Results 13,281-13,300 of 15,080 for speaker:Dara Calleary

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Harbours and Piers (18 Feb 2025)

Dara Calleary: Galway County Council is the responsible authority for the maintenance and development of pier infrastructure on the Aran Islands, including on Inis Oírr. There are regular meetings between officials from my department and Galway County Council to discuss and monitor the pier development on the islands. The last meeting was held on Tuesday 11 February, and the next meeting is scheduled...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Staff (18 Feb 2025)

Dara Calleary: I am committed to supporting progress on gender equality in the Department of Rural and Community Development and to fair and equal treatment of all our staff and stakeholders. My Department completed a Gender Pay Gap report in 2024 which outlines how we will continue to review the gender balance in the Department. In particular, we will monitor the gender balance at middle management and...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Schemes (18 Feb 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Scheme (ORIS) provides funding for the development and enhancement of outdoor recreational infrastructure such as walking trails, cycleways, water-based recreation sites and mountain trails. Since the launch of the scheme, funding of over €129 million has been approved for more than 1,770 projects nationwide. Under the ORIS 2024/2025 scheme,...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Funding (18 Feb 2025)

Dara Calleary: The 2023-2027 LEADER Programme supports a broad range of private enterprises and community groups who improve the quality of life and economic activity in rural areas. The Programme is delivered by a network of Local Action Groups (LAGs) selected to implement Local Development Strategies for their respective geographical areas. In line with the LEADER Operating Rules, when evaluating...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Properties (18 Feb 2025)

Dara Calleary: I propose to take Questions Nos. 877 and 881 together. I can confirm that there are no empty buildings or undeveloped sites within my Department's portfolio. My Department currently occupies office space at Trinity Point, Dublin 2, and Government Buildings, Ballina, Co. Mayo. Both are in the ownership of the Office of Public Works (OPW).

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Budgets (18 Feb 2025)

Dara Calleary: My Department is responsible for the Seniors Alert Scheme which encourages community support for vulnerable older people in our communities through the provision of personal monitored alarms to enable them to live securely in their homes with confidence, independence and peace of mind. Funding is available under the scheme for the purchase by a registered community based-organisation of a...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Artificial Intelligence (18 Feb 2025)

Dara Calleary: My Department is guided in respect of the use of Artificial Intelligence by advices 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. I can confirm that Artificial Intelligence tools such as ChatGPT and Microsoft’s Co-Pilot are not currently in use in my...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Ministerial Responsibilities (18 Feb 2025)

Dara Calleary: As I advised the Deputy in my response to Parliamentary Question 733 of 11 February, it is my intention to publish my Department's Ministerial Briefing document in due course. It will be published on www.gov.ie/drcd.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Weather Events (19 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...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Legislative Measures (19 Feb 2025)

Dara Calleary: I propose to take Questions Nos. 128 and 140 together. The Jobseeker's Pay-Related Benefit scheme is a new social insurance income support which replaces Jobseeker's Benefit for people who lose their employment from 31 March 2025. Pay-related benefit means that the amount of benefit an eligible person receives when they become unemployed will be directly linked to their previous...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: School Meals Programme (19 Feb 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: School Meals Programme (19 Feb 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. The Hot School Meal programme is a subset of the wider School Meals Programme and is available to...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals (19 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 table below shows a breakdown of average processing times for the period 1st January 2024 to 31st December 2024 on a number of...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: School Meals Programme (19 Feb 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 Expenditure (19 Feb 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Department has a robust governance process in place to assure the proper control of expenditure. Aside from standard operating costs related to the day to day delivery of welfare and employment schemes and services the Department's capital development programmes fall into two categories - accommodation and facilities which are managed and accounted for by the Office of Public Works,...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: School Meals Programme (19 Feb 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: School Meals Programme (19 Feb 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: Budget 2025 (19 Feb 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Social Protection package of €2.6 billion announced under Budget 2025 was the largest in the history of the State and was designed to assist recipients of Social Protection payments through a mix of cost of living bonus payments and increases to weekly payment rates. The once-off bonus payments that were announced as part of Budget 2025 are as follows: Budget...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Pension Provisions (19 Feb 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 (Contributory) requires 520 (equivalent to 10 years)...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (19 Feb 2025)

Dara Calleary: Working Family Payment (WFP), formerly Family Income Supplement, is a weekly in-work support which provides an income top-up for employees on low earnings with children. To qualify for Working Family Payment the customer must have at least 1 qualified child who normally resides with them and be working a minimum of 38 hours per fortnight in ongoing insurable employment. An application...