Results 681-700 of 14,252 for speaker:Dara Calleary

Oideachas trí Mheán na Gaeilge: Tairiscint [Comhaltaí Príobháideacha] (4 Mar 2025)

Dara Calleary: Níl.

Oideachas trí Mheán na Gaeilge: Tairiscint [Comhaltaí Príobháideacha] (4 Mar 2025)

Dara Calleary: Tá.

Oideachas trí Mheán na Gaeilge: Tairiscint [Comhaltaí Príobháideacha] (4 Mar 2025)

Dara Calleary: Níl.

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Rural Schemes (4 Mar 2025)

Dara Calleary: I join the Acting Chairperson in welcoming the guests from CBS Charleville. I again thank Senator Scahill. I will bring the pre-2021 models to the attention of my officials. The most important thing is that we are looking at all the lessons we have had to learn from Storm Éowyn, particularly in light of the long period the people were without power and the impact that had on, for...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Rural Schemes (4 Mar 2025)

Dara Calleary: I thank Senator Scahill for raising this issue. There is no doubt that Storm Éowyn brought huge disconnect and upset to many families across our region. It is important that we learn the lessons, particularly regarding connectivity. I and the Minister, Deputy Patrick O'Donovan, have met the telecommunications companies and asked them to present us with resilience plans. This will...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Pension Provisions (4 Mar 2025)

Dara Calleary: I have taken the Senator's position on information on board. We have an extensive presence at farming events, including the national ploughing championship, to provide that information on a one-to-one basis. As with all our office members, my office is more than happy to assist with any specific queries that the Senator may have.

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Pension Provisions (4 Mar 2025)

Dara Calleary: I thank the House for facilitating my presence here and I thank Senator Collins for raising this issue. As she will be aware, the contributory State pension is funded from the Social Insurance Fund through contributions paid by workers and employers. To qualify for this payment, a person must have 520 contributions, which is the equivalent of ten years of paid contributions. The rate of...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Funding (4 Mar 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Humanitarian Assistance Scheme (HAS), administered by my Department through the Community Welfare Service (CWS), was activated on 23 January 2025 to assist householders across the country affected by Storm Éowyn. The purpose of the HAS is to prevent hardship by providing financial support to people in the aftermath of severe weather or other exceptional events and who are not able...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Expenditure (4 Mar 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. It is a condition for receipt of CA that the person being cared for must have such disability that they require...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Legislative Reviews (4 Mar 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Industrial Relations (Provisions in Respect of Pension Entitlements of Retired Workers) Bill 2021 was a Private Members’ Bill which has lapsed by reason of the dissolution of the 33rd Dáil. The Bill was primarily focused on amending industrial relations-related legislation. As such, the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, which has overall policy responsibility...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Surveys (4 Mar 2025)

Dara Calleary: It is not considered feasible to conduct the research sampling exercise suggested by the Deputy. Even just to examine the number of DCA appeal decisions in one month, my officials would need to review over one hundred individual cases to get a representative sample with a 5% margin of error. However, my Department’s Statistics Unit is working with the Social Welfare Appeals Office...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Funding (4 Mar 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 their...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Legislative Programme (4 Mar 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. As the Deputy is aware, on 22nd January 2024, the Supreme Court delivered its judgment on the entitlement of an unmarried cohabitant to a Widower's Contributory Pension....

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Schemes (4 Mar 2025)

Dara Calleary: The person concerned reached pension age on 24 July 2022. An application for State pension (contributory) was received on 17 October 2024. Long-Term Carers Contributions (LTCCs) are available to those who have provided full time care to incapacitated dependents for 20 years or more (1040 weeks). The person concerned was awarded 1216 LTCCs which were included in the pension calculation. ...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Staff (4 Mar 2025)

Dara Calleary: Rules around the recoupment of overpayments is decided centrally by the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform. In relation to the details supplied, officials from my Department will contact the person directly to clarify the situation.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Reviews (4 Mar 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: Departmental Reviews (4 Mar 2025)

Dara Calleary: The person concerned made an application for Illness Benefit on 3 December 2024 and included the following bank details in the application: AIB account ending in #####1088. Payments issued to this bank account for the period 16 November 2024 to 18 January 2025. I have confirmed with the accounts Department that the payments have not been returned and the AIB account ending in IBAN #####1088...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Expenditure (4 Mar 2025)

Dara Calleary: My Department provides two main payment method options for its customers: cash collection at a post office (Electronic Information Transfer EIT) or the transfer of funds directly into a customer’s account in a financial institution (Electronic Fund Transfer EFT). The total value of payments in 2024, broken down by payment method and Social Welfare scheme, are set out in the table...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Data (4 Mar 2025)

Dara Calleary: Employment Services Managers are Assistant Principals (APs) responsible for the delivery of the Public Employment Services (including Activation services) within their respective Areas. Their Employment Services Areas span a number of Intreo Offices. Their teams of Higher Executive Officers (HEOs) and Executive Officers (EOs) deliver Activation services, support by Clerical Officers (COs)...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Data (4 Mar 2025)

Dara Calleary: I regret to inform the Deputy that is is not possible to compile the requested figures in the timeframe available.