Results 781-800 of 14,437 for speaker:Dara Calleary

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Bodies (19 Mar 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. I can confirm that the boards of the Citizens Information Board and the Pensions Authority have had terms of reference in place for each year from 2020 to 2025. The Pensions Council has Rules of Procedure (similar to...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Schemes (19 Mar 2025)

Dara Calleary: The purpose of the Humanitarian Assistance Scheme (HAS) is to provide financial support in the aftermath of severe weather events to people who are not able to meet costs for essential needs, household items and, in some instances, structural repair. This includes emergency support payments under Stage 1 of the scheme for items such as essential food and clothing in the immediate aftermath...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (19 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. Under Social Welfare legislation, CA for the care of a care recipient who is aged less than 16 years can only be...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (19 Mar 2025)

Dara Calleary: Child Benefit is a universal monthly payment made to families with children up to the age of 16 years. From May 2024, the payment was extended and now it continues to be paid in respect of children until their nineteenth birthday where they are in full-time education, or have a disability. Estimated expenditure on the scheme will be approximately €2.2 billion in 2025. Families on...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (19 Mar 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Government is very aware of the key role that family carers play in Irish society and the challenges they face. We are fully committed to supporting carers in that role. The Programme for Government has set out a timeline which commits to significantly increasing the income disregards for Carer’s Allowance in each Budget with a view to phasing out the means test during the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Legislative Measures (19 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. The...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (19 Mar 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Household Benefits Package comprises of an Electricity or Gas allowance and a Free Television Licence. Only one Household Benefits Package is payable per household. The payment is made on a monthly basis. The Package is generally available to people living in the State aged 66 years or over who are in receipt of a social welfare type payment or who satisfy a means test. It is also...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (19 Mar 2025)

Dara Calleary: Fuel Allowance is a means-tested payment to help with the cost of heating a home during the winter months, payable to people who either live alone or with certain other qualified people. An application for Fuel Allowance was received from the person concerned on 17 December 2024. The application was assessed by a Deciding Officer. The claim was disallowed as the person concerned did not...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Schemes (19 Mar 2025)

Dara Calleary: The purpose of the Humanitarian Assistance Scheme, which is administered by my department through the local Community Welfare Service, is to provide financial support to people whose homes are damaged and who are not able to meet costs for essential needs, household items and, in some instances, structural repair. This includes emergency support payments under Stage 1 of the scheme for...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (19 Mar 2025)

Dara Calleary: My Department is committed to ensuring that only those people who are eligible receive welfare and other payments. Our overriding objective is to ensure that we pay the right people, the right amount, through the right scheme/programme, at the right time. All schemes, including Carers Allowance, are subject to periodic control reviews and continuing eligibility checks to ensure that...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (19 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. My Department is committed to ensuring that only those people who are eligible receive welfare and other payments....

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (19 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. When eligibility has been established for CA and claims are in payment, my Department undertakes periodic reviews of CA...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (19 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. An application for CA was received from the person concerned on 1 November 2024. As part of the decision process, the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Schemes (19 Mar 2025)

Dara Calleary: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1074 and 1075 together. The Humanitarian Assistance Scheme (HAS), administered by my department through the Community Welfare Service, was activated on the 23rd January 2025 to assist householders affected across the country by Storm Éowyn. Humanitarian assistance is available in three stages. Stage 1 of the HAS is available to people while they are...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Schemes (19 Mar 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Humanitarian Assistance Scheme, administered by my department through the local Community Welfare Service, was activated on the 23rd January 2025 to assist householders affected across the country by Storm Éowyn. Up to 13th March 2025, just under 22,900 claims have been awarded with a total of over €5.2 million being paid in respect of Storm Éowyn related claims. The...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Reviews (19 Mar 2025)

Dara Calleary: My Department is committed to providing a quality service to all of its customers. This includes ensuring that applications are processed and that decisions on entitlement are made as quickly as possible. Eligibility for DCA is not based entirely on the child's disability or diagnosis, but primarily on the impact of the disability/diagnosis in terms of the associated care and attention...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Schemes (19 Mar 2025)

Dara Calleary: Supports under the Humanitarian Assistance Scheme (HAS) are available under 3 separate stages. I refer to person’s application for HAS stage 1 following Storm Éowyn. The HAS stage 1 is in place to address immediate hardship in the aftermath of the storm and provides emergency support payments to cover food and other essential costs in the immediate aftermath of the event only....

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Gender Recognition (19 Mar 2025)

Dara Calleary: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1079 to 1081, inclusive, together. Section 7 of the Gender Recognition Act 2015 (GRA 2015) provides that the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection commences a review of the Act within 2 years of its coming into operation, and thereafter, to report to the Oireachtas within 12 months of the commencement of the review. The report of the Review...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Insurance (19 Mar 2025)

Dara Calleary: My Department is not in a position to provide the estimated amount of both employer PRSI contributions and employee PRSI contributions owed to the Social Insurance Fund, by company size.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Schemes (19 Mar 2025)

Dara Calleary: Supports under the Humanitarian Assistance Scheme (HAS) are available under 3 separate stages. I refer to person’s application for HAS stage 1 following Storm Éowyn. The HAS stage 1 is in place to address immediate hardship in the aftermath of the storm. Stage 1 of the HAS scheme provides emergency support payments to cover food and other essential costs in the immediate...