Results 541-560 of 16,746 for speaker:Dara Calleary

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Child Poverty (17 Sep 2025)

Dara Calleary: I propose to take Questions Nos. 746 and 753 together. Child Benefit is a monthly payment to families with children up to the age of 16 years. The payment continues to be paid in respect of children until their nineteenth birthday where they are in full-time education or have a disability. It is paid in respect of almost 1.3 million children. Expenditure on the scheme is estimated at over...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Child Poverty (17 Sep 2025)

Dara Calleary: Reducing child poverty and ensuring every child has the best start in life are key priorities for this Government and, as Minister for Social Protection, I am determined to make inroads on this critical issue. The setting of a new and ambitious Child Poverty Target is a commitment set out in the Programme for Government 2025: Securing Ireland’s Future. This commitment is also set...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (17 Sep 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: Departmental Policies (17 Sep 2025)

Dara Calleary: My Department is acutely aware of the potential impacts of the projected demographic changes on social protection supports, particularly in relation to the funding of State pensions. The previous Government established the Pensions Commission in November 2020 to examine the sustainability of the State Pension system and the Social Insurance Fund in light of the projected demographic...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Consultations (17 Sep 2025)

Dara Calleary: As Minister for Social Protection, I recognise that the needs of many social welfare recipients including older people are multifaceted, in particular in relation to health, financial wellbeing and social inclusion. As such, it is important that addressing these issues is done with a whole-of-Government approach. As part of its work in overseeing the implementation of commitments set out...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Policies (17 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 Allowance, Carer's Benefit and the Carer's...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Budget 2026 (17 Sep 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Taoiseach and wider Government have been very clear that tackling child poverty is a priority for this Government and will be a key factor in framing next month’s Budget, as well as future priorities. Given the complexity and intersectionality of poverty, a whole of Government focus is essential to reduce child poverty and to meet our new and ambitious Child Poverty Target of...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Child Poverty (17 Sep 2025)

Dara Calleary: Official poverty data is published annually by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) in the Survey on Income and Living Conditions (SILC). The SILC data includes a measurement of consistent poverty experienced by children, which encompasses households with children that are both at risk of poverty and experiencing deprivation, and which the recently announced new Child Poverty Target will be...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Policies (17 Sep 2025)

Dara Calleary: In addition to the universal Child Benefit payment, families on low incomes may be able to avail of one or more of the following social welfare payments:the Child Support Payment with primary social welfare payments, €62 per week for those aged 12 and over, and €50 per week for under 12s.;the Working Family Payment for low-paid employees with children; andthe Back-to-School...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Child Poverty (17 Sep 2025)

Dara Calleary: Official poverty data is published annually by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) in the Survey on Income and Living Conditions (SILC). This is an annual survey of approximately 5,000 households (or approximately 12,000 individuals) carried out by the CSO. The survey collects information on the income and living conditions of different households in Ireland, in order to derive indicators...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (17 Sep 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Diet Supplement scheme was discontinued for new applicants from 1 February 2014. People who were in receipt of Diet Supplement at 1 February 2014 continue to receive the Diet Supplement at their existing rate of payment as long as they continue to meet the eligibility conditions for the scheme. This measure ensured that nobody was immediately worse off by the closure of the scheme. ...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Irish Sign Language (17 Sep 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Irish Sign Language (ISL) Act 2017 assigns responsibilities to the Minister for Social Protection in relation to the funding of a scheme of accreditation for ISL interpreters (Section 7) and the provision of funds to facilitate ISL users with access to specific events, services and other activities, as specified in guidelines (Section 9). In relation to Section 7 of the ISL Act, in...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Irish Sign Language (17 Sep 2025)

Dara Calleary: Under the Irish Sign Language Act 2017, the State recognises the right of Irish Sign Language users to use Irish Sign Language as their native language and the corresponding duty on all public bodies to provide Irish Sign Language users with free interpretation when availing of, or seeking to access, statutory entitlements and services. The Act assigns responsibilities to the Minister for...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Contracts (17 Sep 2025)

Dara Calleary: I propose to take Questions Nos. 762 and 769 together. Following a robust competitive procurement process, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) was appointed the managed service provider to operate the administration of My Future Fund. TCS will work under contract to the National Automatic Enrolment Retirement Savings Authority (NAERSA), which is in the process of being established, to...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Contracts (17 Sep 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Automatic Enrolment Retirement Savings System Act 2024 provides for establishment of a new independent State agency, the National Automatic Enrolment Retirement Savings Authority (NAERSA), to administer and regulate the AE system, and to ensure compliance. It will operate under the aegis of the Department of Social Protection. The 'My Future Fund' system is due to launch in January...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Contracts (17 Sep 2025)

Dara Calleary: Following a competitive procurement process, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) was appointed the managed service provider to operate the administration of My Future Fund. TCS will work under contract to administer My Future Fund on behalf of the National Automatic Enrolment Retirement Savings Authority (NAERSA), which is in the process of being established as a statutorily independent body. ...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Contracts (17 Sep 2025)

Dara Calleary: My Future Fund, the automatic enrolment retirement savings system being launched in January 2026, will be subject to a level of oversight and public scrutiny that surpasses any other retirement savings or pension arrangement in the State. My Future Fund will be governed by the Automatic Enrolment Retirement Savings System Act 2024. It will be facilitated, administered and regulated by a...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: School Meals Programme (17 Sep 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. The School Meals Programme is not mandatory for schools. The decision to apply lies with the school...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (17 Sep 2025)

Dara Calleary: Below is a table detailing the number of Disability Allowance claims decided and the number and percentage of Disability Allowance claims refused for the period January to August 2025. Month Total Decisions Disallowed % of Claims Disallowed Jan 3,557 1,839 52% Feb 2,789 1,398 50% ...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Schemes (17 Sep 2025)

Dara Calleary: A person, including a child, who is visually impaired and who meets the medical conditions for Blind Pension, or alternatively is registered as blind with Vision Ireland or the League of the Blind of Ireland, can qualify for a Free Travel Companion pass. A Free Travel Companion pass entitles the holder to have any one person, aged 16 years or over, to accompany him/her free of charge when...