Results 241-260 of 16,746 for speaker:Dara Calleary

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Rates (2 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 Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Fraud (2 Oct 2025)

Dara Calleary: I understand the Deputy is referring to the PRSI class paid in respect of a particular individual. PRSI classification is a matter for Scope Section of my Department. Scope section has requested the locally based inspectorate to make the necessary enquiries in this case. Depending on the complexity of the case this can take a number of weeks. Once this information is received, the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals (2 Oct 2025)

Dara Calleary: I am advised by the Chief Appeals Officer that the Social Welfare Appeals Office does not collate data on appeals specifically relating to the Habitual Residence Condition, therefore the statistical information is not available. I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: School Meals Programme (2 Oct 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. All special schools are classified as non DEIS and primary schools. As announced in Budget 2025 all...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (2 Oct 2025)

Dara Calleary: Fuel Allowance is payable to people who satisfy the scheme conditions and who either live alone or only with certain qualified people. Entitlement to fuel allowance is based on a review of all people residing in the household regardless of their relationship to the customer. A letter was issued to the person concerned on 04 September 2025, requesting a household composition form to be...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (2 Oct 2025)

Dara Calleary: One of the conditions for receipt of the Living Alone Increase requires the applicant to be in receipt of a qualifying payment from my Department. As the person concerned is not currently in receipt of a qualifying payment from my Department, they are not entitled to the Living Alone Increase. In order to establish entitlement to the Fuel Allowance, it is necessary for the person...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: EU Regulations (2 Oct 2025)

Dara Calleary: In April 2024, the European Parliament and Council introduced Regulation 2024/1183, which revised the previous European Digital Identify Regulation (the eIDAS regulation), requiring Member States to provide at least one European Digital Identity Wallet (EUDIW) for their citizens to use to access public and private services. The digital wallet is to be made available for citizens and...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Fraud (2 Oct 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Department of Social Protection is committed to ensuring that only those who are eligible, receive social welfare payments. Achieving this requires that robust safeguards are in place that secure our payment systems, detect fraud and error, and prevent fraudulent claiming. In order to apply for Child Benefit both the mother and child must have a valid Personal Public Service numbers...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Fraud (2 Oct 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 and 17 and 18 if they are in full-time education or full-time training or have a disability and cannot support themselves. Overpayments of social welfare entitlements can occur where a person provides false or misleading information in...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Schemes (2 Oct 2025)

Dara Calleary: I propose to take Questions Nos. 337 to 339, inclusive, together. The free travel scheme is available to people over 66 years and to people in receipt of certain social welfare payments, or those medically certified as unfit to drive for a period of at least 12 months, who are over 17 and under 66 years. Free Travel recipients must be permanently resident in the State. The scheme permits...

Abolition of Carer's Allowance Means Test: Motion [Private Members] (1 Oct 2025)

Dara Calleary: Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta Quaide as na Social Democrats as an rún seo inniu. Ní bheimid ag cur i gcoinne an rúin. We will not be opposing the motion put forward by Deputy Quaide and the Social Democrats. I welcome the opportunity the motion gives us to discuss the very important issue of carer's supports that are provided by my Department. The motion is timely...

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

Dara Calleary: I propose to take Questions Nos. 99 and 103 together. In order to satisfy the eligibility criteria to receive a Jobseekers payments a person must be capable of, available for and genuinely seeking work. Failure to satisfy these criteria can lead to a disqualification from the payment. In addition, Jobseeker's Allowance is a means-tested payment for unemployed people, the rate...

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

Dara Calleary: A Free Travel Companion Pass entitles the holder to have any one person, aged 16 years or over, to accompany them free of charge when travelling. As part of Budget 2025 it was announced that a Free Travel Companion Pass will be assigned to all those aged over 70 from September 2025, this includes those who are single or bereaved partners aged over 70. For those under the age of 70 the...

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

Dara Calleary: The Bereaved Partners (Contributory) Pension (BCP) is a weekly payment to the widow, widower, surviving civil partner or qualified cohabitant of a deceased person. The pension remains payable unless the person cohabits with another person or marries, and the payment is not means tested. As a result, a person can be in receipt of BCP and earn income from employment or self-employment. ...

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

Dara Calleary: Bereaved Partner's Contributory Pension and Bereaved Partner's Non-Contributory Pension are, respectively, social insurance and social assistance (means-tested) payments made to a widow, widower, surviving civil partner or surviving qualified cohabitant of a deceased person. Bereaved Partner's Contributory Pension is paid for the lifetime of the person, provided they do not cohabit with...

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...