Results 741-760 of 15,365 for speaker:Dara Calleary

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Schemes (20 May 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Rural Regeneration and Development Fund (RRDF) is a major capital investment programme which seeks to support large-scale, ambitious projects which can achieve sustainable economic and social development in rural areas. The Programme for Government recognises the importance of investing in our rural towns and villages through schemes such as the RRDF and contains a commitment to...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Schemes (20 May 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Local Improvement Scheme (LIS) supports improving rural roads and laneways not usually maintained by local authorities. In the period from 2020 to 2025, the government has provided almost €121 million to local authorities for LIS. The Programme for Government commits to the support of rural communities including a commitment to increase funding under this scheme and I will be...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Schemes (20 May 2025)

Dara Calleary: A key focus of Our Rural Future - the Government's Rural Development Policy 2021 to 2025 - is to optimise digital connectivity to support vibrant, sustainable rural communities, ensuring equality of access to digital services. Our Rural Future committed to the establishment of a network of 400 remote working hubs across the country by the end of 2025. To this end, Connectedhubs.ie was...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Programmes (20 May 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme (SICAP), is our country’s primary social inclusion intervention. SICAP is a national programme that is delivered in both rural and urban areas by Local Development Companies to help those in the greatest need. SICAP is overseen by Local Community Development Committees (LCDCs) who are the contracting authority for SICAP. There...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Programmes (20 May 2025)

Dara Calleary: My Department's Community Services Programme (CSP) currently supports 428 community-based organisations, with a budget of €55.4m in 2025, to provide local services through a social enterprise model. The CSP Programme provides an annual co-funding contribution towards each full-time equivalent (FTE) position being supported, and, where warranted, towards the cost of employing a...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Schemes (20 May 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Community Centre Investment Fund (CCIF) has provided in excess of €109 million since 2022 for the enhancement and refurbishment of existing community centres and the construction of new centres. Over €45.8 million was approved for some 861 community centres nationwide under CCIF 2022. In early 2024, funding of over €30 million was approved for the construction of 12...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Programmes (20 May 2025)

Dara Calleary: Since 2018, the Community Enhancement Programme (CEP) and its iterations has provided almost €59 million in funding to over 26,000 community and voluntary projects throughout the country. In 2023, the CEP was replaced by the Local Enhancement Programme (LEP). The LEP 2025 was launched last November with €7 million available to assist thousands of community groups across the...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Schemes (20 May 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. Under the Community Recognition Fund 2023 and 2024 a total of €100 million in funding has been made allocated to local authorities to be made available to communities across Ireland. Last August, €16.4...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Schemes (20 May 2025)

Dara Calleary: Under the Community Recognition Fund (CRF) 2023 and 2024 a total of €100 million in funding has been made available to communities across Ireland. The fund supports the development of facilities which will be used in the future by all members of the community. Last August, €16.4 million was approved to deliver 185 community projects across the country under the first...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Bodies (15 May 2025)

Dara Calleary: The State bodies operating under the aegis of my Department are the Citizens Information Board, the Pensions Authority, the Pensions Council and the Social Welfare Tribunal. All of these bodies are legal entities established by statute and enacted prior to 2015. Therefore, no establishment costs to the State have occurred in the past ten years regarding these bodies.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals (15 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...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (15 May 2025)

Dara Calleary: Working Family Payment (WFP) is a weekly in-work support which provides an income support for employees on low earnings with children. To qualify for Working Family Payment, the customer must be working a minimum of 38 hours per fortnight in ongoing insurable employment and have at least one qualified child who normally resides with them. The information requested regarding Working Family...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Data (15 May 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Marriage Act 2015 provides for marriage of same-sex couples to be registered in Ireland as marriages. The table below gives a breakdown of same-sex marriages which were registered in each of the years 2015 to 2024. Year of registration Total 2015 91 2016 1055 2017 767 2018 ...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Data (15 May 2025)

Dara Calleary: The table below shows the number of marriages in Ireland which have been registered in the years 2015 to 2024. Year of registration Total 2015 22,113 2016 22,621 2017 22,018 2018 21,052 2019 20,335 2020 9,536 2021...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (15 May 2025)

Dara Calleary: My predecessor, in response to an amendment tabled at Committee Stage of the Social Welfare Bill, had asked the Department officials to review and research the potential extension of eligibility for the Fuel Allowance to those in receipt of the Working Family Payment, including an analysis of the impact of such a measure particularly on lone parent households. Following the publishing of...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (15 May 2025)

Dara Calleary: My Department has over 90 schemes and a significant number are means-tested schemes, each with their own means test. The means test plays a critical role in determining whether an income need arises as a consequence of a particular contingency – such as disability, unemployment or caring. The means assessment includes income from employment, self-employment, occupational pensions...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Rates (15 May 2025)

Dara Calleary: The estimated single full-year annual cost of indexing the child support payment to 45% of the qualified adult payment for children under 12 years and to 55% for children aged 12 years and over is €371.5 million. This would represent an increase from the current rates to a new weekly rate of €72.90 for children under 12, and a new weekly rate of €89.10 for children aged...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (15 May 2025)

Dara Calleary: I am delighted that as part of Budget 2025 a new baby grant of €280 was introduced. This new payment will assist parents and adoptive parents with the costs associated with new babies and newly adopted children. It will provide additional financial support to a family to ensure adequate resources and that the material needs of a child are met. The New Baby Grant is a once-off...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (15 May 2025)

Dara Calleary: My department administers over 140 schemes and services, supporting families and individuals across a broad range of services. These services include income supports, employment services, pensions, illness and disability payments, as well as supports for carers, families and jobseekers. Deciding Officers and Designated Persons are required to apply the law on a case-by-case basis when...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Bodies (15 May 2025)

Dara Calleary: On establishment in 2017 my Department assumed responsibility for four agencies, the Charities Regulatory Authority, Pobal, Irish Water Safety and the Western Development Commission. I would note that SI No. 56/2019 – Water Safety Ireland (Establishment) Order 2019 came into effect from 18 February 2019. This established Water Safety Ireland, with the new body assuming the functions of...