total weekly payments from the Department. The purpose of weekly payments made by the Department are to provide an income support for people experiencing specific...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (27 Feb 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 a secondary benefit linked to a person being in receipt of disability payments. There are over 1.1 million customers with...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (27 Feb 2025)

Dara Calleary: We all know that one of the most expensive times in a family's life is the arrival of a new baby, particularly the first baby. Although the extended family can often chip-in with gifts and presents, parents face the costs of buggies, cots, car-seats not to mention nappies and various other baby paraphernalia. That is why a newborn baby grant of €280 was announced in Budget 2025....

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Schemes (27 Feb 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Humanitarian Assistance Scheme is administered through my Department's Community Welfare Service. My first act as Minister, following my appointment, was to activate the scheme on the 23rd January 2025 to assist householders across the country ahead of the arrival of Storm Éowyn. At the outset, I wish to thank the staff and managers of the service for their extraordinary response...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Schemes (27 Feb 2025)

Dara Calleary: My first act as Minister, following my appointment, was to activate the scheme Humanitarian Assistance Scheme on the 23rd January 2025 to assist householders across the country ahead of the arrival of Storm Éowyn. The Community Welfare Service, which delivers the scheme, responded immediately preparing for the expected inflow of claims. Staff and managers of the service then worked...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (27 Feb 2025)

Dara Calleary: A newborn baby grant of €280 was announced in Budget 2025 to be paid to families of babies born on or after 1st December 2024. This grant is paid alongside but in addition to the first month’s Child Benefit payment of €140. So parents of newborns will receive a total first payment of €420 to help them with the immediate and upfront costs of welcoming a new baby...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pensions (27 Feb 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 Widows, Widowers or Surviving Civil...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: School Meals Programme (27 Feb 2025)

Dara Calleary: A specific standard was set for School Meals under the Nutritional Standards for School Meals and Nutritional Standards for Hot School Meals. A technical Nutrition Sub Group comprised of Dietitians from the following organisations was involved in developing these standards: The Irish Nutrition and Dietetic Institute of Ireland, The HSE, Safefood, and The Food Safety Authority of Ireland....

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (27 Feb 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Programme for Government has clearly set out a timeline which commits to significantly increasing the income disregards for Carer’s Allowance in each Budget with a view to phasing out the means test during the lifetime of the Government. This is a major change to the Carer's Allowance and to the Irish social welfare system generally. It is important that we make progress in a way...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (27 Feb 2025)

Dara Calleary: I propose to take Questions Nos. 107, 113, 127 and 152 together. The Government is very aware of the key role that family carers play in Irish society and the challenges they face and is fully committed to supporting carers in that role. The Programme for Government - Securing Ireland's Future - has set out a timeline which commits to significantly increasing the income disregards for...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Public Services Card (27 Feb 2025)

Dara Calleary: My Department provides an on-line PSC renewal service through MyWelfare.ie for customers who have a verified MyGovID account. Customers who do not have a verified MyGovID account can set one up easily using their existing Public Services Card and by following the steps on the www.mygovid.ie website, they can then renew their Public Services Card on-line at a time and place convenient to...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Fraud (27 Feb 2025)

Dara Calleary: Overpayments of social welfare entitlements can occur where a person provides false or misleading information in their application or through error on the part of either the claimant or the Department. Persons who have been overpaid social welfare have a liability to refund the overpayment as they have been in receipt of a payment to which they were not entitled. Cases involving fraudulent...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Schemes (27 Feb 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Reasonable Accommodation Fund and Disability Awareness Support Scheme were supports offered by my Department to help make the workplace more accessible for people with disabilities. My Department published a review of the two schemes in August 2023. This review gave nine recommendations to merge the two schemes into a single, flexible scheme and to expand and improve the supports offered...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (27 Feb 2025)

Dara Calleary: A newborn baby grant of €280 was announced in Budget 2025 to be paid to families of babies born on or after 1st December 2024. This grant is paid alongside but in addition to the first month’s Child Benefit payment of €140. So parents of newborns will receive a total first payment of €420. The Benefit is payable in respect of newborn babies from the month...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Schemes (27 Feb 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Humanitarian Assistance Scheme (HAS), administered by my department through the Community Welfare Service (CWS), was activated on 23 January 2025 to assist householders across the country affected by Storm Éowyn. The purpose of the HAS is to prevent hardship by providing financial support to people in the aftermath of severe weather or other exceptional events and who are not able...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals (27 Feb 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Social Welfare Appeals Office is a service of the Department of Social Protection which determines appeals against first instance decisions in relation to social welfare entitlements. Appeals Officers are independent in their decision making functions. The following is the number of disability payment appeals received by scheme for 2024 which equates to approximately 37.5% of all...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: School Meals Programme (27 Feb 2025)

Dara Calleary: 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 and 550,000 children will be eligible for hot school meals in 2025. My Department have contacted the remaining primary schools who have not yet joined the Hot School Meals scheme asking them to submit expressions of interest if...