Results 221-240 of 14,252 for speaker:Dara Calleary

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals (8 Apr 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. I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that an Appeals Officer, having fully considered all of the available evidence,...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Inquiries (8 Apr 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Humanitarian Assistance Scheme (HAS), administered by my department through the Community Welfare Service (CWS), was activated on 23 January 2025 to assist householders affected across the country by Storm Éowyn. According to the records of the Department, the person concerned applied for a HAS stage 1 payment to assist with the additional costs incurred as a result of Storm...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (8 Apr 2025)

Dara Calleary: Under the Supplementary Welfare Allowance scheme, my Department may make Additional Needs Payments to help meet essential expenses that a person cannot pay from their weekly income or other personal and household resources. The payment is available to anyone who needs it and qualifies, whether the person is currently receiving a social welfare payment or working on a low income. Entitlement...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (8 Apr 2025)

Dara Calleary: All persons who apply for a jobseekers payment are required to satisfy the conditions for a jobseekers payment including any signing arrangements. A jobseeker’s payment is a income support available to all those who are on a temporary lay-off from their employment who satisfy the conditions of the scheme. A person may during a period of a temporary lay-off make a claim for...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Data (8 Apr 2025)

Dara Calleary: My Department is committed to ensuring that members of the public are aware of the welfare supports and services that are available to them. Public information campaigns, including advertising on digital platforms such as Google, are an important part of this work and allows the Department to interact with specific demographics and age groups, for whom this sphere of communication is central...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (8 Apr 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Carer's Support Grant (CSG) is an annual payment for carers who look after a person in need of full-time care and attention. The payment is made regardless of the carer's means but is subject to the following conditions: The person claiming the Grant must:Be aged 16 or over and ordinarily resident in this StateCare for the person on a full-time basisCare for the person for a continuous...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Data (8 Apr 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Government is very aware of the key role that family carers play in Irish society and the challenges they face and is fully committed to supporting carers in that role. There have been a number of significant improvements made to the income thresholds in the means test for Carer’s Allowance in recent years. As part of Budget 2025, the weekly income disregard will increase in...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Inquiries (8 Apr 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Carer's Support Grant (CSG) is an annual payment for carers who look after a person in need of full-time care and attention. My Department received an application for CSG from the person concerned on 11March 2025. The CSG was previously paid to the person concerned for the same care recipient while Domiciliary Care Allowance was in payment. I can confirm that the person concerned...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Inquiries (8 Apr 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. I can confirm that CA has been in payment to the person concerned since 18 October 2018. Once claims are in payment,...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (8 Apr 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Treatment Benefit Scheme provides dental, optical, aural and hair replacement products and services to insured workers, the self-employed, retired people and their dependent spouse/partner who have the required number of social insurance (PRSI) contributions. To qualify for Treatment Benefit, the person concerned must have at least 260 paid contributions at class A/E/H/P/S since...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Vacant Properties (8 Apr 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Department of Social Protection does not have any vacant or derelict buildings in the Dublin-Rathdown area. With the exception of the Department headquarters, Áras Mhic Dhiarmada, Store Street, Dublin 1, which is held by the Minister on behalf of the Social Insurance Fund, all buildings and property occupied by the Department of Social Protection, are owned or leased by the Office...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Gender Recognition (8 Apr 2025)

Dara Calleary: The setting up an interdepartmental working group to facilitate an impact assessment on providing legal recognition for those who identify as non-binary is included in the National LGBTIQ+ Inclusion Strategy II. My Department will be participating in the roll out of this strategy, and work on progressing this element has commenced internally. Further work is required to be carried out...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (8 Apr 2025)

Dara Calleary: Under the Supplementary Welfare Allowance scheme, my Department may make Additional Needs Payments to help meet essential expenses that a person cannot pay from their weekly income or other personal and household resources. The payment is available to anyone who needs it and qualifies, whether the person is currently receiving a social welfare payment or working on a low income. Entitlement...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Strategies (8 Apr 2025)

Dara Calleary: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1085 and 1096 together. The Government's five-year strategy to support the community and voluntary sector, Sustainable, Inclusive and Empowered Communities, was published in 2019. This is a whole of government strategy led by my Department, which is implemented collaboratively with the sector through the Cross Sector Group (CSG) on Local and Community...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Community Development Projects (8 Apr 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Community Centre Investment Fund has provided in excess of €109 million since 2022 for the enhancement and refurbishment of existing community centres and the construction of new centres. Over €33 million has now been approved for in excess of 770 projects nationwide under the 2024 fund. However, given the very significant level of demand, not all applications were...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Community Development Projects (8 Apr 2025)

Dara Calleary: My Department approves a significant number of capital projects each year, ranging from small scale supports under schemes such as the Community Enhancement Fund to larger supports under schemes such as LEADER, Town and Village Renewal, the Community Centre Investment Fund and the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund. Details on all capital projects approved for funding under the variety...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Community Development Projects (8 Apr 2025)

Dara Calleary: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1088 and 1089 together. My Department has developed a range of funding schemes and interventions that provide grants to support communities across the country. In 2024 my Department allocated over €15 million in community grants to Kildare in programmes that includes the Rural Regeneration Fund; the LEADER programme; the Community Centre...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Schemes (8 Apr 2025)

Dara Calleary: My Department has responsibility for policy and legislation in relation to local authority burial grounds while the actual operation of burial grounds is the responsibility of the relevant local authority. Under the Local Government (Sanitary Services) Acts, 1878 to 2001, local authorities are deemed to be burial boards for their respective functional areas. Acting in their capacity as...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Staff (8 Apr 2025)

Dara Calleary: My Department works with the Public Appointments Service to fill vacancies in line with guidelines as set out by the Commission for Public Service Appointments (CPSA). Our Human Resources Unit places great emphasis and urgency on backfilling vacancies in as quick a timeframe as possible, to ensure that our units are adequately resourced to deliver on our statement of strategy goals. As such,...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Schemes (8 Apr 2025)

Dara Calleary: My Department has responsibility for policy and legislation in relation to local authority burial grounds while the actual operation of burial grounds is the responsibility of the relevant local authority. As such, my Department has no role in the management or maintenance of burial grounds, and therefore has not engaged with the Department of Health with regard to same. Under the...