Results 461-480 of 16,746 for speaker:Dara Calleary

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (24 Sep 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Programme for Government includes a commitment to examine key ancillary benefits such as the Fuel Allowance to support vulnerable groups. This is an ongoing activity as part of the Department's budget planning each year and I will continue, as part of the budget planning process, to consider if improvements can be made to ensure that these benefits continue to target vulnerable groups....

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Pension Provisions (24 Sep 2025)

Dara Calleary: The introduction of a pensions auto-enrolment (AE) system is a Programme for Government commitment, and one of my key priorities as Minister for Social Protection. The aim of introducing an AE system is to address the pension coverage gap that exists in Ireland, and to help provide for better retirement incomes for workers. The new system will be called 'My Future Fund' and it will launch...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Schemes (24 Sep 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Wage Subsidy Scheme (WSS) encourages employers to employ disabled staff. It offers employers financial support to employ people with a disability through a subsidy. The work offered must be for a minimum of 15 hours per week and the subsidy is available up to 39 hours per week. The number of employers and employee availing of the WSS at the 31st December in each of the years 2020-2024,...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Schemes (24 Sep 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Wage Subsidy Scheme is a key disability employment support provided by my Department. It aims to encourage employers to offer substantial and sustainable employment to disabled people through a subsidy. Last year, my Department published a review of the Wage Subsidy Scheme following a public consultation. The review made six recommendations, including to reduce the minimum required...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Employment Support Services (24 Sep 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Work Placement Experience Programme (WPEP) commenced in 2021. The key objectives of the programme are to:keep jobseekers close to the labour market.provide jobseekers who have never had a job with the opportunity to gain valuable work experience and training to assist them to gain employment.provide jobseekers who wish to change careers with the opportunity to gain quality work experience...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Employment Support Services (24 Sep 2025)

Dara Calleary: In July 2024, my Department launched a new scheme called Work and Access. The scheme offers seven supports to help reduce or remove barriers in the workplace for disabled people. The supports include funding for a workplace needs assessment, work coaches, personal readers, assistive equipment and communication supports. Funding is also available to employers for workplace adaptations and...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Employment Support Services (24 Sep 2025)

Dara Calleary: In December 2023, my Department established the WorkAbility programme. It is co-financed with the EU Employment, Inclusion, Skills and Training Programme. It is a five-year programme running from 2024 until 2028. The aim of the WorkAbility programme is to bring people with disabilities who are not work-ready closer to the labour market through 57 local, regional and national projects. It...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (24 Sep 2025)

Dara Calleary: Partial Capacity Benefit (PCB) is paid if you cannot work to your full capacity. The rate of payment is based on a medical assessment of your incapacity to work. You may qualify for PCB if your restriction on capacity for work is assessed as moderate, severe, or profound. To qualify for PCB, you need to be currently getting either Illness Benefit for a minimum of 6 months, or Invalidity...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (24 Sep 2025)

Dara Calleary: Disability Allowance is a weekly allowance paid to people with a disability. You can get it from 16 years of age. If you are in education when you turn 16, you can continue to attend school while receiving this allowance. The number of recipients of Disability Allowance at the 31st December each year from 2020-2024, and at 31st August 2025, is shown in the table below. Table 1: Number of...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (24 Sep 2025)

Dara Calleary: My Department provides a comprehensive package of carers’ income supports including Carer’s Allowance, Carer’s Benefit, Domiciliary Care Allowance and the Carer’s Support Grant. Combined spending on these payments in 2025 is estimated at over €1.9 billion. A primary qualifying condition for the Carer’s Benefit and Carer’s Allowance...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (24 Sep 2025)

Dara Calleary: In general, medical or health related benefits fall within the remit of the Department of Health and the HSE. However, my Department administers the treatment benefit scheme which provides certain dental, optical, and medical appliances benefits to insured workers, the self-employed and retired people who have the required number of PRSI contributions. These treatments are also available to...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Code (24 Sep 2025)

Dara Calleary: The estimated annual cost of increasing the maximum rate of Disability Allowance from €244 to €258.50 is €139.1 million. The estimated annual cost of increasing the maximum rate of State Pension Contributory from €289.30 to €315 is €732.8 million. Changes to rates of individual schemes in isolation from the wider programme of working age and...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Code (24 Sep 2025)

Dara Calleary: Supporting disabled people is a key priority for me and for the Government. That is why the Programme for Government contains a range of measures to support disabled people. One of these commitments was the publication of a new Disability Strategy. I am very pleased that we recently published the National Human Rights Strategy for Disabled People. This Strategy sets out a...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Code (24 Sep 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Wage Subsidy Scheme is a key disability employment support provided by my Department. It aims to encourage employers to offer substantial and sustainable employment to disabled people through a subsidy. As part of Budget 2022, my Department increased the base subsidy rate from €5.30 to €6.30 per hour. This gives a total annual subsidy available of €12,776 based...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Schemes (23 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. My Department is committed to ensuring that only those people who are eligible receive welfare and other payments....

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Schemes (23 Sep 2025)

Dara Calleary: The key role of the Department of Social Protection is that of income support for people experiencing specific contingencies that limit their ability to earn an income. These contingencies include unemployment, illness/disability and caring responsibilities. The main income supports provided by my department to family carers include Carer's Benefit, Carer's Allowance, the Carer's Support...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Middle East (23 Sep 2025)

Dara Calleary: I can confirm to the Deputy that no product or service has been purchased by my Department from either Israel or the Occupied Territories in the past two years.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Middle East (23 Sep 2025)

Dara Calleary: I can confirm to the Deputy that no product or service has been acquired by my Department from the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (23 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. An application for CA was received from the person concerned on 06 August 2025. The application was referred to a...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Employment Schemes (23 Sep 2025)

Dara Calleary: My Department has commenced work on a successor to the current employment services strategy, Pathways to Work Strategy 2021-2015. This new strategy will aim to carry on from the success of its predecessor which has focused on removing barriers to employment, providing tens of thousands of training and education places, enhancing the Public Employment Service, providing incentives to...