Results 161-180 of 17,038 for speaker:Dara Calleary

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

Dara Calleary: The farm assist scheme was introduced in 1999 to provide income support for low income farmers. It replaced the former smallholder's unemployment assistance payment. In line with the then pre-existing arrangements for unemployment assistance (including smallholders), any income from self-employment was exempt from the class S social insurance charge applied to self-employed workers,...

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

Dara Calleary: Data on recipients by age and by county is set out in the table below, showing the combined number of people in receipt of Jobseeker’s Allowance and Jobseeker’s Benefit. Casual workers and those claiming credits are not included in these figures. Table 1 - Count of Recipients of Jobseeker's Allowance and Jobseeker's Benefit, by County and Age Group. County ...

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

Dara Calleary: The department primarily accepts medical certificates from GPs on the certifier panel. The institution that a GP works for is not a deciding factor on whether they can join the panel. All panellists must be registered with Irish Medical Council, sign a declaration confirming that they have received and read the Medical Certifiers Guide, and the Closed Certification Guidelines issued to them...

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

Dara Calleary: The estimated annual cost of increasing Carer's Allowance by 2%, increasing the current full rate by €6 and the current half rate by €3, is €21.70m. The estimated annual cost of increasing Carer's Allowance by 10%, increasing the current full rate by €29.80 and the current half rate by €14.90, is €108.40m. The estimated annual cost of increasing...

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

Dara Calleary: The Living Alone Increase (LAI) is available to people aged 66 or over receiving a State Pension or other qualifying payments, and to people under 66 who are getting a long-term illness or disability payment. There were 241,450 people in receipt of a LAI in 2023, 248,671 in 2024 and 253,737 as of the end of August 2025. There are currently 3,961 customers in receipt of the LAI with an...

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

Dara Calleary: My Department provides direct support towards energy costs to qualifying low-income households, through schemes such as the Fuel Allowance Scheme, Household Benefits Package as well as through Additional Needs Payments as part of the Supplementary Welfare Allowance scheme. The Fuel Allowance Scheme is means tested and assists pensioners and other welfare dependent householders with...

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

Dara Calleary: My Department offers a range of employment schemes and other supports to encourage long-term unemployed people to return to work, while also assisting communities across the country in the provision of vital services. Community Employment (CE) and Tús are employment activation measures designed to provide eligible long-term unemployed people and other disadvantaged persons with an...

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

Dara Calleary: The Rural Social Scheme (RSS) is an income support scheme that provides part-time employment opportunities for farmers and fishers in receipt of specified social welfare payments, and who are underemployed in their primary occupation. The valuable work undertaken by participants draws on their existing skills which may be further developed and shared throughout their participation. My...

Written Answers — Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Public Procurement Contracts (12 Nov 2025)

Dara Calleary: The details requested by the Deputy in relation to the nature and value of contracts that underwent post award variations by CPV category, from 2022 to 2024, are provided in the table below in respect of my Department. Over the period in question there were 7 contracts with such contracts. All relate to additional services, supplies or works, which arose either due to the initial tender being...

Written Answers — Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Departmental Communications (12 Nov 2025)

Dara Calleary: The information the Deputy has requested is set out in the table below. In general, my Department’s communications work is delivered in-house with external communications and media companies only utilised where specialist expertise is required. Separately, my Department occasionally undertakes advertising campaigns, generally for consultation processes and notifications to the public....

Written Answers — Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Rural Schemes (12 Nov 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. Almost €184 million has been allocated to over 1,800 projects since the launch of the scheme. TVRS is administered through local authorities, who work closely with local communities and businesses to develop proposals...

Written Answers — Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Departmental Schemes (12 Nov 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Scheme (ORIS) provides funding under a number of measures for the development of new outdoor recreational infrastructure and for the necessary repair, enhancement or promotion of existing outdoor recreation infrastructure in countryside areas across Ireland. I have attached 2 tables listing projects that were funded under ORIS within Co. Clare in 2024...

Written Answers — Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Departmental Functions (12 Nov 2025)

Dara Calleary: My Department has a well established corporate governance framework in place, which includes the structures necessary for effective forward planning across policy, programmes, schemes and corporate affairs. In addition to Management Board meetings, the full Senior Management Team (SMT) comprising all heads of business units meets regularly to discuss and consider issues around policy,...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (6 Nov 2025)

Dara Calleary: I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that an Appeals Officer, having fully considered all of the available evidence, has decided to allow the appeal of the person concerned by way of a summary decision. The person concerned will be notified of the Appeals Officer’s decision in the coming days.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pensions (6 Nov 2025)

Dara Calleary: The State Pension (Non-Contributory) is a means-tested social assistance payment for people aged 66 and over, habitually residing in the State, who do not qualify for a State Pension (Contributory), or who only qualify for a reduced rate contributory pension based on their social insurance record. My Department has over 90 schemes of which a significant number are means-tested schemes,...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (6 Nov 2025)

Dara Calleary: Invalidity Pension (IP) is a payment for people who are permanently incapable of work because of illness or incapacity and for no other reason and who satisfy the pay related social insurance (PRSI) contribution conditions. The person concerned has been awarded IP with effect from 21 August 2025 and will receive their first payment and all arrears due for the period 21 August 2025 to 5...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (6 Nov 2025)

Dara Calleary: Carer's Benefit was awarded to the person concerned from 18 September 2025. As the person was not entitled to Carer's Benefit on the first Thursday in June 2025, there is no automatic entitlement to the 2025 CSG grant. However, my Department received an application for the stand-alone CSG from the person concerned on 13 October 2025. In their application, the person confirmed that...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Employment Support Services (6 Nov 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Government is committed to ensuring access to the labour market and Intreo employment services for eligible applicants, including women who have left abusive relationships. Employment supports and access to the labour market are available to International Protection (IP) applicants and those granted protection (refugee status or subsidiary protection). In compliance with the EU Reception...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Employment Support Services (6 Nov 2025)

Dara Calleary: Staff in customer facing roles, including Intreo Office and Community Welfare Service teams, receive comprehensive training and guidance in customer service. In addition my Department has a dedicated Safeguarding Unit which acts on reports of alleged abuse of all social welfare recipients aged 18 and over. The Safeguarding Unit is promoted within my Department to ensure that all staff are...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (6 Nov 2025)

Dara Calleary: The person concerned applied for Carers Allowance on 7th March 2025. Their application was refused on 9th April 2025, on the grounds that the person concerned had not established that they are providing full time care and attention, within the meaning of social welfare legislation and as their assessed means exceed the limit to qualify for this payment. The person concerned submitted an...