Results 1,221-1,240 of 16,601 for speaker:Dara Calleary

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Citizens Information Services (1 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Citizens Information Board (CIB) is the statutory body under the aegis of my Department, that has an independent mandate to provide information, advice and advocacy on a wide range of public services. CIB itself is governed by an independent Board of Directors. The Citizens Information Service (CIS), in turn, comprises of eight regional companies that are funded by CIB to deliver...

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

Dara Calleary: Domiciliary Care Allowance (DCA) is a monthly allowance payable to a parent / guardian in respect of a child aged under 16 who has a severe disability requiring continual or continuous care and attention substantially in excess of the care and attention normally required by a child of the same age and where the level of the child's disability is such that the child is likely to require this...

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

Dara Calleary: The mean time taken for decision reviews of Carer's Allowance claims carried out under the appeals process for 1 January - 31 May 2025 was 6.7 weeks. This is measured from the time the appeal is registered to when the decision is made by the DSP officer. Note that this does not include decision reviews carried outside the appeals process, as statistics for these are not maintained by the DSP....

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

Dara Calleary: Carer’s Allowance is the main scheme by which the Department provides income support to carers in the community. Carer’s Allowance is a means tested social assistance payment awarded to those who are caring for people who need full-time care and attention. Like other income supports the payment is intended to provide an income support for people who cannot earn income through...

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

Dara Calleary: The Programme for Government contains a commitment to introduce the Automatic Enrolment (AE) Retirement Savings System. The legislative basis for implementing the new system was enacted last July. The aim of introducing AE is to address the pension coverage gap that exists in Ireland and to provide workers with greater comfort and security regarding their retirement savings. I recently...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Medical Cards (1 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Carer’s Support Grant (CSG) is an annual payment made to full-time carers who satisfy certain conditions. The person claiming the Grant must:Be aged 16 or over and ordinarily resident in this State.Care for the person on a full-time basis.Care for the person for a continuous period of at least six months – this period must include the first Thursday in June.Live with the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pensions (1 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: State pension non-contributory is a means-tested payment for people aged 66 and over, legally and habitually residing in the State, who do not qualify for a State pension (contributory), or who only qualify for a reduced rate contributory pension based on their social insurance record. For the purposes of the means test, at application stage and through the lifetime of a claim, an applicant...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (1 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: My Department provides a suite of income supports for those who are unable to work due to an illness or disability. These include contributory payments, based on PRSI contributions, such as illness benefit and invalidity pension, and non-contributory payments, based on a means test, such as disability allowance. Entitlement to these supports is contingent on the extent to which a particular...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Gender Recognition (1 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: My colleague the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality recently published the National LGBTIQ+ Inclusion Strategy II 2024-2028 on 12 June 2025, along with its associated National LGBTIQ+ Inclusion Strategy II - Action Plan 2025-2026. The remaining actions from the Gender Recognition Act 2025 Review, including the one relating to recognition for people who are non-binary, are...

Written Answers — Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Departmental Properties (1 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: My Department does not hold a copy of the sales agreement to which the Deputy refers. On the matter of confidentiality, the Deputy may be aware that the Office of the Information Commissioner (Reference OIC-121881-Y9W8V9) upheld a decision by Údarás na Gaeltachta to refuse access to the contract under section 35(1)(b) of the Freedom of Information Act on the grounds that the...

Written Answers — Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Rural Schemes (1 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Local Improvement Scheme (LIS) is a key support to rural communities in improving non-public roads and laneways not usually maintained by local authorities. Since its reintroduction in 2017, the government has provided almost €170 million to local authorities under the Scheme. My Department officials have received submissions from all 25 local authorities in respect of proposed...

Written Answers — Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Departmental Contracts (1 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: I can confirm that the Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht has not entered into any contracts worth €10 million or more over the past five years. With regard to the agencies under my Department's aegis, I would note that they are all independent bodies responsible for their own operational matters. In this context I am informed that Pobal have entered into...

Written Answers — Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Rural Schemes (1 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Town and Village Renewal Scheme was introduced in 2016 and is one of a number of measures designed to rejuvenate rural towns and villages across Ireland in line with the objectives contained in Our Rural Future, Ireland's Rural Development Policy, and the Town Centre First policy. Since the launch of the scheme 2,394 applications have been received and 1,794 projects have been allocated...

Written Answers — Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Údarás na Gaeltachta (1 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: Maidir leis an dá chlár tacaíochta nua atá dírithe ar chur chun cinn na Gaeilge i measc lucht gnó, atá á fhorbairt agus le soláthar as an nua ag an Údarás in 2025, seo a leanas uasdátú maidir leis na céimeanna atá glactha i dtaca leis na cláir sin: Scéim Forbartha Gaeilge na gCliantchomhlachtaí ...

Written Answers — Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Departmental Funding (1 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: My Department operates a number of capital programmes designed to support community groups with capital funding towards community centres, libraries and recreational amenities. Of particular importance for these specific purposes are:The Community Centre Investment Fund (CCIF), which provides funding towards capital costs for the refurbishment and upgrade of community centres that are open to...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: School Uniforms (26 Jun 2025)

Dara Calleary: I propose to take Questions Nos. 274 and 276 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: Childcare Services (26 Jun 2025)

Dara Calleary: Domiciliary Care Allowance (DCA) is payable to a parent / guardian in respect of a child aged under 16 who has a severe disability requiring continual or continuous care and attention substantially in excess of the care and attention normally required by a child of the same age and where the level of the child's disability is such that the child is likely to require this level of care and...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals (26 Jun 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Social Welfare Appeals Service is responsible for determining appeals against decisions in relation to social welfare entitlements. The Service is administered by the Chief Appeals Officer. The Chief Appeals Officer and her team of Appeals Officers are independent in their decision making functions. As Minister I need to be conscious of the independence of the office, its functions and...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: School Meals Programme (26 Jun 2025)

Dara Calleary: The objective of the School Meals Programme is to provide regular, nutritious food to children to support them in taking full advantage of the education provided to them. The programme is an important component of policies to encourage school attendance and extra educational achievement. All primary schools will be eligible to apply for the Hot School Meals from September 2025. This...