Results 161-180 of 17,072 for speaker:Dara Calleary

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Schemes (12 Nov 2025)

Dara Calleary: In general, medical or health related benefits fall within the remit of the Department of Health and the HSE. However, my Department administers the treatment benefit scheme which provides certain dental, optical, and medical appliances benefits to insured workers, the self-employed and retired people who have the required number of PRSI contributions. These treatments are also available to...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (12 Nov 2025)

Dara Calleary: The person concerned reached pension age on 19 February 2025. To qualify for the standard state pension (contributory), a minimum of 520 paid contributions is required. The records of my Department show that the person concerned has 368 paid contributions which falls short of the minimum requirement. Flexible pension arrangements are available for people who turn 66 on or after 1...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (12 Nov 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 29 September 2025. As part of the decision process,...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Public Procurement Contracts (12 Nov 2025)

Dara Calleary: Contracts awarded by my Department are operated in accordance with the provision of national legislation, EU Directives and the Office of Government Procurement (OGP) guidelines. The Department uses in so far as is possible the Central Arrangements established by the OGP for goods and services and the contract templates provided by the OGP, which have been signed off by the Chief State...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (12 Nov 2025)

Dara Calleary: My Department provides a range of income support payments to address the contingency of acquiring a disability or caring for those who are incapacitated due to illness or disability. Invalidity Pension is a social insurance payment for people aged under 66 who cannot work due a long-term illness or disability. It is payable for people who have the required social insurance contributions,...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Pension Provisions (12 Nov 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Programme for Government contains a commitment to introduce the Automatic Enrolment (AE) Retirement Savings System. The aim of introducing AE is to address the pension coverage gap that exists in Ireland and to provide workers with greater comfort and security regarding their retirement income. The new system - to be known as My Future Fund - will commence from 1 January 2026. The...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: School Meals Programme (12 Nov 2025)

Dara Calleary: I propose to take Questions Nos. 650 and 651 together. 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. The Nutritional Standards for School Meals have...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Deportation Orders (12 Nov 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Department of Justice regularly notifies my Department with details of persons who are subject to deportation orders. Persons who are subject to a deportation order are ineligible for social assistance payments. They do not satisfy the habitual residence condition as they do not have an unqualified legal right of residence in the State. Only details of the relatively small number of...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (12 Nov 2025)

Dara Calleary: My Department does not collect data on whether a person has been granted refugee status, subsidiary protection, or leave to remain.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Rates (12 Nov 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Roadmap for Social Inclusion 2020-2025 contains a commitment to develop a benchmarking approach for use in adjusting the value of State pension payments. In 2022 the Government decided that the Minister for Social Protection would, in submitting budget options, set out a rate for State Pension payments calculated using the smoothed earnings benchmark approach as an input for...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (12 Nov 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Carer's Allowance payment is an income support for carers those who cannot earn an adequate income in the open labour market due to their caring responsibilities. In this regard it forms part of the system of social assistance supports that provide payments based on income need. It is not a payment for caring and the question of a basic income for caring does not fall within my remit. ...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (12 Nov 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Government is committed to supporting disabled people into secure and sustainable employment. It is critical that the welfare-to-work journey is as smooth as possible for those who want to and are able to work. As a result of Budget 2026, where people move off Disability Allowance or Blind Pension and into employment they will be able to retain their Fuel Allowance payment for up to...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (12 Nov 2025)

Dara Calleary: Social welfare legislation provides that means tests take account of the income and assets of the person (and their spouse or partner, if applicable) applying for the relevant scheme. Means assessments generally include income from employment, self-employment, occupational pensions and maintenance payments. They also include assessment of property owned other than the family home and capital...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (12 Nov 2025)

Dara Calleary: On Tuesday 7th October, I announced a €1.15 billion package of new social protection measures for Budget 2026. This package provided for a general rate increase of €10 across social welfare schemes from January 2026, with proportionate increases for those on reduced rates as well as Qualified Adults. This will bring the maximum personal rate of State Pension (Contributory)...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Communications (12 Nov 2025)

Dara Calleary: For the purpose of this response, ‘external communications and media’ has been interpreted as expenditure on media training services from 2021 to date in 2025. In the past five years, the Department has incurred minimal expenditure on external media training services. To date in 2025, the Department has spent €3,247.20 (including VAT) on media training services. There...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (12 Nov 2025)

Dara Calleary: The person concerned reached pension age on 7 March 2025. To qualify for the standard State pension (contributory), a minimum of 520 full-rate paid contributions is required. The records of my Department show that the person concerned has 390 full-rate paid contributions which falls short of the minimum requirement. Their entitlement to a mixed insurance contributory pension has now...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Schemes (12 Nov 2025)

Dara Calleary: Pregnancy loss is a tragedy and the difficulties that parents and families experience as a result cannot be overstated. The Government recognises the need to support parents who find themselves in these tragic circumstances. The Department of Children, Disability and Equality has legal and policy responsibility for all family-related leaves. The Department of Social Protection has...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (12 Nov 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. I can confirm that my Department received an application for CA from the person concerned on 24 July 2024. The...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Schemes (12 Nov 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 and higher level. The Government has provided almost €30 million for the scheme in 2025. Under the Back to Education Allowance a qualified person can take up a full-time course of study leading to a recognised...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (12 Nov 2025)

Dara Calleary: In November 2023, my Department published a report on the inclusion of long COVID in the Occupational Injuries Benefit Regulations. This report concluded that COVID-19 does not satisfy the statutory criteria for recognition as an occupational illness or accident at work. Specifically, it found that presumptions about workplace transmission would not be sustainable as it is not possible to...