Results 1,541-1,560 of 16,601 for speaker:Dara Calleary

Select Committee on Social Protection, Rural and Community Development: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 37 - Social Protection (Revised) (11 Jun 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Deputy can ask them all together.

Select Committee on Social Protection, Rural and Community Development: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 37 - Social Protection (Revised) (11 Jun 2025)

Dara Calleary: I thank the Deputy. We seem to have followed each other around Oireachtas committees over the years. I look forward to continuing to work with her. Auto-enrolment will happen from 1 January 2026. I thank the Cathaoirleach who wrote to me. I was in Letterkenny on Friday. It is a tribute to regionalisation that much of the work on auto-enrolment is being done in Letterkenny by the...

Select Committee on Social Protection, Rural and Community Development: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 37 - Social Protection (Revised) (11 Jun 2025)

Dara Calleary: There will be an actuarial review. Once we see that, we will know what condition it is in and will be able to open a discussion based on the expert information at that point. As of now, I am confident it is in relatively good shape but I am awake to the challenges that face it. That is why the review will dictate where we go next. On the pay-related jobseeker's payment, we will review...

Select Committee on Social Protection, Rural and Community Development: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 37 - Social Protection (Revised) (11 Jun 2025)

Dara Calleary: Yes. I try to be as open as possible.

Select Committee on Social Protection, Rural and Community Development: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 37 - Social Protection (Revised) (11 Jun 2025)

Dara Calleary: I want the committee's feedback. I may not take it on board but it is important that I get it.

Select Committee on Social Protection, Rural and Community Development: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 37 - Social Protection (Revised) (11 Jun 2025)

Dara Calleary: We share the committee's concern about child poverty. The ESRI report is in-depth and interesting. On a second payment, we will consider the ESRI report. The Taoiseach made it clear to me on my appointment that child poverty was a priority for him. His Department is setting up a child poverty unit that we will work with. We are looking at targeted increases to make a difference in...

Select Committee on Social Protection, Rural and Community Development: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 37 - Social Protection (Revised) (11 Jun 2025)

Dara Calleary: I do not have the figure here but I will get back to the Deputy. As a consequence of the changes, a two-adult household with an income of €69,000 will retain the maximum carer's allowance. The same carer with an income of €97,000 will retain a partial payment. In June 2022, before we started making changes, that €69,000 was €37,000 and that €97,000 was...

Select Committee on Social Protection, Rural and Community Development: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 37 - Social Protection (Revised) (11 Jun 2025)

Dara Calleary: I thank the Deputy for his good wishes. I will once again emphasise that, from July, the income disregards for carers will increase from €450 to €625 and from €900 to €1,250. I am certainly committed to continuing to increase those income disregards in line with the budget. The bereaved partner's legislation will come before the committee before the end of...

Select Committee on Social Protection, Rural and Community Development: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 37 - Social Protection (Revised) (11 Jun 2025)

Dara Calleary: On pensioners living on their own, we have the living alone allowance, which is worth €22 a week. There is also the fuel allowance, which is paid during fuel allowance season. I am very conscious that one person has more expenses than two living together. We continue to keep that under review. At this point, my current priority is to extend hot school meals to every primary...

Select Committee on Social Protection, Rural and Community Development: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 37 - Social Protection (Revised) (11 Jun 2025)

Dara Calleary: We are proceeding with auto-enrolment. The team that is dealing with this is more than happy to come before the committee. It would help to get knowledge about auto-enrolment out there and build the committee's confidence in it. The team is exceptional and I would encourage the committee to bring it before it. Jobseeker's pay-related benefit is where we thought it would be at this...

Select Committee on Social Protection, Rural and Community Development: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 37 - Social Protection (Revised) (11 Jun 2025)

Dara Calleary: There is no timeframe yet. We will learn from jobseeker's pay-related benefit. We will learn the lessons from and get feedback about that. I am focused on making sure jobseeker's pay-related benefit is working the way we want it to and working for recipients. I am happy to share with the committee our work on that towards the end of this year and early next year.

Select Committee on Social Protection, Rural and Community Development: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 37 - Social Protection (Revised) (11 Jun 2025)

Dara Calleary: I cannot say. That will depend on the review and the budget.

Select Committee on Social Protection, Rural and Community Development: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 37 - Social Protection (Revised) (11 Jun 2025)

Dara Calleary: Regarding school meals, every school makes that call. I met a company earlier this week in my own area. It is a very local company that is supporting local schools. I am very conscious of the burden on school communities regarding managing procurement, etc., and we are trying to make it easy but also to encourage them to use local services. We have some good feedback on meals on wheels...

Select Committee on Social Protection, Rural and Community Development: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 37 - Social Protection (Revised) (11 Jun 2025)

Dara Calleary: I agree with the Deputy. We will look at it. I will not give him a guarantee but I hear him and I do not necessarily disagree.

Select Committee on Social Protection, Rural and Community Development: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 37 - Social Protection (Revised) (11 Jun 2025)

Dara Calleary: It is very much based on our CSO figures. We have all those figures and our own figures from the Social Insurance Fund. We are very lucky in that we have a fantastic team in the Department whose job is to analyse all the statistics and make the demographic projections. They are doing a super job, which is evident in the health of the Social Insurance Fund. It is also relatively evident on...

Joint Committee on Social Protection, Rural and Community Development: Social Protection Issues: Minister for Social Protection (11 Jun 2025)

Dara Calleary: Gabhaim buíochas arís leis an gCathaoirleach, leis an gcoiste agus leis an gcléireach don chuireadh a thabhairt dom plé a dhéanamh ar na polasaithe agus na tosaíochtaí do mo dhá Roinn le linn an téarma Rialtais seo. Tá áthas orm freisin fáilte a chur roimh ár gcomhghleacaithe ó Sheanad Éireann. We had a very good...

Joint Committee on Social Protection, Rural and Community Development: Social Protection Issues: Minister for Social Protection (11 Jun 2025)

Dara Calleary: I thank the Senator. On the means test abolition, we are working towards that over the lifetime of this Government. As I said in my opening remarks, we will be making a major improvement in two weeks' time. I want to continue that income disregard with a view to phasing it out over the course of, I hope, four budgets and possibly five. We are very committed to doing that. We had our...

Joint Committee on Social Protection, Rural and Community Development: Social Protection Issues: Minister for Social Protection (11 Jun 2025)

Dara Calleary: I will take the second question first, if that is okay. This is something I am going to look at. I have come across it in our work in the last number of months. I would certainly welcome people's guidance and advice on it, as Deputies, but also as a committee. It is one area where I will definitely try to get people's thoughts.

Joint Committee on Social Protection, Rural and Community Development: Social Protection Issues: Minister for Social Protection (11 Jun 2025)

Dara Calleary: In relation to child poverty generally, first, there is a commitment in the programme for government that we will look at a targeted child benefit payment, and we are doing some preliminary work on that. I would also point out that over the course of 2025 we have increased expenditure on children by up to €115 million, including €72 million to fund the extension of the school...

Joint Committee on Social Protection, Rural and Community Development: Social Protection Issues: Minister for Social Protection (11 Jun 2025)

Dara Calleary: I would not like to say there is work ongoing but, certainly, based on today's meeting, we will follow it up internally within the Department but also across the Department of education. That is not the intention. The intention was to reduce the burden on parents. I suspect I am with the Deputy on that, and I would prefer a book at any time. It is not the intention to place that cost on...