Dara Calleary

At this point, we have 94,062 employers registered, with 700,256 employees registered. There is a gap between 700,256 and 763,000 and we are working to address that by engaging in further information campaigns with employers. The call centre dealing with this has been open since 1 January. It has taken 4,620 calls and 3,748 online chats. Of those queries, 57% have been from employers, 21% from par…

In relation to the breakdown of employers and employees registered, we will certainly provide those figures when we get through this period of bedding in and NAERSA will be in a position to provide them. I do not think we can just divide the number of employees by employers in terms of saying it is seven. Multiple types of employment and employers are registered.

I will go back and get some detail for Deputy Moynihan regarding his specific queries as well. I also encourage every Deputy in regard to this matter. We have the My Future Fund portal up and running and quite a number of scenarios are outlined in it in relation to people's questions. I will revert to the Deputy in relation to his specific queries.

I thank the Deputy for the question. Rent supplement, as it currently exists, is a short-term support paid to families and individuals as an initial payment when they encounter difficulties in meeting rent costs, for example, on loss of employment when they apply for a jobseeker's payment. As we discussed earlier with Deputy O'Reilly, where longer term support is required, the person transitions o…

It is €52.2 million for rent supplement and €570 million for HAP. The issue of a review of the rent limits is a matter in which my colleague, the Minister for housing, is taking the lead. I understand the Minister has approved the commencement of a review of HAP rent limits. Officials from my Department will provide input to this review. Any changes to the rent supplement limits will then be align…

That figure is 5,706 for active recipients. I apologise because I meant to give the Deputy that figure, too. I work with the Department of Housing on reviewing the limits and ensuring that our rent supplements are aligned. I am conscious and aware that they have not been reviewed in some time and I am absolutely determined to make sure we work with them. If there are delays or blockages in cases,…

I am not going to comment on an individual case, but I will certainly revert to the Deputy. In relation to exceptional needs generally, the matter has been raised by the Cathaoirleach Gníomhach and Deputy O'Reilly in the committee. I plan on organising a session with the community welfare team to go through everything to get feedback. We will be doing that in the audiovisual room at some stage in…

We will be doing it in February. It is an issue that keeps coming back. We want to try to get feedback from every Deputy and Senator in relation to that. We will do that at some stage in February. I will let every Deputy know.

The Department of Social Protection provides a range of income support payments for disabled people. There are approximately 231,000 recipients of disability income support payments, amounting to an estimated expenditure of €3.24 billion in 2025. The Government recognises the significant additional costs that disabled people face in their daily lives and is committed to improving outcomes for disa…

We are currently providing 231,000 people across the country with a disability income support payment, with an expenditure of €3.24 billion in 2025. There are a number of significant measures in budget 2026. We have included a €10 increase in the weekly rate of payment, which would bring the personal rate of payment to €254 per week from this month. That is a €51 increase to weekly income support …

I thank both Deputies. I am certainly aware of the pressures that people with disabilities are under. Nobody has an exclusive right in relation to that understanding. That is why we want a permanent payment, one that is shared and the design of which is agreed by those with disabilities and their advocates. That is why we are engaging in this process already ahead of budget 2027. Within my Depart…

I thank the Deputy for her question. In budget 2026, we have provided for a substantial package of €28.9 billion of social protection measures with €1.15 billion of new social protection measures. This contained significant targeted measures to support people with disabilities, including a €10 increase in the weekly rate of payment bringing the personal rates of payment to €254 per week from Janua…

Absolutely. It is crucial and a priority for the Department. Within budget 2026, we included a €10 increase in the weekly rate of payment. That goes to €254. There was a €20 increase in the monthly rate of domiciliary care allowance increasing to €380 a month from 1 January. There were the highest ever increases in the child support payment - a €16 increase for children aged 12 or over, bringing i…

There are a number of issues. I made it very clear that we are working on introducing a permanent cost-of-disability payment. I look forward to hearing people's proposals on this with a view towards budget 2027. In relation to the employability issues raised by Deputies McGreehan and Ó Murchú, we have made changes to the wage subsidy scheme. At the end of November, we had 1,550 employers and 2,615…

What Deputy Murphy is not acknowledging is that we have responded with a €10 increase in the weekly rate of payment. We have responded with the highest ever increases in the child support payment. We have responded with a €20 per month increase in the domiciliary care allowance and a €5 increase in the fuel allowance, all of which are permanent and none of which will be changed from year to year. …

We are working on a process. We have introduced extra payments through budget 2026. We cannot just dismiss services and the extra investment in services in the way Deputy Murphy has done. That is also crucial and we continue to work on this process.

