Results 861-880 of 15,374 for speaker:Dara Calleary

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (13 May 2025)

Dara Calleary: In line with the Programme for Government committment, my Department is examining a new Working Age Payment which will ensure that individuals always see an increase in income when they work or take on additional hours. An outline of a proposed approach was previously published as part of the strawman consultation process on the introduction of new pay-related benefit. My Department will...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals (13 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: Departmental Bodies (13 May 2025)

Dara Calleary: My Department does not have any non-governmental organisations under its aegis. My Department does provide funding to a number of voluntary / non-governmental organisations, who provide information and wider social research on social welfare services and social policy in Ireland. The current recipients of funding are: Community Law and Mediation (CLM). The Irish National...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Bodies (13 May 2025)

Dara Calleary: I propose to take Questions Nos. 807, 808, 809, 810, 811, 812, 813 and 814 together. My Department does not have any non-governmental organisations under its aegis.  My Department does provide funding to a number of voluntary / non-governmental organisations, who provide information and wider social research on social welfare services and social policy in Ireland. The current...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (13 May 2025)

Dara Calleary: Primary weekly social welfare payments are intended to enable recipients to meet their basic day-to-day income needs. Payments available to those over 66 include the State Pension (Contributory), State Pension (Non-Contributory) and the Widows, Widowers and Surviving Civil Partners' Contributory Pension. The rate of primary and secondary payments to pensioners, and their adequacy, are...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (13 May 2025)

Dara Calleary: To qualify for the Fuel Allowance payment aged over 66 a person must satisfy all relevant qualifying criteria including satisfy a means test. The means test ensures that the Fuel Allowance payment goes to those who are more vulnerable to fuel poverty, including those reliant on social protection payments for longer periods and who are unlikely to have additional resources of their own. A...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (13 May 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 a person in receipt of CA has a qualified child who is 18 years of age or over in full-time day education, a child...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: School Meals Programme (13 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 programme is an important component of policies to encourage school attendance and extra educational achievement. There are now 2,850 primary schools participating in the Hot School Meals Programme for the current...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Childcare Services (13 May 2025)

Dara Calleary: Educational Sector Workers (ESWs) including those working in the Early Years Childcare Sector, who wish to avail of income support while temporarily laid-off during the school breaks can apply for a jobseeker’s payment. They must satisfy all the qualifying conditions to receive a payment. This includes completing the relevant claim application forms and supporting documentation a in...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (13 May 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 or cohabitant, property (except their own...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Employment Support Services (13 May 2025)

Dara Calleary: The JobPath service commenced in 2015 and referrals to the JobPath service ceased in June 2022 with the service ceasing completely in June 2024. JobPath providers continued to provide a service to existing customers during a run-off period. The referral numbers to individual JobPath providers under contract and agreements are commercially sensitive. The overall total number of...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals (13 May 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 3 January 2025. It is a condition for receipt of CA...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Employment Support Services (13 May 2025)

Dara Calleary: The JobPath Service ceased to operate in June 2024. My Department currently contracts external employment services through three programmes, the Intreo Partners Local Area Employment Services, the Intreo Partners National Employment Services and the Employability service. The contracts which are in place between my Department and the contracted employment service providers permit...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Employment Support Services (13 May 2025)

Dara Calleary: My Department has contracted with Turas Nua and Seetec as employment service providers since 2015 initially under the JobPath Programme. Referrals to the JobPath service ceased in June 2022 and the service ceased completely in June 2024. JobPath was a payment by results model and all set-up and day-to-day operational costs were borne by the companies. The companies were paid on...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Employment Support Services (13 May 2025)

Dara Calleary: Referrals to the JobPath service ceased in June 2022 and the service ceased completely in June 2024.  JobPath was a payment by results model and all set-up and day-to-day operational costs were borne by the companies.  The companies were paid on the basis of performance and with the exception of the initial registration fee; payments were made only when a client had achieved...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Data Protection (13 May 2025)

Dara Calleary: My Department has in place contracted employment services with a number of external providers including Turas Nua and Seetec. Under the current data protection legislation the Department is permitted to engage the services of a sub-contractor or agent, referred to as a ‘data processor’. The personal data shared with external employment service providers includes PPSN,...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Data (13 May 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Department of Social Protection does not hold data on citizenship and therefore the data requested by the Deputy is not available.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Data (13 May 2025)

Dara Calleary: My Department regularly publishes data on recipients of social protection payments, including breakdowns by nationality. This data is available in open-data format, accessible through data.gov.ie and The statistics requested by the Deputy are provided in the table below. Figures relate to 30/04/2025. Scheme Irish All other Nationalities Total ...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals (13 May 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Social Welfare Appeals service of the Department of Social Protection is responsible for determining appeals against decisions in relation to social welfare entitlements. Appeals Officers are independent in their decision making functions. The Department has issued a revised decision in favour of the customer. As a result, the appeal lodged by the customer has been withdrawn. The...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (13 May 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 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 directly impacted by the storm. It targets people who...