Results 721-740 of 14,252 for speaker:Dara Calleary

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Rural Schemes (4 Mar 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Community Recognition Fund (CRF) was first introduced in 2023 to recognise the huge efforts made by communities in welcoming and supporting people coming to Ireland. Through the 2023 allocation, funding of €50 million was approved for some 900 projects. A further €50 million was allocated in 2024. Last August €16.5 million was approved to deliver 185 community...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: School Meals Programme (27 Feb 2025)

Dara Calleary: I disagree with very little of what the Deputy said. I will certainly look at that. This year we will introduce a pilot project based on the Department of Education's summer programme to ensure that schools that are eligible for the school meals programme will be able to make meals available for the summer programme. That will support approximately 40,000 of the most vulnerable children...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Social Welfare Benefits (27 Feb 2025)

Dara Calleary: I thank the Deputy. I formally congratulate him on his election and welcome him back to Leinster House. The carer's allowance is the main scheme by which my Department provides income support to the very important work done by carers in the community. The primary objective of the carer's allowance payment is to provide an income support to those carers whose earning capacity is...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Social Welfare Benefits (27 Feb 2025)

Dara Calleary: There is a range of costs. The figure of €3 billion only arises in the context of everybody who self-declared as a carer in 2022 census qualifying. Even if only 70% of those carers were to qualify, the cost would go up to approximately €2 billion. The very important work done by carers is recognised. It has been recognised consistently by this Government and the previous...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Social Welfare Benefits (27 Feb 2025)

Dara Calleary: A lot of points have been raised. I ask the Deputy to come back to me on the last issue he raised. I assure all Deputies that we are very focused on the work done by carers, which is incredibly important. As I said earlier, it should be work done across the Oireachtas, not just in the committee on social protection but also the health committee. It is the Government's intention, over...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Social Welfare Payments (27 Feb 2025)

Dara Calleary: The introduction of this payment is a highly popular initiative of the Department. Unfortunately, we cannot backdate payments ten years or longer in these cases. On the question of a potential payment at the other end of the spectrum, we are certainly open to any suggestions in the context of the budget, although that process will not get under way for a while. We have made changes in...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Social Welfare Payments (27 Feb 2025)

Dara Calleary: Again, we will look at all issues and proposals in the context of budget 2026, which will be delivered later this year. At the moment, our priority is to get these payments out and to get work on child poverty very much under way within the Department in the context of programme for Government commitments. We are looking at targeted child benefit payments and how these would interact with...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: School Meals Programme (27 Feb 2025)

Dara Calleary: I thank the Deputy. I really appreciate her raising this issue today. This is something I will be focused on. A specific nutritional standard was set for school meals. This is based on the Food Safety Authority of Ireland food-based dietary recommendations for healthy eating. These were developed by a technical working group led by the health and well-being programme of the Department of...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: School Meals Programme (27 Feb 2025)

Dara Calleary: I do not want catch-all phrases. We cannot do that any more. That day is gone. I want to see what people are eating. There are also students with different dietary needs and we are not in a good space to account for those needs if we are using catch-all phrases. This is something I will look at. I have asked for full information on the audit process and what is involved in it because,...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Disability Services (27 Feb 2025)

Dara Calleary: I thank Deputies Ó Cearúil and Ó Murchú for raising this. I agree with them on housing. We will bring that to the Minister, Deputy Browne for attention. Deputy Ó Murchú raised the reasonable accommodation fund. My Department published a review of that scheme in 2023 and we have made changes. The new scheme offers seven supports to help reduce and remove...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Social Welfare Payments (27 Feb 2025)

Dara Calleary: I thank the Deputy for his good wishes. I acknowledge him for his work in this area, and also that of my immediate predecessor, Heather Humphreys who was committed to the newborn baby grant of €280, which was announced in budget 2025 and was paid to families of babies born on or after 1 December 2024. Taken together with the normal first month’s child benefit of €140...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Social Welfare Payments (27 Feb 2025)

Dara Calleary: Everything with the Department of public expenditure is hard in terms of negotiations. I agree with the Deputy that this is an important payment at what is a happy time, but which can also be a stressful time in terms of a new arrival. It can also be an expensive time. It is important that we support families and give them the best start at the very start. My Department is certainly...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Social Welfare Payments (27 Feb 2025)

Dara Calleary: Addressing child poverty is a key priority for the Government and the Taoiseach has made it clear to me in my appointment that he wants this prioritised. As the Deputy has said, one of the commitments in the programme for Government is to explore a targeted child benefit payment and examine the interaction that would have with existing targeted supports to reduce child poverty, including the...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Social Welfare Payments (27 Feb 2025)

Dara Calleary: I thank the Deputy and formally congratulate him on his election. I look forward to working with him. The newborn baby grant of €280 was announced in budget 2025 and is paid to families of babies born on or after 1 December 2024. This grant is paid alongside, but in addition to, the first month’s child benefit payment of €140. Parents of newborns will receive a total...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Social Welfare Benefits (27 Feb 2025)

Dara Calleary: I do not think anyone here would disagree with the Deputy's assessment. I will ask my Department to do a lot of work on the supports that are available to carers. They are often so engaged in giving the care that they do not have the chance to know of the full supports that exist, many of which are not mean tested, including the carer's support grant, carer's benefit, the domiciliary care...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Disability Services (27 Feb 2025)

Dara Calleary: Go raibh maith ag an Teachta agus tá sé thar a bheith tábhachtach go seasaimid le daoine faoi mhíchumas agus is rud an-tábhachtach don Rialtas nua é go mbeidh athruithe sa chuidiú sa Roinn Coimirce Sóisialaí do dhaoine atá faoi mhíchumas. My Department already provides a range of income and employment supports to people with...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Disability Services (27 Feb 2025)

Dara Calleary: I thank the Deputy. This is a key priority for the Government. The Taoiseach convened a meeting on Monday to discuss support across government for people with disabilities. About seven Ministers were present at that meeting. The Department of Social Protection commissioned Indecon to research issues around the cost of disability. Indecon's report was published in 2021. It identified...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Social Welfare Offices (27 Feb 2025)

Dara Calleary: I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. The social welfare appeals office is responsible for considering and determining appeals of first-instance decisions of the Department's deciding officers in relation to people's social welfare entitlements. The appeals service is designed to provide free-of-cost access to a second opinion by an officer at a senior grade within the Department....

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Social Welfare Offices (27 Feb 2025)

Dara Calleary: The backlogs are a matter of concern to me. That is why there has, as stated, been a lot of investment in additional appeals officers. A new IT system went live in November 2023. This facilitates an online capability to provide a more efficient and streamlined service for people who are making appeals. At end of 2024, a new update provided functionality on mywelfare.ie for people to make...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Social Welfare Offices (27 Feb 2025)

Dara Calleary: For context, the average time taken to process an appeal in 2024 was 23.5 weeks. That jumped from 16 weeks in 2023. The average processing time for an appeal dealt with summarily in 2024 was 24.5 weeks, which, again, was an increase on 2023. As of 31 January last, the current processing times for social welfare appeals is 19.4 weeks. We are beginning to make progress. I will be very...