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta Cooney as an ábhar tábhachtach seo a ardú inniu. I thank Deputy Cooney for raising this issue. The employment support scheme was run by FÁS. It offered financial support to employers to cover a disabled employee’s employment. The scheme was open to the private sector only. The wage subsidy scheme came into operation as a pilot scheme in September 2005. It replaced …

I thank the Deputy. As I outlined, when the employment support scheme closed in 2005, there were 474 employees in respect of 404 employers. Today, we have 1,518 employers availing of the scheme and over 2,500 employees. We are a long way off where I want to be, however, and I will be very focused on getting people with disabilities into the workforce because they have extraordinary skill and talen…

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta as an gceist. Is é an sprioc atá leis an bpróiseas pleanála teanga ná an Ghaeilge a láidriú mar theanga phobail. Déantar é seo trí phleananna teanga a fheidhmiú i limistéir aitheanta a chuirfidh le húsáid na Gaeilge i réimsí áirithe sa phobal, mar shampla, sa teaghlach, i measc na hóige, sa chóras oideachais, san earnáil ghnó agus san earnáil phoiblí. Cuirtear taca…

Tá brón orm nach raibh seans agam mo bhuíochas a ghabháil leis an Teachta as a chuid oibre mar oifigeach pleanála teanga. Mar a dúirt mé, tá sé i gceist go mbeidh na pleananna atá in éag cheana féin, nó iad siúd a bheidh ag dul in éag idir seo agus deireadh na bliana seo, bailí go deireadh na bliana 2027 nó go dtí go n-aontófar pleananna nua, cibé acu is luaithe. Beidh aon phlean a théann in éag t…

Mar a dúirt mé sa fhreagra, tá an t-uafás oibre ar siúl ag na hoifigigh phleanála teanga. Baineann cuid den scéal agus fuinnimh atá sa teanga lena gcuid oibre. Tá siad an-láidir sa scéal sin. Tuigim go mór an brú atá orthu agus ar na ceanneagraíochtaí, ach tá muid ag foghlaim agus muid ag cur an clár seo ar siúl sa tír. As an bhfoghlaim agus an cleachtadh sin, beimid in ann rudaí a dhéanamh níos f…

Tuigim go maith na dúshláin atá ann i gceantair Ghaeltachta tithíocht a chur ar fáil ar phraghas réasúnta do dhaoine áitiúla. Is dúshlán é seo a ghabhann níos leithne ná an Ghaeltacht féin ach tuigim go mór an brú atá ar cheantair Ghaeltachta. Agus é sin ráite, níl sé i gceist ag mo Roinn ag an bpointe seo na scéimeanna tithíochta faoi Achtanna na dTithe (Gaeltachta), a cuireadh ar athló roinnt bl…

Ar an gcéad dul síos, is é seo an fáth go bhfuil an Bille nua faoi ligean tithíochta gearrthéarmach chomh tábhachtach is atá sé. Beidh treoirlínte ag na húdaráis áitiúla. Aontaím leis an Teachta go bhfuil brú ní hamháin ar chúrsaí tithíochta sa Ghaeltacht, ach ar an teanga. Táimid ag obair ar a lán rudaí ach níl sé simplí. Caithfimid a admháil nach bhfuil sé simplí. Táim ag bualadh leis an údarás …

Beimid ar ais ag an mBille go luath san earrach. Roimh an mBille sin, tá mé ag obair leis an údarás. Níl mé i mo shuí ansin. Tá mé ag obair chun go mbeidh tuiscint idir mé féin agus an t-údarás faoi stádas pleanála na talún atá aige i ngach chuid den Ghaeltacht. Níl aon fhadhb agam cumhachtaí a thabhairt don údarás don talamh atá aige ag an bpointe seo ach tá sé tábhachtach go dtuigfimid céard é s…

I thank the Deputy for his question. My Department implements a wide range of schemes and supports that are available to community organisations and groups across the country. While my Department does not have a scheme specifically for community or homecoming festivals, there may be an avenue of support under the LEADER programme or potentially the local enhancement programme. In respect of the L…