Results 201-220 of 16,691 for speaker:Dara Calleary

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (1 Oct 2025)

Dara Calleary: I propose to take Questions Nos. 105 and 106 together. Domiciliary Care Allowance is a monthly non-means tested payment to a parent or guardian for a child aged up to 16 who has a severe disability. The child must require care and attention substantially over and above that required by other children their age. Eligibility is not based on the disability or diagnosis, but rather on the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Code (1 Oct 2025)

Dara Calleary: I propose to take Questions Nos. 107 and 109 together. Domiciliary Care Allowance is a monthly non-means tested payment to a parent or guardian for a child aged up to 16 who has a severe disability. The child must require care and attention substantially over and above that required by other children their age. Eligibility is not based on the disability or diagnosis, but rather on the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (1 Oct 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Government provides a broad range of income supports to carers. Key supports provided by my Department include Domiciliary Care Allowance, Carer’s Allowance, Carer’s Benefit, and the annual Carer’s Support Grant. Domiciliary Care Allowance is a monthly non-means tested payment to a parent or guardian for a child aged up to 16 who has a severe disability. The child...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (1 Oct 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. An application for CA was received from the person concerned on 27 August 2025. The application was examined and CA...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (1 Oct 2025)

Dara Calleary: There have been significant improvements made in recent years to the Fuel Allowance Scheme. These improvements have resulted in many more households qualifying for the payment. In 2023, the enhanced Fuel Allowance measures for people aged 70 years and over were introduced. These measures included increased allowable means for those aged over 70 of €500 and €1,000 for a...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Rates (1 Oct 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 Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Cosaint Fostaíochta (1 Oct 2025)

Dara Calleary: Tá Scéim na gCúntóirí Teanga á mhaoiniú ag mo Roinn le blianta fada agus tá an scéim leathnaithe amach le roinnt blianta chuig Gaelscoileanna i mBailte Seirbhíse Gaeltachta, i Limistéir Phleanála Teanga agus i Líonraí Gaeilge lasmuigh den Ghaeltacht. Cé go n-oibríonn Cúntóirí Teanga i...

Seanad: Pension Auto-Enrolment: Statements (30 Sep 2025)

Dara Calleary: I join in the good wishes and wish Senator O'Donovan health and happiness. He will be very interested in auto-enrolment. The Government has prioritised the introduction of an automatic enrolment retirement savings system. It will be known by its brand name My Future Fund. It is a key reform commitment to support workers and a key priority for me personally as Minister for Social...

Seanad: Pension Auto-Enrolment: Statements (30 Sep 2025)

Dara Calleary: I thank all the Senators for their inputs this evening. I join with Senator O'Donovan and, indeed, all of the Senators in paying my tribute and my respect to former councillor, Patrick Gerard Murphy, on his passing. I express my sympathies. He was a brilliant representative, a courageous man and somebody who always had the good of Cork at his heart. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam. I...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (30 Sep 2025)

Dara Calleary: Workers, including school bus escorts, who are not paid for holidays during the school breaks and who wish to avail of income support while temporarily laid-off can apply for a jobseeker’s payment. The person applying must satisfy all the qualifying conditions to receive a payment. This includes completing the relevant claim application forms and providing supporting documentation in...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (30 Sep 2025)

Dara Calleary: Carer’s Benefit is a payment for insured people who may be required to leave the workforce or reduce their working hours to care for a person(s) in need of full-time care. To qualify, an applicant must satisfy PRSI conditions, employment conditions, show that they are providing full-time care and attention and that the care recipient requires full-time care and attention. On the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (30 Sep 2025)

Dara Calleary: I propose to take Questions Nos. 599 and 600 together. The Department is committed to ensuring that only those people who are eligible, receive welfare and other payments. Achieving this requires that robust safeguards are in place that secure our payment systems, detect possible fraud and error, and prevent possible fraudulent claiming. All applicants must provide proof of their...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (30 Sep 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Household Benefits Package comprises the electricity or gas allowance, and the free television licence. My Department will spend approximately €308 million this year on the Household Benefits Package. The Programme for Government includes a commitment to examine key ancillary benefits such as the Fuel Allowance, Household Benefits Package and Living Alone Increase to support...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (30 Sep 2025)

Dara Calleary: The person concerned submitted an application for Jobseekers Allowance on 13/08/2025. Jobseekers Allowance has been awarded from 01/08/2025 at €244.00 per week. The first payment, including arrears will be available to the person concerned into their nominated back account on the 30/09/2025. A notification of this decision was been sent on 25/09/2025. I trust this clarifies...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (30 Sep 2025)

Dara Calleary: I propose to take Questions Nos. 603 to 614, inclusive, together. The Department is committed to providing a quality service to its customers. This includes ensuring that applications are processed and that decisions on entitlement are made as quickly as possible. Processing times vary across schemes, depending on the differing eligibility criteria. Schemes that require a high level of...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (30 Sep 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Supplementary Welfare Allowance (SWA) scheme is the safety net within the overall social welfare system and helps eligible people in the State whose means are insufficient to meet their needs and those of their dependents. Supports available under the SWA scheme, can consist of a basic weekly payment, as well as single Additional Needs Payments (ANPs). The SWA scheme is administered by...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (30 Sep 2025)

Dara Calleary: Bereaved Parent Grant (formerly known as Widowed Parent Grant) is a once off grant for widows, widowers, surviving civil partner's or surviving qualified cohabitants, who have one or more dependent children residing with them. In order to qualify for this grant, a person must be entitled to, or in receipt of Bereaved Partner's Contributory Pension, One Parent Family Payment, Death Benefit...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Children in Care (30 Sep 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. In order to qualify for Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance, an applicant must satisfy a number of qualifying...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Children in Care (30 Sep 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. Foster carers may qualify for the range of carer related income supports including CA if they satisfy the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Children in Care (30 Sep 2025)

Dara Calleary: Matters relating to foster carers, previously foster parents, are the responsibility of my colleague, the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality. This Government acknowledges the important role that carers, including foster carers, play and remains fully committed to supporting them. The State Pension (Contributory) system already provides a range of measures to recognise caring...