Results 1,121-1,140 of 16,601 for speaker:Dara Calleary

Joint Committee on Social Protection, Rural and Community Development: Rural and Community Development Matters: Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht (2 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: That is a social protection issue. I understand we are discussing rural issues today. I am happy to come back to the Deputy on that but I will not be able to give him a detailed response as we are dealing with my other hat today.

Joint Committee on Social Protection, Rural and Community Development: Rural and Community Development Matters: Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht (2 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: We are finalising the CLÁR review at the moment. We are looking at maps, at Pobal figures around deprivation levels and population changes in recent years, and at the CSO figures in regard to urban-rural classifications. I hope to have that finalised over the summer, because it is well past time to have it done, and to have it ready for the autumn. With regard to LEADER, the...

Joint Committee on Social Protection, Rural and Community Development: Rural and Community Development Matters: Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht (2 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: I thank Senator O'Reilly. There is quite a bit there. With regard to LEADER, it is EU cofunded, so it is not just us that lay down the rules there. It is intensely monitored in terms of funding. The Minister of State, Deputy Buttimer, and I are very focused on trying to make our schemes as accessible as possible where we can. There still has to be accountability. I do not want my...

Joint Committee on Social Protection, Rural and Community Development: Rural and Community Development Matters: Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht (2 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Deputy can watch away.

Joint Committee on Social Protection, Rural and Community Development: Rural and Community Development Matters: Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht (2 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: I am with the Deputy on the LIS. He will be delighted to know that there are fewer roads outstanding in Laois than there are in Mayo. I have made clear my position on the MFF. It is a position that is shared by the Minister of State and the Minister for agriculture, Deputy Heydon, as well as by the Taoiseach and Tánaiste. It will be a clear priority as we go in to negotiate next...

Joint Committee on Social Protection, Rural and Community Development: Rural and Community Development Matters: Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht (2 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: We hope it will be long done by the end of the year. It is a priority in the programme for Government. I want to ensure that it stands up and we have the actual figures and-----

Joint Committee on Social Protection, Rural and Community Development: Rural and Community Development Matters: Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht (2 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Chair is absolutely right on community centre investment. It has been one of the best programmes from the Department. Many of those community centres go back. I do not think there is anyone old enough in the room to remember AnCO. They were developed by communities in the late 1970s and 1980s and they had not been spent on. To give an example of the impact, the Minister, Deputy...

Joint Committee on Social Protection, Rural and Community Development: Rural and Community Development Matters: Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht (2 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: The big figure for me was the number of drawdowns. In 2022, there was €45.8 million awarded for 861 centres and 750 of them are completed. That just shows you.

Joint Committee on Social Protection, Rural and Community Development: Rural and Community Development Matters: Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht (2 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: We dealt with ORIS quite extensively. Deputy Aird is a big fan of that project.

Joint Committee on Social Protection, Rural and Community Development: Rural and Community Development Matters: Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht (2 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: Absolutely. The discussion we had earlier was about reimagining what recreation spaces look like. We have a fantastic programme with Coillte. It is making its existing forestry properties more visitor friendly. In 2024 we provided €1 million in funding for 517 walking trails around the country.

Joint Committee on Social Protection, Rural and Community Development: Rural and Community Development Matters: Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht (2 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: We fund the plans. The local authorities prepare plans. We fund some local authorities' outdoor recreation officers. We met all those officers last Thursday in Limerick at their conference. It was a super event with super energy and buzz.

Joint Committee on Social Protection, Rural and Community Development: Rural and Community Development Matters: Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht (2 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: When it comes to outdoor recreation walks, Coillte is working with us well. They are also identifying commercial activities that are there. We visited Rossmore Forest Park in County Monaghan in March. It is an excellent example. There is a licensed coffee truck there. Coillte also have the space to consider ziplines and so on that would increase the visitor experience. Rossmore has...

Joint Committee on Social Protection, Rural and Community Development: Rural and Community Development Matters: Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht (2 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: I thank the Chair. Our islands are absolutely vital. We have done quite a lot of work on them. We have increased funding to the non-Gaeltacht islands and to the co-ops and organisations on those islands in the previous number of weeks to bring them in line. The funding allocation is €11 million in current and €5 million in capital, which represents an increase. The majority...

Joint Committee on Social Protection, Rural and Community Development: Rural and Community Development Matters: Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht (2 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: I thank Deputy Aird. The Coillte programme is fantastic and Coillte are very good partners but equally, we invest €15 million into Coillte over five years. It is a significant investment on our part. We are actually in negotiations and very early talks with Bord na Móna around what we can do with their properties as well. The Deputy just said it himself. There are some...

Joint Committee on Social Protection, Rural and Community Development: Rural and Community Development Matters: Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht (2 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: Yes, it is more or less the same. Capital funding is of particular importance for the rural development programme. The funding allocated in 2025 will ensure continued delivery under schemes, including LEADER, the rural regeneration and development fund, town and village renewal, local improvement scheme and CLÁR. These schemes are well established and are contributing to positive...

Joint Committee on Social Protection, Rural and Community Development: Rural and Community Development Matters: Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht (2 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: With regard to community facilities and where we can have colocation, we need it, and we will have it. Colocation facilities are the way to go. In terms of running them, coming back to the Minister if State's remarks about volunteers, the more colocation, the less pressure there is. Community facilities must also be built with accessibility in mind, both physical accessibility and sensory...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (2 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Jobseeker's Pay-Related Benefit scheme is available to those whose unemployment begins on or after 31 March as provided for in the Commencement Order and section 68KB(1)(d) of the Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005, as amended. People who became fully unemployed before 31 March will remain on Jobseeker's Benefit until they return to employment, or their benefit runs out, whichever...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (2 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Government acknowledges the valuable role that family carers play and is fully committed to supporting carers in that role. 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...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Schemes (2 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Humanitarian Assistance Scheme, administered by my department, was activated in November 2024 to assist householders affected by Storm Bert and again in January 2025 to assist householders affected by Storm Éowyn. The purpose of the Humanitarian Assistance Scheme is to provide financial support to people whose homes are damaged and who are not able to meet costs for essential...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Schemes (2 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Wage Subsidy Scheme is a key disability employment support. It aims to encourage employers to offer substantial and sustainable employment to people with disabilities through a subsidy. The table shows expenditure in the period 2020-2024 and the number of employers and employees involved in the Scheme. Year 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 ...