Results 541-560 of 15,365 for speaker:Dara Calleary

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Community Employment Schemes (27 May 2025)

Dara Calleary: My Department provides a range of supports and programmes catering for the unemployed and those most distant from the labour market, which includes both the Tús programme and Community Employment. It is recognised by Government that both programmes are positive initiatives that enable participants to make a significant contribution to their communities whilst up-skilling themselves for...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Staff (27 May 2025)

Dara Calleary: Relating to the details supplied, officials from my Department have contacted the person directly on this matter.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Public Procurement Contracts (27 May 2025)

Dara Calleary: All expenditure incurred, irrespective of the procurement process, is included in the Department’s annual accounts and details of all contracts awarded is published quarterly on GOV.ie here: www.gov.ie/en/department-of-social-protection/collections/pr ocurement-contracts-awarded/. The Department has one framework agreement for ICT services independent of those centrally established...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Public Procurement Contracts (27 May 2025)

Dara Calleary: The process for monitoring payments in the Department is undertaken by contract as there can be numerous contracts awarded by the Department under a framework to various companies. There can also be numerous separate Lots under a framework. Each contract awarded under a framework will have a maximum value except for those available under a drawdown arrangement. Details of contracts awarded...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Public Procurement Contracts (27 May 2025)

Dara Calleary: My Department publishes details of all contracts awarded over €25,000 on gov.ie quarterly. The published documents include reference to whether the contract was awarded from a framework agreement. Information on contracts awarded from 1st January 2022 to 31st December 2024 is available here: www.gov.ie/en/department-of-social-protection/collections/pr ocurement-contracts-awarded/. ...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Public Procurement Contracts (27 May 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Department has one framework in respect of ICT Services for the period in question and a new ICT framework was established in Q1 2025. The process for monitoring payments in the Department is undertaken by contract as there can be numerous contracts awarded by the Department under a framework to various companies. There can also be numerous separate Lots under a framework, however...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (27 May 2025)

Dara Calleary: My Department continues to work in an ever-changing environment and is constantly required to meet new challenges and update its processes to remain alert and to respond to new and emerging forms of fraud and non-compliance. The Department’s Compliance and Anti-fraud Strategy published during 2024 covers the five years from 2024 to 2028. In line with the previous strategy, it...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Disability Services (27 May 2025)

Dara Calleary: Disability Allowance is my Department's primary disability related social assistance scheme. Disability Allowance is a means-tested payment for people with a disability who are aged between 16 and 66. In order to be eligible, the disability must be expected to last for at least one year. The allowance is also subject to a means test, a medical assessment and a habitual residency requirement....

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (27 May 2025)

Dara Calleary: Treatment Benefit is a PRSI-based scheme which provides free dental and optical services, and assistance towards the provision of audiological appliances and hair replacement products, to people who satisfy certain qualifying conditions, and to their dependent spouses/partners. The following payment changes were made from 2021 to date in 2025, for persons who satisfy the medical...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Staff (27 May 2025)

Dara Calleary: The delivery of vital locally based Community Welfare Services (CWS) to meet the challenges and the needs of citizens across the country is a priority for me and for my department. The CWS provides a flexible service to meet the different needs of people, who may find themselves in a financially difficult or vulnerable situation. It is a priority that this service is easily accessible and...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Policies (27 May 2025)

Dara Calleary: A report published by my Department in November 2023 concluded that COVID-19 does not satisfy the statutory criteria for recognition as an occupational illness. Specifically, it found that presumptions about workplace transmission would not be sustainable as it is not possible to establish with confidence that the disease has been contracted through a person’s occupation and not...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Data (27 May 2025)

Dara Calleary: The figures requested for Domiciliary Care Allowance for 2020-2023 are as set out in the table below. Note that these figures are for the number of individual claims, rather than for the number of families who applied. Figures for 2024 are currently being compiled and will be published later this year. Year Claims registered Awarded Rejected ...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (27 May 2025)

Dara Calleary: Under the single payment per person rule, people who qualify for multiple payments from my Department typically receive only the higher of the available options. However, as an exception to this rule, the half-rate Carer’s Allowance was introduced for people already receiving a social welfare payment. This arrangement allows people receiving certain welfare payments to retain their...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Policies (27 May 2025)

Dara Calleary: My Department provides a suite of income supports for those who are unable to work due to an illness or disability. It is important to note that entitlement to these supports is generally not dependent on the nature of the illness or disability but on the extent to which a particular illness or disability impairs or restricts a working age person’s capacity to work. My Department...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Employment Support Services (27 May 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Department contracted, through a procurement process, Turas Nua and Seetec as employment service providers in 2015 under the JobPath Programme. Referrals to the JobPath service concluded in June 2022 and the service ceased completely in June 2024. Contractors continued to provide services to clients referred before July 2022 during the run-down period until June 2024 within the terms of...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals (27 May 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 Schemes (27 May 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. People over the age of 70 receive the Household Benefits Package, with one package provided per household. The package is also available to people living in the State aged 66-69...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Schemes (27 May 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Programme for Government contains a commitment to introduce the Automatic Enrolment (AE) Retirement Savings System. The legislative basis for implementing the new system was enacted last July. 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. I recently...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Schemes (27 May 2025)

Dara Calleary: Approved Retirement Funds (‘ARFs’) are post-retirement investment vehicles which are not regulated as a pension product under the Pensions Act 1990. As such, my Department has no role in relation to such arrangements. ARFs are funds managed by a qualifying fund manager into which an individual may invest the proceeds of their pension fund when they retire. ARFs are approved...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Inquiries (27 May 2025)

Dara Calleary: The estate of the deceased person was the subject of a review by a Social Welfare Inspector following the receipt of Notice of Acknowledgment (Probate) from the solicitor for the estate. Following the conclusion of this review, a letter of clearance issued to the solicitor for the estate on 23 May 2025. I hope this clarifies the position for the Deputy.