Results 1-20 of 15,792 for speaker:Dara Calleary

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Employment Support Services (17 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: I propose to take Questions Nos. 389 and 404 together. My Department's Intreo service is a single point of contact for all employment and income supports in the State. Disabled people can access mainstream employment schemes such as Community Employment and Tús as well as referral to tailored supports such as Employability. This is a service that offers a professional job-matching...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Data (17 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: Expenditure on Training Support Grants over the last ten years is set out in the table below. Expenditure to date in 2025 is not readily available. Expenditure is recorded at the scheme level, not the individual level. Accordingly, it is not possible to attribute expenditure to individual-level characteristics such as county. Funding for the scheme is centrally allocated. ...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Data (17 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Work Placement Experience Programme (WPEP) is a voluntary work experience and training program for unemployed jobseekers receiving a qualifying social welfare payment. Launched in July 2021, it is part of the national employment strategy, Pathways to Work 2021-2025. Expenditure on WPEP is by way of a payment made directly to the participant. Funding is not therefore allocated on a...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: School Meals Programme (17 Jul 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: Departmental Schemes (17 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: Regulations, signed in June 2022 by the Minister for Social Protection with the consent of the Minister for Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform, provide that payments made under the Troubles Permanent Disablement Payment Scheme, in accordance with the Victims’ Payments Regulations 2020 (2020 No. 103) (Northern Ireland), are disregarded in the means tests for all social...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Wage-setting Mechanisms (17 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: Public Procurement Contracts (17 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: Procurement is closely monitored across my Department and contracts are only tendered following a rigorous assessment of need.  The majority of contracts are tendered under central arrangements via the Office of Government Procurement. Since 2019 there has been approximately 300 contracts awarded over €25k which have been openly tendered and 18 tenders have been recorded as...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Public Private Partnerships (17 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: My Department did not have any Public-Private Partnership projects under its remit for the period in question.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Carer's Allowance (17 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: Departmental Contracts (17 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: My Department has not procured services from the company referred to. There are four bodies under the aegis of my Department; The Citizens Information Board, The Pensions Authority, The Pensions Council and The Social Welfare Tribunal.  All of these bodies have confirmed that they have not procured services from the company referred to.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Reviews (17 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: The fuel allowance is a contribution towards the energy costs of a household. The payment of €33 per week for 28 weeks (a total of €924) is paid from late September to April to assist households with their energy costs. The person concerned applied for Fuel Allowance on 10 July 2025. Following a review of their application, a letter issued on 15 July 2025 to advise the person...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Fuel Allowance (17 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: The estimated annual cost of extending Fuel Allowance by one week is €13.7 million. This costing is based on the number of Fuel Allowance recipients as at December 2024, and on the basis of a 28 week Fuel Allowance season.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pensions (17 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: My Department provides income supports through a mixture of contributory payments (which are based on a person's social insurance record) and means-tested social assistance payments. To receive either a contributory or social assistance payment a person must qualify for that payment in their own right. The State Pension (Non-Contributory) is a means-tested social assistance payment for...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pensions (17 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: The State Pension (Non-contributory) (SPNC) is a means-tested payment for people aged 66 and over, 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. An applicant for SPNC can have savings or assets of up to €20,000. Also an applicant is entitled...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Budgets (17 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Department of Social Protection provides income supports through a mixture of contributory payments (which are based on a person's social insurance record) and means-tested social assistance payments. To receive either a contributory or social assistance payment a person must qualify for that payment in their own right. The State Pension (Non-Contributory) is a means-tested social...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Data (17 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: I propose to take Questions Nos. 405, 406, 407 and 408 together. As the Deputy is aware the Community Employment Scheme (CE) is an active labour market programme designed to provide eligible long-term unemployed people and other disadvantaged persons with an opportunity to engage in useful work within their communities on a temporary, fixed term basis. CE projects are in diverse areas...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Data (17 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: I propose to take Questions Nos. 409, 410, 411 and 412 together. Tús commenced in July 2011, as a targeted activation measure, and is delivered by 47 local development companies and Údarás na Gaeltachta, known as Implementing Bodies (IBs). IBs are allocated places based on the geographic distribution of people who are unemployed for more than a year. The scheme provides...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Data (17 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: I propose to take Questions Nos. 413, 416, 419 and 422 together. The Wage Subsidy Scheme supports employers to hire people with disabilities through a subsidy. The 2024 Annual Statistics Report details expenditure over the last ten years. Expenditure is recorded at the scheme level, not the individual level. Accordingly, it is not possible to attribute expenditure at a county level. ...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Data (17 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: I propose to take Questions Nos. 415, 418, 421 and 424 together. Back to Education Allowance was established in 1998, and is available to jobseekers, lone parents, and people with disabilities, who are taking part in further education or higher education courses. Details on recipient numbers and expenditure on the scheme since 1998 are available through the Department's Annual Statistics...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Data (17 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: I propose to take Questions Nos. 417, 414, 420 and 423 together. In December 2023, my Department established the WorkAbility programme. It is co-financed with the EU Employment, Inclusion, Skills and Training programme. It aims to support people with disabilities into employment through 57 local, regional and national projects, in 19 counties. The programme aims to support over 13,000...