Results 1,361-1,380 of 14,528 for speaker:Dara Calleary

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (6 Feb 2025)

Dara Calleary: Fuel Allowance is a means tested payment to help with the cost of heating a home during the winter months, payable to people who either live alone or only with certain other qualified people. An application for Fuel Allowance was received from the person concerned on 03 January 2025. The application was assessed by a Deciding Officer. The claim was disallowed, because the household...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals (6 Feb 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 Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 5th...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Artificial Intelligence (6 Feb 2025)

Dara Calleary: My Department is currently examining the potential future use of A.I. technologies. This has involved active participation in several stakeholder groups, providing observations to The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment on the EU AI Act drafts and its implementation. An A.I. Chatbot on the MyGovID platform is in use, providing real-time advice to customers on how best to use...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (6 Feb 2025)

Dara Calleary: My department provides the Domiciliary Care Allowance which is a monthly non-means tested payment to a parent or guardian for a child aged up to 16 who has a severe disability and requires care and attention substantially over and above that required by other children their age. From January 2025, the rate of Domiciliary Care Allowance increased from €340 to €360 per month....

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (6 Feb 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 Payments (6 Feb 2025)

Dara Calleary: I propose to take Questions Nos. 158 and 159 together. The key role of the Department of Social Protection is that of income support for people experiencing specific contingencies that limit their ability to earn an income. These contingencies include unemployment, illness/disability and caring responsibilities. These payments reflect the fact that, people experiencing these...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (6 Feb 2025)

Dara Calleary: Disability Allowance (DA) is a weekly allowance paid to people with a specified disability who are aged 16 or over and under the age of 66. This disability must be expected to last for at least one year and the allowance is subject to a medical assessment, a means test and the habitual residency conditions. Domiciliary Care Allowance (DCA) is payable in respect of a child aged under 16...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Staff (6 Feb 2025)

Dara Calleary: My Department has not employed any quantity surveyors as of 30 January 2025.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Contracts (6 Feb 2025)

Dara Calleary: Consultancy is defined by the Department of Finance as where a person or organisation provides intellectual or knowledge-based services (e.g. expert analysis and advice) through delivering reports, studies, assessments, recommendations, proposals, etc. that contribute to decision making or policy development. Details as requested by the Deputy are set out below. Consultants enlisted by...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Flexible Work Practices (6 Feb 2025)

Dara Calleary: My Department is supportive of blended working and was one of the first to introduce a blended working policy. This Policy, developed in line with the Blended Working Policy Framework for Civil Service Organizations, offers a varied attendance model, depending on the staff role and business needs. The ability to effectively meet the needs of each business area and ensuring high-quality...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals (6 Feb 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 Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 25th...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (6 Feb 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. I can confirm that two applications for CA were received from the person concerned on 23 August 2024, in respect of two...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Pension Provisions (6 Feb 2025)

Dara Calleary: As the Deputy is aware, a meeting between the then Taoiseach, the then Minister for Social Protection and representatives of the Waterford Crystal Pension Action Group took place in Government Buildings on 13 September 2024. On foot of the meeting, the then Taoiseach asked the Attorney General to advise on the matter. I understand that the advice has been received and is being considered....

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (6 Feb 2025)

Dara Calleary: My Department's primary disability related social assistance scheme is Disability Allowance, which is a means-tested payment for people with a specified disability who are aged between 16 and 66. In addition to the means test, in order to be eligible, the disability must be expected to last for at least one year. The allowance is also subject to a medical assessment and a habitual residency...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (6 Feb 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Humanitarian Assistance Scheme, administered by my department through the local Community Welfare Service, was activated on the 23rd January 2025 to assist householders across the country 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 needs,...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Artificial Intelligence (6 Feb 2025)

Dara Calleary: My Department follows the current advice from the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) as set out in “Cyber Security Guidance on Generative AI for Public Sector Bodies” published on 1 June 2023. Artificial Intelligence tools are not currently used in my Department. I can therefore confirm that no funding was allocated or expended in 2024 on artificial intelligence...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Contracts (6 Feb 2025)

Dara Calleary: The details the Deputy has requested for my Department, on consultant services utilised in 2023 and 2024, are set out at the link below. In the interest of openness and transparency my Department publishes detailed financial information on a regular basis, including details of all consultancy payments made by the Department in a given year and what services the payments related to. This...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Social Welfare Code (5 Feb 2025)

Dara Calleary: This is my first time since my appointment to address the House in this form - I spoke earlier on the storm debate - so I thank Deputies for their good wishes. I congratulate the Ceann Comhairle on her election and Deputy Buckley on his re-election. I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. I am sorry to hear about the case he described. As he will know, in some of its laws, the State...

Government’s Response to Storm Éowyn: Statements (5 Feb 2025)

Dara Calleary: I have been across County Mayo and across the country in recent weeks and I have seen at first hand, as many colleagues have, the very devastating real effects of Storm Éowyn on communities and families throughout the country. I assure people in every community, in rural and in urban areas, that we are working hard and doing all we can to get their power, water and communications back...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Staff (5 Feb 2025)

Dara Calleary: In 2024, my Department approved 2,061 applications for career breaks and special leave, both paid and unpaid. This includes Force Majeure, attendance at a court case as a witness or as a member of a jury. Within this figure, five applications were specifically related to civil servants and/or their spouses undertaking temporary roles within EU institutions. Due to the limited number of cases,...