Results 1,181-1,200 of 14,252 for speaker:Dara Calleary

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Legislative Programme (5 Feb 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Deputy will be aware that it is a Programme for Government commitment to 'enact legislation to give entitlement to unmarried cohabitants to a Widow’s, Widower’s or Surviving Civil Partner’s Contributory Pension'. Therefore, I can confirm that the Social Welfare (bereaved partner's pension) Bill 2025 is included in the Spring legislative programme. I expect the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (5 Feb 2025)

Dara Calleary: The number of recipients of Working Family Payment in County Clare for each of the years 2020 - 2024 are shown below. - 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 Working Family Payment 990 1027 1044 1042 1042

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pensions (5 Feb 2025)

Dara Calleary: The table below shows the end-year numbers of recipients of state pension non-contributory in Co Clare for the years 2020 - 2024. The numbers have remained relatively consistent, averaging at 3,179 over the past five years. Date Number of recipients of SPNC (personal rate) 2024 3,120 2023 3,253 2022 ...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (5 Feb 2025)

Dara Calleary: Domiciliary Care Allowance (DCA) is payable in respect of a child aged under 16 who has a severe disability requiring continual or continuous care and attention substantially in excess of the care and attention normally required by a child of the same age and where the level of that disability is such that the child is likely to require this level of care and attention for at least 12...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (5 Feb 2025)

Dara Calleary: My department provides assistance to households in the immediate aftermath of severe weather events under the Humanitarian Assistance Scheme. The Humanitarian Assistance Scheme was activated on Thursday 23rd January in advance of Storm Éowyn’s arrival and continues to be available to provide support to those living in properties directly affected by Storm Éowyn. Stage 1...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (5 Feb 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. The Appeals Officer assigned to the appeal of the person concerned decided on the question of entitlement. There was no question...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pensions (5 Feb 2025)

Dara Calleary: The person concerned reached pension age on 24 January 2025. Under current eligibility conditions, an individual must have 520 full-rate paid contributions to qualify for standard state pension (contributory). 520 full-rate contributions equate to 10 years of full-rate insurable employment. According to the records of my Department, the person concerned has a total of 401 full-rate...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Rates (5 Feb 2025)

Dara Calleary: Child Benefit is a monthly payment to families with children up to the age of 16 years. The payment continues to be paid in respect of children until their 19th birthday where they are in full-time education or have a disability. It is paid in respect of almost 1.3 million children. Expenditure on the scheme is estimated at over €2.2 billion in 2025. It is important to note that, in...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Code (5 Feb 2025)

Dara Calleary: My Department provides a range of income and employment supports to people with disabilities. Disability Allowance is a means-tested social assistance payment for people habitually resident in Ireland with a disability and who are aged between 16 and 66. The disability must be expected to continue for at least a year and substantially restrict a person’s ability to undertake suitable...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Staff (5 Feb 2025)

Dara Calleary: Special leave for civil servants is a policy matter for my colleague, Jack Chambers TD, Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Services Reform and Digitalisation. The Department of Social Protection is actively preparing for Ireland's Presidency of the EU next year and has a long tradition of supporting the secondments of 'national experts' to the EU institutions as well...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Data (5 Feb 2025)

Dara Calleary: To date the Department of Rural and Community Development has not received any requests for career breaks for the purposes detailed. My Department is strongly committed to staff development, and staff within the Department are encouraged to apply for opportunities in the EU through the National Experts in Professional Training (NEPT) programme and the Erasmus programme. These are usually...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Rural Schemes (5 Feb 2025)

Dara Calleary: Our Rural Future is the whole-of-government policy for sustainable rural development in Ireland, containing more than 170 commitments for delivery by government departments and their agencies. The Government’s vision is for a thriving rural Ireland, which is built on the interdependence of urban and rural areas, and which recognises the centrality of people, and the importance of...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Community Development Projects (5 Feb 2025)

Dara Calleary: My Department provides a range of supports which are available to both Men's Sheds and Women’s Sheds. The Local Enhancement Programme (LEP) 2025 was announced in November 2024, with funding of €7 million to assist thousands of community groups across the country. Under the LEP, Men's and Women’s Sheds are eligible to apply directly to their Local Community Development...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Schemes (5 Feb 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Town and Village Renewal Scheme (TVRS) was introduced in 2016 and is one of a number of measures designed to rejuvenate rural towns and villages throughout Ireland. Since the launch of the scheme over €177 million has been allocated to almost 1,800 projects. Of this more than €7.5 million has been allocated to 64 projects in County Clare. In April 2024, funding of...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Museum Projects (5 Feb 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Rural Regeneration and Development Fund (RRDF) is a strategic capital investment fund that is key to the delivery of Ireland's rural development policy, Our Rural Future. Kildare County Council is the lead partner for the Shackleton Museum project. It has been awarded funding of just over €5.2 million under the RRDF. This project will transform the Athy Heritage Centre...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Museum Projects (5 Feb 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Rural Regeneration and Development Fund (RRDF) is a strategic capital investment fund that is key to the delivery of Ireland's rural development policy, Our Rural Future. RRDF funding is made available under two categories. Category 1 relates to large scale ambitious capital projects with all necessary planning and other consents in place, and which are ready to proceed. Category 2...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Schemes (5 Feb 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Programme for Government confirms a Government commitment to support rural communities including a commitment to increase funding under the Local Improvement Scheme (LIS). LIS supports improving non-public rural roads and laneways not usually maintained by local authorities. Since its establishment in 2017, almost €170 million has been provided by Government to local authorities...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Control of Dogs (5 Feb 2025)

Dara Calleary: In July last year, a ban on XL Bully type dogs was announced in the interest of public safety following a number of horrific attacks. The ban was implemented in the following two stages: Since October 1st 2024, new regulations have prohibited the importing, breeding, rehoming and selling of XL Bully type dogs. Since February 1st 2025, it is illegal to own an XL Bully type dog without...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Schemes (5 Feb 2025)

Dara Calleary: My Department supports vibrant, inclusive and sustainable communities throughout Ireland by delivering a wide range of strategic interventions and investments throughout the country. These are underpinned by the Our Rural Future and Town Centre First policies whose key aim is to breathe new life into rural towns and villages making them thriving places to live, work and raise a family. ...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Schemes (5 Feb 2025)

Dara Calleary: Launched in 2022, the Town Centre First (TCF) Policy is a major cross-government policy that aims to tackle vacancy, combat dereliction and breathe new life into our town centres. TCF supports the Our Rural Future vision for a thriving rural Ireland by setting out a framework to facilitate and resource the regeneration of Irish towns to ensure they are vibrant, viable places to live, work,...