Results 101-120 of 16,601 for speaker:Dara Calleary

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

Dara Calleary: One of the conditions for receipt of the Living Alone Increase requires the applicant to be in receipt of a qualifying payment from my Department. As the person concerned is not currently in receipt of a qualifying payment from my Department, they are not entitled to the Living Alone Increase. In order to establish entitlement to the Fuel Allowance, it is necessary for the person...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: EU Regulations (2 Oct 2025)

Dara Calleary: In April 2024, the European Parliament and Council introduced Regulation 2024/1183, which revised the previous European Digital Identify Regulation (the eIDAS regulation), requiring Member States to provide at least one European Digital Identity Wallet (EUDIW) for their citizens to use to access public and private services. The digital wallet is to be made available for citizens and...

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

Dara Calleary: The Department of Social Protection is committed to ensuring that only those who are eligible, receive social welfare payments. Achieving this requires that robust safeguards are in place that secure our payment systems, detect fraud and error, and prevent fraudulent claiming. In order to apply for Child Benefit both the mother and child must have a valid Personal Public Service numbers...

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

Dara Calleary: Child Benefit is a monthly payment to the parents or guardians of children under 16 years of age. Child Benefit can also be claimed for children aged 16 and 17 and 18 if they are in full-time education or full-time training or have a disability and cannot support themselves. Overpayments of social welfare entitlements can occur where a person provides false or misleading information in...

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

Dara Calleary: I propose to take Questions Nos. 337 to 339, inclusive, together. The free travel scheme is available to people over 66 years and to people in receipt of certain social welfare payments, or those medically certified as unfit to drive for a period of at least 12 months, who are over 17 and under 66 years. Free Travel recipients must be permanently resident in the State. The scheme permits...

Abolition of Carer's Allowance Means Test: Motion [Private Members] (1 Oct 2025)

Dara Calleary: Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta Quaide as na Social Democrats as an rún seo inniu. Ní bheimid ag cur i gcoinne an rúin. We will not be opposing the motion put forward by Deputy Quaide and the Social Democrats. I welcome the opportunity the motion gives us to discuss the very important issue of carer's supports that are provided by my Department. The motion is timely...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Rates (1 Oct 2025)

Dara Calleary: I propose to take Questions Nos. 99 and 103 together. In order to satisfy the eligibility criteria to receive a Jobseekers payments a person must be capable of, available for and genuinely seeking work. Failure to satisfy these criteria can lead to a disqualification from the payment. In addition, Jobseeker's Allowance is a means-tested payment for unemployed people, the rate...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (1 Oct 2025)

Dara Calleary: A Free Travel Companion Pass entitles the holder to have any one person, aged 16 years or over, to accompany them free of charge when travelling. As part of Budget 2025 it was announced that a Free Travel Companion Pass will be assigned to all those aged over 70 from September 2025, this includes those who are single or bereaved partners aged over 70. For those under the age of 70 the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Code (1 Oct 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Bereaved Partners (Contributory) Pension (BCP) is a weekly payment to the widow, widower, surviving civil partner or qualified cohabitant of a deceased person. The pension remains payable unless the person cohabits with another person or marries, and the payment is not means tested. As a result, a person can be in receipt of BCP and earn income from employment or self-employment. ...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Pension Provisions (1 Oct 2025)

Dara Calleary: Bereaved Partner's Contributory Pension and Bereaved Partner's Non-Contributory Pension are, respectively, social insurance and social assistance (means-tested) payments made to a widow, widower, surviving civil partner or surviving qualified cohabitant of a deceased person. Bereaved Partner's Contributory Pension is paid for the lifetime of the person, provided they do not cohabit with...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (1 Oct 2025)

Dara Calleary: I propose to take Questions Nos. 105 and 106 together. Domiciliary Care Allowance is a monthly non-means tested payment to a parent or guardian for a child aged up to 16 who has a severe disability. The child must require care and attention substantially over and above that required by other children their age. Eligibility is not based on the disability or diagnosis, but rather on the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Code (1 Oct 2025)

Dara Calleary: I propose to take Questions Nos. 107 and 109 together. Domiciliary Care Allowance is a monthly non-means tested payment to a parent or guardian for a child aged up to 16 who has a severe disability. The child must require care and attention substantially over and above that required by other children their age. Eligibility is not based on the disability or diagnosis, but rather on the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (1 Oct 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Government provides a broad range of income supports to carers. Key supports provided by my Department include Domiciliary Care Allowance, Carer’s Allowance, Carer’s Benefit, and the annual Carer’s Support Grant. Domiciliary Care Allowance is a monthly non-means tested payment to a parent or guardian for a child aged up to 16 who has a severe disability. The child...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (1 Oct 2025)

Dara Calleary: Carer's allowance (CA) is a means-tested social assistance payment made to a person who is habitually resident in the State and who is providing full-time care and attention to a child or an adult who has such a disability that as a result they require that level of care. An application for CA was received from the person concerned on 27 August 2025. The application was examined and CA...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (1 Oct 2025)

Dara Calleary: There have been significant improvements made in recent years to the Fuel Allowance Scheme. These improvements have resulted in many more households qualifying for the payment. In 2023, the enhanced Fuel Allowance measures for people aged 70 years and over were introduced. These measures included increased allowable means for those aged over 70 of €500 and €1,000 for a...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Rates (1 Oct 2025)

Dara Calleary: Primary weekly social welfare payments are intended to enable recipients to meet their basic day-to-day income needs. In addition to these primary payments, my Department also provides a range of other payments on a weekly, monthly, or less frequent basis. These payments are considered secondary in nature and cannot be made available to those who are not in receipt of a primary payment. ...

Written Answers — Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Cosaint Fostaíochta (1 Oct 2025)

Dara Calleary: Tá Scéim na gCúntóirí Teanga á mhaoiniú ag mo Roinn le blianta fada agus tá an scéim leathnaithe amach le roinnt blianta chuig Gaelscoileanna i mBailte Seirbhíse Gaeltachta, i Limistéir Phleanála Teanga agus i Líonraí Gaeilge lasmuigh den Ghaeltacht. Cé go n-oibríonn Cúntóirí Teanga i...

Seanad: Pension Auto-Enrolment: Statements (30 Sep 2025)

Dara Calleary: I join in the good wishes and wish Senator O'Donovan health and happiness. He will be very interested in auto-enrolment. The Government has prioritised the introduction of an automatic enrolment retirement savings system. It will be known by its brand name My Future Fund. It is a key reform commitment to support workers and a key priority for me personally as Minister for Social...

Seanad: Pension Auto-Enrolment: Statements (30 Sep 2025)

Dara Calleary: I thank all the Senators for their inputs this evening. I join with Senator O'Donovan and, indeed, all of the Senators in paying my tribute and my respect to former councillor, Patrick Gerard Murphy, on his passing. I express my sympathies. He was a brilliant representative, a courageous man and somebody who always had the good of Cork at his heart. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam. I...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (30 Sep 2025)

Dara Calleary: Workers, including school bus escorts, who are not paid for holidays during the school breaks and who wish to avail of income support while temporarily laid-off can apply for a jobseeker’s payment. The person applying must satisfy all the qualifying conditions to receive a payment. This includes completing the relevant claim application forms and providing supporting documentation in...