Results 161-180 of 15,365 for speaker:Dara Calleary

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (19 Jun 2025)

Dara Calleary: Jobseeker's Allowance is a means-tested payment made to people who are unemployed. To qualify for Jobseeker's Allowance, claimants must satisfy a means test, be available for full-time workand be fully or partly unemployed (at least 4 days out of work in every 7). The rate of payment depends on income and the outcome of the means assessment, and age; the full weekly personal payment is...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Code (19 Jun 2025)

Dara Calleary: Improving the position of disabled people is a priority for Government. That is why the Programme for Government includes a range of commitments in this area.I know many disabled people face barriers in the workplace and when looking for employment. We want to address those barriers. So, we will expand and build on successful programmes like WorkAbility, EmployAbility, and the new Work and...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Employment Schemes (19 Jun 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Programme for Government prioritises improvements to employment supports to enable more people with disabilities to enter and stay in employment.People with disabilities can access a range of supports through their local Intreo office as Intreo staff can meet with jobseekers to discuss their individual needs, aspirations, and experience, and offer appropriate training and employment...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (19 Jun 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Carer’s Support Grant is an annual payment made to carers who get Carer's Allowance, Carer's Benefit or Domiciliary Care Allowance. It can also be paid to certain other carers providing full-time care.In June 2025, a total of 2,720 people in Kilkenny and 2,048 people in Carlow received the Carer's Support Grant. This compares with 2,207 people in Kilkenny and 1,855 people in...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pensions (19 Jun 2025)

Dara Calleary: My Department provides State Pension payments through the State Pension (Contributory), which is a contributory based payment based on a person's social insurance record and the State Pension (Non-Contributory) which is means-tested social assistance payment. To receive either a contributory or social assistance payment a person must qualify for that payment in their own right.The State...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (19 Jun 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Programme for Government has clearly set out a timeline which commits to significantly increasing the income disregards for Carer’s Allowance in each Budget with a view to phasing out the means test during the lifetime of the Government.This is a major change to the Carer's Allowance and to the Irish social welfare system generally. It is important that we make progress in a way...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (19 Jun 2025)

Dara Calleary: Carer's Allowance is the main income support scheme for carers in the community. There are currently over 100,000 carers getting Carer’s Allowance with an estimated scheme expenditure of over €1.24 billion in 2025.Under the single payment per person rule, people who qualify for multiple payments typically receive the higher of the available options. However, as an exception to...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (19 Jun 2025)

Dara Calleary: Under the law as currently enacted, entitlement to a Widows, Widowers or Surviving Civil Partner’s Contributory pension is only available to a surviving partner who was party to a marriage or civil partnership. On 22nd January 2024, the Supreme Court delivered its judgment on the entitlement of an unmarried cohabitant to a Widower's Contributory Pension. The Supreme Court judgment...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Code (19 Jun 2025)

Dara Calleary: My Department provides a suite of income supports for those unable to work due to illness or disability. These include insurance-based schemes, based on PRSI contributions, and means-tested social assistance schemes.Entitlement to these supports is generally not dependent on the type or category of illness or disability. Rather, entitlement to these supports is contingent on the extent to...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (19 Jun 2025)

Dara Calleary: Illness Benefit is a payment for those who cannot work in the short term if they are ill. A person who has paid between 104 and 259 contributions at an appropriate class, since entering employment, is entitled to receive payment of Illness Benefit for a maximum of 312 paid days in any one period of interruption of employment, while a person who has paid a total of 260 or more contributions...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Code (19 Jun 2025)

Dara Calleary: I am aware of the Social Justice Ireland Report analysing how the gap between individuals on Jobseeker's Benefit and individuals earning €40,000 per year and €100,000 per year is affected by Budget measures and cost of living initiatives each year.As Minister for Social Protection, I am acutely aware, as we all are, of the pressures faced by those on the lowest welfare and work...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (19 Jun 2025)

Dara Calleary: As at end May 2025, there are 28,574 people aged under 66 years in receipt of Widow’s / Widower’s / Surviving Civil Partner’s (Contributory) Pension.As at end May 2025, there are a further 980 people in receipt of Widow’s / Widower’s / Surviving Civil Partner’s (Non-Contributory) Pension.Illness Benefit is the primary short term income support...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Public Sector Pensions (19 Jun 2025)

Dara Calleary: I became aware of the detail of overpayment of pensions to Ministers and civil servants when the matter was brought to Government by Minister Jack Chambers on Tuesday 10 June 2025.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (19 Jun 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Programme for Government sets out a timeline which commits to significantly increasing the income disregards for Carer’s Allowance in each Budget with a view to phasing out the means test during the lifetime of the Government.There have been a number of significant changes made to the Carer’s Allowance means test in recent years. Next month, there will be a further increase...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Employment Support Services (19 Jun 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Department of Social Protection operates a number of employment support schemes for long term unemployed persons which also assist 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 opportunity to engage...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Public Sector Pensions (19 Jun 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Secretary General of the Department of Defence spoke with the Secretary General of my Department on 12 June about this case.The case concerns access to a military pension for the father of a Defence Forces member who died in service.Military pensions are not a matter for my Department - they are neither provided for in Social Welfare legislation nor are they administered by the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Public Services Card (19 Jun 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Public Services Card (PSC) was provided for in legislation in 1998 when it was introduced alongside the PPS Number to replace the previous Revenue and Social Insurance number (RSI) and the Social Service Card (SSC). The most recent detailed cost benefit analysis, which was completed in 2021 showed, at that time and taking account of administrative as well as control savings, that the SAFE...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (19 Jun 2025)

Dara Calleary: The increases which the Deputy refers to which will see the weekly income disregard rise from €450 to €625 for a single person, and from €900 to €1,250 for carers with a spouse/partner, will be introduced on 3 July.From that date, a carer in a two-adult household with an income of approximately €69,000 will still retain their full carers payment and even...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Strategies (19 Jun 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Social Inclusion Forum was held on 8th May 2025. The Forum brings together government officials, people experiencing poverty and social exclusion, and the community and voluntary sector groups representing them, to discuss and debate national policy on poverty reduction and social inclusion. The Forum was arranged by the Department of Social Protection with the European Anti-Poverty...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (19 Jun 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Housing Assistance Payment scheme and the Rental Accommodation scheme, administered by the local authorities, are now by far the largest schemes providing rental supports. Policy relating to the Housing Assistance Payment, including a review in the rent limits are a matter for my colleague, the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage. Furthermore, the policy in respect of...