Results 14,921-14,940 of 15,157 for speaker:Dara Calleary

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: School Meals Programme (10 Jun 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 will be extended to all remaining primary...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: School Meals Programme (10 Jun 2025)

Dara Calleary: Child Benefit is a monthly payment to families with children up to the age of 16 years. The payment continues to be paid in respect of children until their 19th birthday where they are in full-time education or have a disability. It is paid in respect of almost 1.3 million children. Expenditure on the scheme is estimated at over €2.2 billion in 2025, with a monthly estimated average...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: School Meals Programme (10 Jun 2025)

Dara Calleary: I propose to take Questions Nos. 915 and 930 together. 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...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (10 Jun 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance scheme provides a once-off payment to eligible families to assist with the costs of clothing and footwear when children start or return to school each autumn. The scheme operates from June to September each year. The rates of payment for the 2025 scheme are €160 for children aged between 4 and 11 years and €285 for children...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (10 Jun 2025)

Dara Calleary: Quarterly statistics on recipients of Jobseeker's Allowance, including a breakdown by county and a breakdown by nationality, is published in the Department's Quarterly Statistics report and is available in open data format at www.gov.ie/en/department-of-social-protection/collections/qu arterly-statistics/#quarterly-statistical-open-data . These figures are set out in the tables below. ...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (10 Jun 2025)

Dara Calleary: Child Benefit is a monthly payment to the parents or guardians of children under 16 years of age. Child Benefit can also be claimed for children aged 16, 17 and 18 if they are in full-time education or training or have a disability and cannot support themselves. Under EU regulations, Child Benefit is considered a "Family Benefit". The country where a person is employed (their "country of...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (10 Jun 2025)

Dara Calleary: Quarterly statistics on recipients of Disability Allowance, including a breakdown by county, is published in the Department's Quarterly Statistics report and is available in open data format at www.gov.ie/en/department-of-social-protection/collections/qu arterly-statistics/#quarterly-statistical-open-data . These figures are set out in the table below. county 2020Q1 ...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Pension Provisions (10 Jun 2025)

Dara Calleary: Quarterly statistics on recipients of Invalidity Pension, including a breakdown by county, is published in open data format as part of the Department's Quarterly Statistics report which is available at www.gov.ie/en/department-of-social-protection/collections/qu arterly-statistics/#quarterly-statistical-open-data . These figures are set out in the table below. county ...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Pension Provisions (10 Jun 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Blind Pension is a means-tested payment provided by the Department to individuals who are blind or have a serious visual impairment and are habitually resident in the State. It is available to those aged 18 to 66 and requires medical certification of visual impairment. Due to low numbers of recipients when broken down by county, the counties of Leitrim, Longford, and Roscommon are...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (10 Jun 2025)

Dara Calleary: Disablement Benefit is a payment provided by the Department under the Occupational Injuries Scheme. It is available to individuals who suffer a loss of physical or mental capacity due to a work-related accident, a direct commute-related accident, or a prescribed occupational disease. Quarterly data on the number of persons receiving Disablement Benefit is set out in the table below. ...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (10 Jun 2025)

Dara Calleary: Injury Benefit is a weekly payment from the Department provided under the Occupational Injuries Benefit Scheme to employees who are unfit for work due to an accident at work, while commuting directly to or from work, or from an occupational disease. To qualify, the individual must be employed under certain PRSI classes and be medically certified as unfit for work for more than three days....

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (10 Jun 2025)

Dara Calleary: Quarterly statistics on recipients of Illness Benefit, including a breakdown by county, is published in open data format as part of the Department's Quarterly Statistics report which is available at www.gov.ie/en/department-of-social-protection/collections/qu arterly-statistics/#quarterly-statistical-open-data . These figures are set out in the table below. County Q12020...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (10 Jun 2025)

Dara Calleary: Domiciliary Care Allowance is a monthly, non-means-tested payment of €360 provided by the Department to support parents or guardians caring for a child under 16 with a severe disability. Quarterly data on the number of persons receiving Domiciliary Care Allowance is set out in the table below. County Q12020 Q12021 Q12022 Q12023 ...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (10 Jun 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance scheme provides a once-off payment to eligible families to assist with the costs of clothing and footwear when children start or return to school each autumn. The scheme operates from June to September each year. The allowance is payable in respect of eligible children between the ages of 4 and 17 in respect of whom a Child Support Payment...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (10 Jun 2025)

Dara Calleary: The estimated cost of a once-off €100 payment to recipients of the One-Parent Family Payment and Jobseeker's Transitional payment is €6.3 million. The One-Parent Family Payment is a means-tested payment for men and women who are bringing up a child, or children, without the support of a partner. The individual must also have main care and charge of at least one child who is...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: School Meals Programme (10 Jun 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 will be extended to all remaining primary...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (10 Jun 2025)

Dara Calleary: Child Benefit is a monthly payment to families with children up to the age of 16 years. The payment continues to be paid in respect of children until their 19th birthday where they are in full-time education or have a disability. It is paid in respect of almost 1.3 million children. Budget 2025 provided for two Child Benefit double payments to be paid before the end of 2024. As a...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Legal Services (10 Jun 2025)

Dara Calleary: As indicated in my previous reply on the 14th May, the definition of a surviving qualified cohabitant contained in the Bill is aligned with the definition of qualifying cohabitants contained in the Civil Partnership and Certain Rights and Obligations of Cohabitants Act 2010 (“the 2010 Act”). This definition provides for a couple to become qualified cohabitants where they have...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Offices (10 Jun 2025)

Dara Calleary: Intreo Centres are a single point of contact for all employment and income supports. The Centres are designed to provide a streamlined approach, offering practical, tailored employment and financial services and supports to customers. These services are provided through the medium of Irish if this is the preference of the person availing of the service. People from the Gaeltacht...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (10 Jun 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,...