Results 1,701-1,720 of 16,601 for speaker:Dara Calleary

Written Answers — Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Dormant Accounts Fund (10 Jun 2025)

Dara Calleary: The main purpose of the Dormant Accounts Acts is to reunite account holders with their funds. Unclaimed funds are transferred to the Dormant Accounts Fund, which is managed by the National Treasury Management Agency. The beneficial owner has a right to reclaim their money at any time. Legislation governing Dormant Accounts established an administrative framework within which Departments...

Written Answers — Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Rural Schemes (10 Jun 2025)

Dara Calleary: I would like to acknowledge the valuable work carried out by the organisation in question and the meaningful impact it has on the lives of people in their local community. In July 2024, my department launched Trading for Impact the second national social enterprise policy. Trading for Impact has been designed to cultivate and sustain a strong and impactful social enterprise sector in...

Written Answers — Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Rural Schemes (10 Jun 2025)

Dara Calleary: On June 5th, I announced the latest round of funding of over €17 million for the delivery of 212 projects under the Community Recognition Fund covering all 31 local authority areas. That announcement brought the total number of projects that have been awarded funding under the fund to over 1,450 in just over two years. A significant number of projects approved under the Community...

Written Answers — Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Rural Schemes (10 Jun 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Community Centre Investment Fund (CCIF) has provided in excess of €109 million since 2022 for the enhancement and refurbishment of existing community centres and the construction of new centres. Over €45.8 million was approved for some 861 community centres nationwide under CCIF 2022. In early 2024, funding of over €30 million was approved for the construction of...

Written Answers — Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Cúrsaí Gaeilge (10 Jun 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Government's 20-Year Strategy for the Irish Language 2010-2030 contains a commitment to examine the feasibility of introducing a voluntary code for bilingual labelling and packaging of all goods sold in Ireland, as a mechanism to develop the range of areas available in which people can choose Irish as a language of exchange. In this context, Foras na Gaeilge, through its ‘Gnó...

Written Answers — Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Rural Schemes (10 Jun 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. In April 2024, €40 million in funding was announced for LIS across all local authorities to...

Written Answers — Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Cúrsaí Gaeilge (10 Jun 2025)

Dara Calleary: Funding not exceeding €15,000 was approved in June 2022 to enable Nascadh Uíbh Ráthaigh to prepare a Language Plan for that area of Uíbh Ráthaigh situated outside the official Gaeltacht boundaries and outside the Gaeltacht Service Town of Cahersiveen. This grant was approved in line with the commitment made in the Government’s 2018-2022 Action Plan for the...

Written Answers — Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Legislative Process (10 Jun 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Charities (Amendment) Act, 2024 (the ‘Act’) was signed into law by the President on 10th July 2024. The Act seeks to improve the ability of the Charities Regulator to conduct its statutory functions, providing greater transparency, clarity, and fairness in terms of the regulation of charities, leading to greater public trust and confidence in the sector. The...

Written Answers — Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Údarás na Gaeltachta (10 Jun 2025)

Dara Calleary: I understand from Údarás na Gaeltachta that Unit 2, Páirc Gnó Údarás na Gaeltachta, Acaill, Co. Mhaigh Eo is currently leased to Drioglann Acla Teo.

Written Answers — Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Rural Schemes (10 Jun 2025)

Dara Calleary: I can advise that my colleague the Minister for Public Expenditure, the National Development Plan and Reform holds responsibility for the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). It has been confirmed to me that the allocation of funds for sectoral programmes under the EU Cohesion Policy, including the ERDF, is subject to a period of negotiations between the European Commission, the...

Written Answers — Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Men's Sheds (10 Jun 2025)

Dara Calleary: I am very aware of the growing interest in Women's Sheds in Ireland, and of the great work they do in providing a space for women of all ages to come together on a regular basis in a safe, comfortable and inclusive environment. However, as Women’s Sheds do not currently operate under an overall national organisation, my Department is unable to provide funding to Women’s Sheds...

Written Answers — Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Men's Sheds (10 Jun 2025)

Dara Calleary: I am very aware of the growing interest in Women's Sheds in Ireland, and of the great work they do all over the country including Killarney. They provide a space for women of all ages to come together on a regular basis in a safe, comfortable and inclusive environment. However, as Women’s Sheds do not currently operate under an overall national organisation, my Department is unable...

Written Answers — Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Library Projects (10 Jun 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Rural Regeneration and Development Fund (RRDF) is a capital investment fund that is key to the delivery of Ireland's rural development policy, Our Rural Future 2021-2025. RRDF provides funding for the development and construction of capital projects in towns and villages in rural areas across Ireland. Funding is allocated to local authorities and other State-funded bodies, who take the...

Written Answers — Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Rural Schemes (10 Jun 2025)

Dara Calleary: My Department's CLÁR programme provides targeted funding for small scale infrastructural projects in designated rural areas. The programme is delivered across 3 separate measures. The application the Deputy refers would be expect to be relevant to measure 1, which funds community facilities and amenities. Applications under this measure are received via the local authorities, who are...

Written Answers — Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Men's Sheds (10 Jun 2025)

Dara Calleary: I am very aware of the growing interest in Women's Sheds in Ireland, and of the great work they do all over the country including in Carlow and Kilkenny. They provide a space for women of all ages to come together on a regular basis in a safe, comfortable and inclusive environment. However, as Women’s Sheds do not currently operate under an overall national organisation, my...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Pension Provisions (29 May 2025)

Dara Calleary: I propose to take Questions Nos. 404, 405, 406 and 407 together. 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...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: School Meals Programme (29 May 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. In Budget 2025, it was announced that the Hot School Meals Scheme will be extended to all remaining...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Schemes (29 May 2025)

Dara Calleary: The estimated annual combined cost of increasing both the one parent family payment weekly rate and supplementary welfare allowance weekly rate by €1 is €3 million, with OPFP cost being €2.27 million and SWA cost being €0.73 million. This costing is based on the estimated average number of recipients in 2025, and is subject to change in light of emerging trends...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Schemes (29 May 2025)

Dara Calleary: The estimated full year cost of increasing the Carer's Allowance weekly rate by €12 and abolishing the means test, assuming an associated increase of an additional 25,605 eligible recipients, is €404.5 million. Below is a table outlining each component of this costing: Component Cost (€ million) Additional expenditure on existing...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Schemes (29 May 2025)

Dara Calleary: Carer's Benefit is a non-means tested payment designed for insured people who may be required to leave the workforce, or reduce their working hours, to care for someone in need of full-time care and attention. The Programme for Government commits to examining the introduction of a Pay Related Carer’s Benefit for individuals who have to give up work suddenly in order to provide...