Results 121-140 of 15,374 for speaker:Dara Calleary

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Community Employment Schemes (19 Jun 2025)

Dara Calleary: Without being cheeky enough to suggest a work programme for the committee, as regards the interaction of CE, RSS and Tús, I would love to engage with Members on that or to hear what they could come up with on it. Deputy McGuinness has raised an important point that the schemes have evolved over the years. It would be good to maybe stand back and look at them to see if they are...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Social Welfare Benefits (19 Jun 2025)

Dara Calleary: The carer's allowance is the main scheme by which my Department provides income support to carers in the community. There are currently more than 100,000 people in receipt of carer's allowance. Expenditure in 2025 is estimated to be over €1.24 billion. My Department also provides other supports for carers which are not based on a means assessment, including the carer's support...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Social Welfare Benefits (19 Jun 2025)

Dara Calleary: I congratulate the Deputy on her appointment as Leas-Chathaoirleach of the coiste. Means reviews are an important part of control mechanisms. The C and AG and the Committee of Public Accounts have told us that these reviews need to continue not just for control but also to avoid a situation, such as happened in the UK, where people unwittingly amass very significant overpayments, which...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Social Welfare Benefits (19 Jun 2025)

Dara Calleary: I will not comment on individual cases, but we seek to support families such as that who are in need. In order for us to do that, there will always be rules to ensure that schemes are targeted and that we have the resources to meet the scheme. As I said, we are answerable to the Committee of Public Accounts and the C and AG in that regard. They have said the reviews have to continue to...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Social Welfare Benefits (19 Jun 2025)

Dara Calleary: I thank Deputy Butterly for her question. The free travel scheme provides free travel on our main public and private transport services for those who are eligible. There are over 1 million customers with direct eligibility. The estimated expenditure on the free travel scheme in 2025 is €107.6 million. The programme for Government has committed to examining an extension of free...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Social Welfare Benefits (19 Jun 2025)

Dara Calleary: I fully recognise the importance of DCA. That is why we in the Department have put such a focus on it. We have particularly focused on trying to reduce the waiting periods for appeals and applications. I fully understand how important it would be to extend free travel to include those in receipt of DCA for many reasons, including medical and social appointments. Regarding free travel,...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Social Welfare Benefits (19 Jun 2025)

Dara Calleary: I absolutely guarantee it will be considered. I fully understand the pressures those in receipt of DCA are under. We want to enhance their lived experience. It will be considered, in line with other commitments within the programme for Government. It is a commitment within the programme for Government and will be delivered on within the lifetime of this Government. I note the Deputy's...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Community Employment Schemes (19 Jun 2025)

Dara Calleary: Tuigim cé chomh tábhachtach atá na scéimeanna seo. Tá siad ag déanamh an-jab i ngach cuid den tír. Tosóimid le CE agus beimid in ann RSS agus Tús a phlé ar ball. Community employment schemes make an extraordinary contribution right around the country. I have engaged with many of the schemes over recent months since my appointment as...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Child Poverty (19 Jun 2025)

Dara Calleary: I am aware of the report the Deputy referenced and I share her concern regarding the data from the 2024 survey on income and living conditions, SILC, presented in the report. However, as I said earlier this morning, the data does not fully capture many of the Government actions in recent years to address child poverty. SILC asks people each month to provide income and poverty status data...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Child Poverty (19 Jun 2025)

Dara Calleary: Tuigim go mór cé chomh dáiríre is atá an fhadhb seo. Is é sin an fáth go bhfuil a lán oibre déanta ag an Rialtas. We fully understand the challenges but a lot of work has been done in this space. The ESRI has shown, backing up Deputy O'Reilly's view, that direct social transfers by way of child-related cash and in-kind payments have lifted an...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Child Poverty (19 Jun 2025)

Dara Calleary: We recognise that the cost of living is still incredibly challenging. Not all the measures we have taken have been one-off measures. The hot school meals and free schoolbook schemes are continuous improvements that will directly assist in reducing child poverty. The expansion of the hot school meals scheme, in particular, was not recognised in the SILC data. Deputy O'Reilly and I are...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Social Welfare Benefits (19 Jun 2025)

Dara Calleary: Táimid ag obair ar an two-tier payment. We are looking at that but there is quite a lot of work involved and it is a complex issue to examine. In the meantime, budget 2025 had targeted increases in the one-parent family payment and the jobseeker's transitional payment, which increased by €12 per week. The weekly rate of the child support payment, which is very important in this...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Social Welfare Benefits (19 Jun 2025)

Dara Calleary: That is our intention. The work of the Department is to help those who are struggling. To give the Deputy a sense of the complexity of this, one of the considerations in the ESRI proposal was to amalgamate the working family payment with the child support payment but that would result in people losing out on what they are getting at the moment. If we are to do this, people cannot lose out....

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Job Losses (19 Jun 2025)

Dara Calleary: I thank the Deputy for his question. I am very well informed of the situation at Wellman by the Minister of State, Deputy Niamh Smyth. There is significant uncertainty for the employees, their families and the wider community and our thoughts are with those workers. Our priority within the Department of Social Protection is to ensure that affected employees receive access to all necessary...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Job Losses (19 Jun 2025)

Dara Calleary: Yes. There is a long tradition with this company. There were previous short-term layoffs in 2023 and there was engagement at that time with the Department of Social Protection. There was departmental engagement on 9, 10 and 12 June of this year. We have been notified that there will be a number of redundancies but we will engage with each person. Intreo staff will provide a personalised...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Job Losses (19 Jun 2025)

Dara Calleary: Yes, jobseeker's pay-related benefit has been in place since March of this year and will apply. We have already received quite a number of applications - over 10,000 - so that is very much in place. Furthermore, the experience of MyWelfare.ie and people being able to apply online gives us a quicker turnaround and ensures that people do not have any major gaps in their income. There are...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Social Welfare Code (19 Jun 2025)

Dara Calleary: The carer's allowance is the main scheme by means of which my Department provides income supports to carers in every community. As the Deputy will be aware, more than 100,000 people are in receipt of carer's allowance. Expenditure on the scheme in the current year is estimated to be more than €1.24 billion. Carer’s allowance provides an income support to people whose earning...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Social Welfare Code (19 Jun 2025)

Dara Calleary: I reiterate our full support for carers. I fully recognise the gender impact caring has. Deputy Ardagh is right to highlight that. It is important to look at the progress made on disregards in recent years. I want that to continue and for more people to qualify for the payment. The carer's support grant, which was paid at the beginning of June, is not subject to a means test. It is...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Social Welfare Code (19 Jun 2025)

Dara Calleary: I assure the Deputy that we are working on the plan and on what will be involved, not only financially but also in other ways, in the context of abolishing the means test, and we will continue to do so. I also highlight that a great deal of work has been done to support long-term carers. The long-term carer's contribution scheme ensures that people who have been full-time carers for at...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Social Welfare Benefits (19 Jun 2025)

Dara Calleary: Mar is eol an Teachta, child benefit is a monthly payment to families with children up to the age of 16. The payment continues to be paid in respect of children until their nineteenth 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 in the current year is estimated at more than €2.2...