Results 1-20 of 15,514 for speaker:Dara Calleary

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (3 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: Newly arrived applicants for Temporary Protection (TP) apply for TP at Citywest Convention Centre. Departmental records show that the person concerned withdrew her TP on 12/08/2024 and was subsequently granted TP in another EU state. The person presented at Citywest Convention Centre on 17/06/2025 and reapplied for TP which has now been granted. Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (3 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Government acknowledges the valuable role that family carers play and is fully committed to supporting carers in that role. The Department of Social Protection provides a range of income supports to carers, including Carer’s Allowance, Carer’s Benefit, Domiciliary Care Allowance, and the Carer’s Support Grant, with combined spending estimated at over €1.9...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (3 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: Provisional expenditure in 2024 on Dental treatments under the Treatment Benefits scheme was €75.4 million and the 2025 Revised Estimate for Dental treatment as part of the Treatment Benefit scheme is €73.3 million.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (3 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...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (3 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: I propose to take Questions Nos. 278 and 279 together. 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. From July, the weekly income disregards for CA will increase...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (3 Jul 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. Means are any income belonging to the carer and their spouse / civil partner / cohabitant, property (except their own...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Code (3 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: Carer's allowance 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. This is defined as requiring from another person, continual supervision and frequent assistance throughout the day in...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (3 Jul 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. The two principal conditions for receipt of CA are that full-time care and attention is required and being provided,...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: School Meals Programme (3 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: I propose to take Questions Nos. 283 to 287, inclusive, together. Clear nutritional standards have been in place for the School Meals Programme since its inception. A specific standard was set for School Meals under the Nutritional Standards for School Meals and Nutritional Standards for Hot School Meals. A technical Nutrition Sub Group comprised of Dietitians from the following...

Written Answers — Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Irish Language (3 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: Expenditure by my Department on the promotion of the Irish language for the years 2022 and 2023 is included in the Appropriation Accounts for the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media published by the Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General in respect of each of those years and laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas. Estimates of expenditure in respect of...

Written Answers — Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Regeneration Projects (3 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: Launched in 2022, the Town Centre First (TCF) Policy is a major cross-government policy that aims to tackle vacancy, combat dereliction and breathe new life into our town centres. TCF supports the Our Rural Future vision for a thriving rural Ireland by setting out a framework to facilitate and resource the regeneration of Irish towns to ensure they are vibrant, viable places to live, work,...

Written Answers — Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Dormant Accounts Fund (3 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: I propose to take Questions Nos. 395 and 396 together. 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...

Social Welfare (Bereaved Partner’s Pension and Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2025: Report and Final Stages (2 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: It is important to acknowledge this Bill came about as a result of Mr. Johnny O'Meara and his family in memory of his partner and their mum, Michelle Batey. I thank Mr. O'Meara and Deputy Alan Kelly who stood and worked with him along with other organisations throughout this process. I thank all Deputies for their contributions to this debate and look forward to bringing the Bill to the Seanad.

Social Welfare (Bereaved Partner’s Pension and Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2025: Report and Final Stages (2 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: I thank Deputies O'Reilly and Wall. I do not propose to accept amendments Nos. 7, 8 and 14. To accept them would remove the ability of any future Minister for Social Protection to make regulations to clarify the circumstances where a couple may be living apart for more than two years due to medical circumstances. This definition is linked to the regulation-making power inserted into...

Social Welfare (Bereaved Partner’s Pension and Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2025: Report and Final Stages (2 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: If one part of the couple said something different to what had been signed up to, for whatever reason, there would have to be further investigations. I assure the Deputy that I would not want any intrusion into a relationship and the Department does not intend to intrude. If evidence was presented by a member of the couple that contradicted what the other member of the couple had said, that...

Social Welfare (Bereaved Partner’s Pension and Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2025: Report and Final Stages (2 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: Yes.

Social Welfare (Bereaved Partner’s Pension and Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2025: Report and Final Stages (2 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: Yes.

Social Welfare (Bereaved Partner’s Pension and Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2025: Report and Final Stages (2 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: I am pretty sure. It is a standard provision in such legislation. I assure the Deputy that the Department is not going to stick its nose in where that is not necessary.

Social Welfare (Bereaved Partner’s Pension and Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2025: Report and Final Stages (2 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: I thank Deputy Wall for the amendment. Amendments Nos. 18 to 20, inclusive, are grouped together. I do not propose to accept these amendments, which are possibly irrelevant owing to other related amendments being ruled out of order. I wrote to Deputies Wall, Quaide, Coppinger and O'Reilly on this issue after Committee Stage. There are provisions in the Bill removing the eligibility of...

Social Welfare (Bereaved Partner’s Pension and Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2025: Report and Final Stages (2 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: This is an area the Leas-Cheann Comhairle has also expressed an interest in. On Deputy O'Reilly's comment about the lady whose partner passed away while she was expecting, we have based the qualifications on the 2010 civil partnership Act and the issue from the Department of Justice. I am writing to the Minister, Deputy O'Callaghan, to highlight this case and also on the points reflected in...