Results 14,841-14,860 of 15,157 for speaker:Dara Calleary

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Rural Schemes (28 May 2025)

Dara Calleary: My Department supports both rural and urban communities across the country with significant levels of funding. Budget 2025 secured a 9% increase in my Department’s allocation to €472 million, giving it additional resources to support communities. This record allocation is providing €212 million for rural development and €260 million for community development. ...

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...

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

Dara Calleary: The estimated annual cost of increasing Carer's Allowance by €1 per week is €3.95 million. This includes increases for those carers both under and over 66 years and also those on half-rate Carer's Allowance. This costing is based on the estimated average number of recipients in 2025, and is subject to change in light of emerging trends and subsequent revision of the estimated...

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

Dara Calleary: The estimated annual cost of increasing the monthly rate of Domiciliary Care Allowance by €1 is €0.8 million. This costing is based on the estimated average number of recipients in 2025, and is subject to change in light of emerging trends and subsequent revision of the estimated number of recipients.

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

Dara Calleary: The current Carer's Support Grant rate is €2,000 per year, following an increase of €150 announced in Budget 2025, payable in June 2025. The estimated annual cost of increasing the Carer's Support Grant to €2,250 per year is €38.4 million. The estimated annual cost of increasing the Carer's Support Grant to €2,500 per year is €76.8 million. ...

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

Dara Calleary: The estimated annual cost of increasing only jobseeker’s allowance by €1 is €7.3 million. It should be noted that these costings include proportionate increases for qualified adults and for those on reduced rates of payment, where relevant. This costing does not include any increase in respect of other schemes which are linked to the Jobseeker's Allowance rate, such...

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

Dara Calleary: In preparing this response, we have included costings for DSP's Pension programme schemes which include State Pension (Contributory), State Pension (Non-Contributory) and Widows Contributory Pension. The estimated annual cost of increasing these schemes by €1 is €41.5 million. It should be noted that these costings include proportionate increases for qualified adults and for...

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

Dara Calleary: Most social welfare schemes pay an amount in addition to the personal rate in respect of an adult dependant, called an Increase for a Qualified Adult (IQA). The IQA rate is usually two thirds of the maximum personal rate for the relevant scheme. The Minimum Essential Standard of Living (MESL) is an assessment of the minimum income needed to live and partake in the social and economic...

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

Dara Calleary: The total estimated cost of increasing the Child Support Payment (formerly known as the Increase for Qualified Child or IQC) for children under 12 years and for those aged 12 years and over by €1 in both cases is €15.45 million. This increases the weekly rates from €50 and €62 per week to €51 and €63 per week, respectively. This costing is based...

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

Dara Calleary: It is not possible to provide first and full year costs of establishing a “Social Welfare Adequacy Commission” in the absence of detail on the underpinning legislation, functions, administrative structure and work programme of such a body, should it be established. For the information of the Deputy, the Revised Estimates Volume for 2025 makes provision for €528,000...

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

Dara Calleary: I propose to take Questions Nos. 420 and 421 together. The cost of extending the One-Parent Family Payment by five years (until a family’s youngest child reaches 12), and the Jobseeker’s Transitional Payment by either one year (until a family’s youngest child reaches 15) or by four years (until the youngest child has completed secondary education or turns 18), is...

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

Dara Calleary: The estimated annual cost of extending Fuel Allowance eligibility to all Working Family Payment recipients is €39.7 million, covering a full fuel season. This costing is based on the estimated average number of recipients in 2025, and is subject to change in light of emerging trends and subsequent revision of the estimated number of recipients.

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

Dara Calleary: It is important to note that the State Pension age was never 65 years of age. The State Pension (Contributory) and State Pension (Non-Contributory) were never paid at 65 years of age. Reducing the State Pension age to 65 years would increase pension related expenditure significantly. While my Department does not have a detailed actuarial analysis of this option, a high-level estimate of...

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

Dara Calleary: Parent's Benefit is a payment for employed and self-employed people who are on Parent's Leave from work who satisfy certain PRSI contribution conditions. It is currently paid for nine weeks at €289 per week. Any decision to extend the period of Parent's Leave for employees is a matter for my colleague, the Minister for Children, Disability, and Equality who has policy and legal...

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

Dara Calleary: The estimated cost of a once-off €50 Christmas bonus payment to only recipients of Jobseeker’s Allowance, Jobseeker’s Benefit (including self-employed), Jobseeker’s Pay-Related Benefit, and Jobseeker’s Transitional Payment is €7.9 million. It should be noted that this costing is based on the number of recipients as at April 2025, and is subject to...

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

Dara Calleary: The estimated cost of a single once-off €50 payment to all recipients of Working Family payment is €2.45 million. It should be noted that this costing is based on the number of recipients as at April 2025, and is subject to change in light of emerging trends and subsequent variations in the number of recipients.