Results 15,081-15,100 of 15,157 for speaker:Dara Calleary

Social Welfare (Bereaved Partner's Pension) Bill 2025: Financial Resolution (17 Jun 2025)

Dara Calleary: I move: That the Taxes Consolidation Act 1997 be amended in the manner and to the extent specified in the Act giving effect to this Resolution to provide that amounts to be paid on the bereaved partner's contributory pension and the bereaved partner's non-contributory pension under the Social Welfare Acts are to be deemed to be earned income for the purpose of the Taxes Consolidation Act...

Seanad: Balanced Regional Development: Statements (17 Jun 2025)

Dara Calleary: Gabhaim buíochas le Ceannaire an tSeanaid, an Seanadóir Seán Kyne, as an gcuireadh chun a bheith anseo inniu chun cúrsaí réigiúnacha a phlé. I thank the Leader of the Seanad for the invitation to speak with the Members today on the importance of balanced regional development. Responsibility lies with all of us in Seanad Éireann and Dáil...

Seanad: Balanced Regional Development: Statements (17 Jun 2025)

Dara Calleary: Gabhaim buíochas le gach Seanadóir as an díospóireacht seo agus as a dtuairimí. I note there was a lot of emphasis on the Northern and Western Regional Assembly and I thank John Daly and everybody on the assembly for their work. It is a really useful piece of work and I thank them for it. I certainly engaged with it. There has also been a lot of reference to...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (17 Jun 2025)

Dara Calleary: The purpose of the means test on certain welfare payments is to ensure that resources are directed to those with the greatest need for income supports by the State. The rules contained in Schedule 3 of the Social Welfare (Consolidation) Act 2005, as amended, provide that for means-tested social assistance schemes, all income and assets belonging to the applicant, and his or her...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (17 Jun 2025)

Dara Calleary: Jobseeker's Pay-Related Benefit is a new social insurance income support which has replaced the Jobseeker's Benefit scheme for people who have become fully unemployed since 31 March 2025. Under the Jobseeker's Pay-Related Benefit scheme, the weekly rate of payment for a person with at least 5 years paid PRSI contributions is set at 60% of previous earnings, up to a maximum of €450...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Pension Provisions (17 Jun 2025)

Dara Calleary: Prior to 6 April 1995, civil and public servants did not have access to the full range of social insurance benefits as their terms of employment protected them against the main contingencies of illness and old age, and the risk of unemployment was not considered a factor due to the nature of their employment. Civil and public sector employees recruited prior to 6 April 1995 pay social...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (17 Jun 2025)

Dara Calleary: The person concerned made an Illness Benefit claim and this was registered by my Department on 21 February 2025. The person is entitled to an increase in his Illness Benefit payment for his dependent child. The Child Support Payment has been awarded at half rate of pay. Any arrears due have been issued. A letter was sent to the person concerned on 11 June 2025 advising him of this...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (17 Jun 2025)

Dara Calleary: Primary weekly social welfare payments are intended to enable recipients to meet their basic day-to-day income needs. In addition to these primary payments, my Department also provides a range of other payments on a weekly, monthly, or less frequent basis. These payments are considered secondary in nature and cannot be made available to those who are not in receipt of a primary payment. ...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (17 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, has...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals (17 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, has...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Cost of Living Issues (17 Jun 2025)

Dara Calleary: Improving the position of disabled people is a priority for Government. That is why the Programme for Government includes a range of commitments in this area. There are commitments in relation to an Annual Cost of Disability Support Payment, rates of payment and means testing of disability payments. We will advance these commitments over the lifetime of the Government in the annual budgetary...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals (17 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 that the person concerned was contacted by an Appeals Officer in recent days and has been requested to provide...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (17 Jun 2025)

Dara Calleary: A newborn or adopted child grant of €280 was announced in Budget 2025 to be paid to families of babies born or children with a date of placement on or after 1st December 2024 in addition to their regular first month’s Child Benefit payment of €140. The newborn baby or adopted child grant is paid automatically with Child Benefit payments, there is no additional...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (17 Jun 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Widowed or Surviving Civil Partner Grant is for widows, widowers, or surviving civil partners, who have one or more dependent children living with them at the date of death, along with satisfying the other criteria. A dependent child is defined in Sections 2(3) of the Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005, as being a child under age 18, or over age 18 but under age 22 and in full-time...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (17 Jun 2025)

Dara Calleary: My Department provides assistance to households in the immediate aftermath of severe weather events under the Humanitarian Assistance Scheme (HAS) which was activated on Thursday, 23 January in advance of Storm Éowyn’s arrival. The purpose of HAS 2 support is to provide financial support to eligible householders whose primary dwelling i.e., their home only, was damaged by severe...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (17 Jun 2025)

Dara Calleary: I propose to take Questions Nos. 563, 564 and 565 together. Overpayments of social welfare entitlements can occur where a person provides false or misleading information in their application or through error on the part of either the claimant or the Department. Persons who have been overpaid social welfare have a liability to refund the overpayment as they have been in receipt of a payment...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (17 Jun 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Free Travel scheme provides free travel on the main public transport services and and on private transport services operating the Free Travel scheme. There are over 1.1 million customers with direct eligibility for Free Travel. As part of Budget 2024, Free Travel was extended to people who are medically certified as unfit to drive. From 29th July 2024, the measure extended access...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (17 Jun 2025)

Dara Calleary: Since the 6th of January 2023, the criteria for eligibility for Fuel Allowance was lowered specifically for people aged 70 and over compared to the standard cohort aged 66 and over. To increase the number of people aged 70 qualifying, the income limit was increased to €500 per week for singles and €1,000 per week for couples, savings of €50,000 were excluded and no...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Pension Provisions (17 Jun 2025)

Dara Calleary: I propose to take Questions Nos. 568 and 569 together. Under the law as currently enacted, entitlement to a Widows, Widowers or Surviving Civil Partner’s Contributory pension is only available to a surviving partner who was party to a marriage or civil partnership. On 22nd January 2024, the Supreme Court delivered its judgment on the entitlement of an unmarried cohabitant to a...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (17 Jun 2025)

Dara Calleary: Separate figures for Cork North Central are not available. Therefore the following figures provided are national figures for the whole country. As of the end of April 2025, there were 50,372 pending applications for social welfare payments and 19,296 appeal decisions pending. In 2024, there were approximately 3,580,000 applications registered by the department. There are currently a...