Results 661-680 of 15,365 for speaker:Dara Calleary

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Equipment (22 May 2025)

Dara Calleary: My Department uses two Cloud Service Providers, Microsoft and Amazon Web Services, to deliver ICT services. The Department consumes Software As A Service applications, to deliver business services to our wide ranging customer base. To ensure the integrity and security of its systems and data, the Department does not publish specific details on software versions in use within the Department...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Equipment (22 May 2025)

Dara Calleary: The software programme referred to is not currently used in the Department.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Contracts (22 May 2025)

Dara Calleary: My Department uses no commercial Internet Service Provider (ISP) to provide its internet services.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pensions (22 May 2025)

Dara Calleary: State pension (non-contributory) is a means-tested payment for people aged 66 and over, habitually residing in the State, who do not qualify for a State pension (contributory) or who only qualify for a reduced rate contributory pension based on their social insurance record. Earnings from employment, self employment, occupational pensions, and foreign pensions are assessed as means. The...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pensions (22 May 2025)

Dara Calleary: State pension (non-contributory) is a means-tested payment for people aged 66 and over, habitually residing in the State, who do not qualify for a State pension (contributory) or who only qualify for a reduced rate contributory pension based on their social insurance record. Earnings from employment, self employment, occupational pensions, and foreign pensions are included in the means...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Voluntary Sector (22 May 2025)

Dara Calleary: Supporting volunteering in our society is a central element of my Department's work to develop vibrant, sustainable and inclusive communities. In furtherance of this, my Department oversees a national framework of support for the community and voluntary sector, as part of which €7.3 million will be provided in 2025 to support volunteering. This funding supports the network of 29...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Urban Development (22 May 2025)

Dara Calleary: My Department is responsible for a range of initiatives tackling deprivation and revitalising communities in both rural and urban areas. Key programmes include the Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme (SICAP), the Empowering Communities Programme and providing funding for the Dublin North East Inner City initiative. My Department is making significant progress in revitalising...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Urban Development (22 May 2025)

Dara Calleary: In line with its remit, the Department operates a Rural Development Investment Programme delivering a range of capital schemes which are targeted at rural areas outside of our metropolitan locations. Administered by my Department, the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund (RRDF) is a major programme which seeks to support large-scale, ambitious projects which can achieve sustainable...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Freedom of Information (22 May 2025)

Dara Calleary: I am fully cognisant of the statutory obligations that apply under the Freedom of Information Act 2014 and I am fully satisfied that records relating to government or official departmental business are retained in line with the requirements of the Act.

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Sports Funding (22 May 2025)

Dara Calleary: The main source of state funding for sporting organisations is through Sport Ireland and the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media. That Department administers the Sports Capital Programme which is the primary vehicle for government support for the development of sports and physical recreation facilities and the purchase of non-personal sports equipment throughout...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Staff (22 May 2025)

Dara Calleary: Under my Department's blended working policy, staff are required to attend the office a minimum of two fixed days per week, with the option of working from home on the other three days. Currently 96.5% of staff in my Department work from home at least two days per week.

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Equipment (22 May 2025)

Dara Calleary: I propose to take Questions Nos. 407, 408, 409, 410 and 411 together. My Department's Information and Communications Technology Managed Desktop and Managed Hosting Service is provided by the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform through the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (OGCIO). It's internet service and access to Government Cloud is provided...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (21 May 2025)

Dara Calleary: Disability Allowance (DA) is a weekly allowance paid to people with a specified disability who are aged 16 or over and under the age of 66. This disability must be expected to last for at least one year and the allowance is subject to medical assessment, a means test, and habitual residency conditions. The Department periodically conducts reviews to ensure continuing eligibility and to...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: School Meals Programme (21 May 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 program is an important component of policies to encourage school attendance and extra educational achievement. Following my announcement in April, there are currently over 2,850 Primary Schools across the country now...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (21 May 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Programme for Government commits to ‘Introduce Pay-Related Parents Benefit and explore other payments where a similar model could be applied.’ Work is ongoing within my Department to examine potential models for a Pay-Related Parent’s Benefit. At this stage, an estimate of costings is not available. While payment rates are an important consideration, they...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (21 May 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Free Travel scheme provides free travel on the main public transport services and on private transport services operating the Free Travel scheme. As part of Budget 2025, the government announced that from September 2025, all those aged 70 years or over in receipt of Free Travel will have an entitlement to receive a Free Travel Companion Public Services Card (PSC). This means those...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Pension Provisions (21 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 Benefits (21 May 2025)

Dara Calleary: In August 2023, my Department published a review of the Reasonable Accommodation Fund and Disability Awareness Support Scheme. The Reasonable Accommodation Fund provided financial support for people with disabilities and for employers to help make their workplaces more accessible. The Disability Awareness Support Scheme provided funding for disability awareness training for employees. ...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals (21 May 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Social Welfare Appeals Office is an Office 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 Appeals (21 May 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Social Welfare Appeals Office is an Office 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,...