Results 381-400 of 15,374 for speaker:Dara Calleary

Written Answers — Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Departmental Data (11 Jun 2025)

Dara Calleary: The information requested by the Deputy in respect of the agencies under the aegis of my Department is included in the table below. Circular 25/2016 sets out the Protocol for the Provision of Information to Members of the Oireachtas by State Bodies and requires the agencies to provide a dedicated email address for Oireachtas members. The main contact number for each of the agencies is also...

Written Answers — Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Departmental Contracts (11 Jun 2025)

Dara Calleary: I can confirm that, for the years in question, neither my Department or any bodies under its aegis have had capital projects for IT services with contracts valued in excess of €1 million that failed to reach completion.

Written Answers — Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Departmental Contracts (11 Jun 2025)

Dara Calleary: I can confirm that the Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht had no capital projects with contracts valued in excess of €5 million, which ran over cost in 2023. During the time period referenced by the Deputy there were four bodies under the aegis of my Department - the Charities Regulator, Western Development Commission, Water Safety Ireland, and Pobal....

Written Answers — Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Community Development Projects (11 Jun 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Local Enhancement Programme (LEP) 2025 was launched last November with €7 million available to assist thousands of community groups across the country by providing capital and current supports. The LEP is targeted to the specific challenges facing local community groups and delivers immediate, tangible supports where they are needed most. The LEP is administered locally on...

Written Answers — Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Community Development Projects (11 Jun 2025)

Dara Calleary: On June 5th, I announced the latest round of funding of over €17 million for the delivery of 212 projects under the Community Recognition Fund covering all 31 local authority areas. That announcement brought the total number of projects that have been awarded funding under the fund to over 1,450 in just over two years. A significant number of projects approved under the Community...

Written Answers — Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: International Protection (11 Jun 2025)

Dara Calleary: To date, there have been two iterations of the Community Recognition Fund implemented by my Department with €50m being allocated to the Fund in each of 2023 and 2024. While there were some differences between the two iterations of the scheme, a key element of the process has been that all applications are made locally to the local authority who select projects for submission to...

Written Answers — Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Departmental Staff (11 Jun 2025)

Dara Calleary: My Department has re-engaged one retired staff member on three separate occasions in the past four years. Details are set out below. I can confirm my Department requires consultants to declare any conflicts of interest in advance of utilising their services. This requirement is in line with the Civil Service Code of Standards and Behaviour. Consultant Purpose ...

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

Dara Calleary: The staffing needs for all areas within my Department are continuously reviewed. This is to take account of workloads, management priorities, and the ongoing need to respond to increasing demands in a wide range of services. The Department ensures that the best use is made of all available resources with a view to providing an efficient service to those who rely on its schemes and services....

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

Dara Calleary: The total cost of increasing the Child Support Payment (formerly the Increase for a Qualified Child) for children under 12 years, from the current rate of €50 by €5 to €55 per week, is €56.2 million. The total cost of increasing the Child Support Payment for children 12 years and over, from the current rate of €62 by €10 to €72 per week, is...

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

Dara Calleary: 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 Widower's Contributory Pension. The Supreme Court...

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

Dara Calleary: I propose to take Questions Nos. 875 and 950 together. The Diet Supplement, administered under the Supplementary Welfare Allowance scheme, is payable to qualifying persons, in receipt of the supplement prior to February 2014, who have been prescribed a special diet because of a specified medical condition. There are currently 841 people in receipt of Diet Supplement. A review of the...

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

Dara Calleary: I propose to take Questions Nos. 876 and 877 together. In general, the issue of targeted supports for businesses is a matter for the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment. There are no proposals to introduce an employer PRSI rebate for SMEs. Any changes to the PRSI employer rates or threshold would have to be considered in a budgetary context, taking account of the economic...

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

Dara Calleary: This is a matter which is proper to The Courts service. My Department or the General Register Office does not hold information on the granting of divorces. I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

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

Dara Calleary: My Department provides a suite of income supports for those who are unable to work due to an illness or disability. Illness benefit is the primary income support provided by my Department to those who cannot work in the short term due to illness of any kind and is funded by the Social Insurance Fund, through the payment of Pay Related Social Insurance (PRSI) contributions. Subject to...

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

Dara Calleary: I propose to take Questions Nos. 880, 881, 892 and 897 together. The Programme for Government contains a commitment to introduce the Automatic Enrolment (AE) Retirement Savings System. The aim of introducing AE is to address the pension coverage gap that exists in Ireland and to provide workers with greater comfort and security regarding their retirement savings. The new system will...

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

Dara Calleary: The Carer’s Support Grant is an annual payment made to carers who get Carer's Allowance, Carer's Benefit or Domiciliary Care Allowance. It can also be paid to certain other carers providing full-time care. The Carer's Support Grant was paid to 136,763 carers in June 2025, at a rate of €2,000 per person that is being cared for. A breakdown by county is provided in Table 1...

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

Dara Calleary: My Department provides Maternity Benefit to support women who are on Maternity Leave from work and who satisfy certain PRSI contribution conditions. It is currently paid at a minimum €289 per week for 26 weeks. Many employers provide additional top-ups to individuals on maternity leave as part of contractual arrangements. An employee’s contract of employment will outline...

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

Dara Calleary: The Free Travel scheme is available to people over 66 years and to people in receipt of certain social welfare payments who are under 66 years. From 29th July 2024, Free Travel is also available to persons from age 17 to 66 who are medically certified as unfit to drive for a period of at least 12 months. Free Travel recipients must be permanently resident in the State. The scheme...

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,...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (10 Jun 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. Means are any income belonging to the carer and their spouse/civil partner/cohabitant including property (except...