Results 881-900 of 16,746 for speaker:Dara Calleary

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Rates (29 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: The estimated annual cost of increasing the Carer's Support Grant by €150, from €2,000 to €2,150 is €25.1 million. This costing is based on the estimated average number of recipients in 2025, and is subject to change in light of emerging trends and subsequent revision of the estimated number of recipients.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Schemes (29 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: The full year cost of increasing the Working Family Payment income thresholds is difficult to estimate with accuracy given the dynamics of the labour market and wage fluctuations. It is also challenging to forecast the number of new claimants who would avail of the payment as a result of the increased threshold. Based on information currently available to my department, the estimated...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Schemes (29 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: The 2024 Annual Statistics Report states that Child Benefit was paid for 46,372 children between the ages of zero and one over the course of 2024. Assuming that a similar number of eligible children were to be born in 2026, and that all children concerned were single births, the estimated cost of paying Child Benefit from the month of birth is in the region of €6.5 million per year,...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Schemes (29 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: Age-related rates apply to 18 to 24 year olds in receipt of the means-tested Jobseeker's Allowance scheme. Age-related reduced rates on Jobseeker's Allowance are designed to prevent long-term welfare dependency. If a young jobseeker participates in education or training, they receive up to the maximum personal rate of Jobseeker’s Allowance of €244. If they participate on...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Schemes (29 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Back to Education Allowance provides income support for jobseekers and others in receipt of certain social welfare payments who pursue courses of education at further or higher level, at a cost of almost €30 million in 2025. The Cost of Education allowance of €500 per academic year is payable to households in receipt of Back to Education Allowance who have a qualified...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Schemes (29 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: A person can earn up to €165 a week and keep their full rate of Disability Allowance. Earnings between €165 and €375 from employment are assessed at 50%, and any earnings over €375 are fully assessed as means. This means that a person can earn up to €517.60 a week and still keep their entitlement to the minimum rate of Disability Allowance and their...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Schemes (29 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: The full year cost of increasing the disregards across the two schemes is difficult to estimate with accuracy given labour market dynamics, wage fluctuations, and flows into, between, and out of schemes as the age of the youngest child reaches 7 and 14. It is also challenging to forecast the number of new claimants who would avail of the payment as a result of the increased threshold. ...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Schemes (29 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Carer’s Support Grant is automatically paid to people in receipt of Carer's Allowance, Carer’s Benefit and Domiciliary Care allowance in June of each year. Carers not in receipt of one of these payments can also claim the grant once they meet the full-time care criteria. In this regard it is worth noting the following:In 2024 there were 135,586 recipients of the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Schemes (29 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: Where a carer is providing care to more than one person, the personal rate of Carer's Allowance payable is increased by a maximum of 50% of the standard personal rate. The current weekly personal rates of Carer’s Allowance for those who are caring for two or more people are €390 for those aged under 66 and €447 for those aged 66 or over. At the start of 2025, there...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Rates (29 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: The estimated annual cost of a €10 increase in the monthly rate of the household benefits package for gas and electricity is €63.2 million. This costing is based on the number of recipients in June 2025, and is subject to change in light of emerging trends and subsequent revision of the number of recipients.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Bereavement Counselling (29 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: Responsibility for bereavement counselling and associated services are a matter for the Health Service Executive, which provides a range of bereavement supports and counselling services while also working in partnership with the voluntary and community sector. I am advised that, through the National Counselling Service, it provides a professional, confidential counselling and psychotherapy...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (29 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: Educational sector workers who are not paid outside of school term time and who wish to avail of income support while temporarily laid-off during the school breaks can apply for a jobseeker’s payment. The average processing time for a jobseeker's payment is 2 weeks from registration of the claim through to a decision. Some claims may take longer to decide, for example, where...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Schemes (29 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: The number of persons in receipt of Jobseeker's Allowance or Jobseeker's Benefit where, according to Revenue records, there was an open employment with an employer in the Education sector (based on NACE Rev 2.1) is set out in the table below. This information is not collated at county level. 2020 13,535 2021 17,496 2022 ...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Schemes (29 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: Educational sector workers who are not paid outside of school term time and who wish to avail of income support while temporarily laid-off during the school breaks can apply for a jobseeker’s payment. A jobseeker’s payment is paid for days of unemployment for which the person is not being remunerated by their employer. Receipt of any holiday pay entitlement during the school...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (29 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: The new Jobseeker's Pay-Related Benefit was introduced at the end of March this year, replacing Jobseeker's Benefit for people who have become fully unemployed since the commencement of the scheme on 31 March. Jobseeker's Pay-Related Benefit means that the income support is directly linked to a person's previous earnings, subject to maximum and minimum rates, rather than family...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (29 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: Fuel Allowance is a means tested payment to assist pensioners and other long-term social welfare dependent householders with their winter heating costs. The payment is a contribution towards heating costs, it is not intended to meet these costs in full. The payment is made at the weekly rate of €33.00 or, if preferred, by way of two lump sum payments and is paid over the winter...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Rates (29 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: The estimated cost of increasing the Fuel Allowance would depend on the nature and rate of the increase. For example a €1 increase in the rate of Fuel Allowance would be expected to cost in the region of €11.62 million based on a 28 week Fuel Allowance season and the measure benefitting an estimated 415,000 recipients. This costing is based on the estimated average number of...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Schemes (29 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: The main disability related payments provided by my Department are Disability Allowance, Invalidity Pension and the Blind Pension. The cost of expanding Fuel Allowance to all those in receipt of these disability related payments is as follows: Rate of Fuel Allowance Weeks Payable Estimated additional Beneficiaries Estimated Additional Cost ...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Schemes (29 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Wage Subsidy Scheme is a key disability employment support. It aims to encourage employers to offer substantial and sustainable employment to people with disabilities through a subsidy. As part of Budget 2022, my Department increased the base subsidy rate from €5.30 to €6.30 per hour. This gives a total annual subsidy available of €12,776 based on a 39-hour...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Schemes (29 Jul 2025)

Dara Calleary: Disability Allowance is my Department's primary disability related social assistance scheme. Applying a means-test ensures that the recipient has an income need and that scarce resources are targeted to those with the greatest need. The means test takes account of the income a person or couple has in terms of cash, capital and property, other than the family home. Disability Allowance...