Dara Calleary

Irish Rail is being ridiculous about trolleys at this stage. On the N59 and the draft planning guidelines generally, it is the Minister's intention that they will take effect next year. I have asked my party's councillors and I will ask Councillor Murray as well because our councillors are the best planners and experts on planning to look at the guidelines. That would be a useful exercise for us…

Táim féin agus an tAire Stáit, an Teachta Buttimer tar éis sárobair a chur isteach chun SÍOL a chur ar an mbóthar. Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta freisin mar iarArd-Mhéara as a thaithí leis seo. I thank the Deputy for sharing his experience with the Minister of State, Deputy Buttimer, in relation to urban disadvantage. SÍOL was launched on 8 July. It means "seed" in English. It actually stands f…

Aontaím go mór leis an Teachta. Tá sé iontach an spreagadh chun na Gaeilge a fheiceáil. I spent three summers in Baile na hAbhann in Coláiste Uí Chadhain, so I know the Indreabhán area very well. Tá an Teachta fíor. Freisin tá sé bunaithe ar mhúinteoirí. It is based on teaching, our naíonraí and our Gaelscoileanna. That is why we need more Gaelcholáistí. I have a very strong view that we have to c…

The Minister of State, Deputy Buttimer, and I were conscious that the scheme was only capital. We wanted to keep it very simple initially and get the projects rolled out. In terms of the current programme, in the 15 areas, there is a closing date of mid-August. It comes from the local authorities. We will make sure we get money quickly to local authorities. A regular complaint from local authoriti…

I thank the Deputy for his ongoing work on this. It is not back-of-the-envelope stuff. His inputs and those of Deputy Ó Snodaigh are always considered. As he knows, the primary responsibility lies with the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage. The draft statement is, in my view, one that strengthens the planning system’s support for the Irish language and Gaeltacht areas, making it…

I reject the Deputy's analysis of the draft plan on the Gaeltacht. We worked very closely with the Department of housing on it to try to get a balance. The important thing is to get a balance in Gaeltacht areas between those with Gaeilge, those who have Irish and use it as a daily language, and new people moving into it, but also those from a Gaeltacht area who do not have Irish, because they equa…

Scrúdaíomar na figiúirí. Tá na coinníollacha nua bunaithe ar census 2022, cé go bhfuil deacrachtaí ansin. Mar a dúradh an oíche a d'fhoilsíomar an dréachtráiteas, táim oscailte go feedback. Nuair atá fearg ann, oibrím leis an bhfearg nuair a thagann rudaí as an bhfearg sin. Táim sásta obair leis an Teachta. Mar a dúirt mé, tá oifigigh as mo Roinn, a chuir an-obair isteach leis na hoifigigh sa Roin…

I thank the Deputy for his question about CLÁR. As he knows, CLÁR provides funding under a number of different measures for small-scale infrastructural projects in designated rural areas. The programme is investing in community facilities and amenities, including community centres, MUGAs, playgrounds, walking tracks and sensory gardens. The scheme also funds vehicles for community groups providing…

Absolutely. The Minister of State, Deputy Buttimer, and I are working hard to ensure that CLÁR gets increased funding. As Deputy McGuinness knows, under 2025, Waterford received €572,000 for nine projects under measures 1 and 2. On the Deputy's comments about loneliness, that is why we have the mobility scheme and the transport scheme. It gives local organisations in rural areas that would not hav…

Absolutely. I am very much open to that. Along with the Ministers of State, Deputies Butler and Cummins, I had the pleasure of visiting the area mentioned by the Deputy back in June. I know that the Comeragh area has a super weekend in the Comeraghs Wild Festival. We were able, through ORIS, to make investments in the forests there. The project in Lismore is one of the best LEADER projects I have …

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta. Shínigh an tUachtarán Connolly an tAcht um Údarás na Gaeltachta (Leasú), 2026, ina dhlí ar an 1 Iúil 2026. Is é príomhchuspóir an Achta an próiseas ainmniúcháin agus roghnúcháin reatha a rialaíonn ceapachán bhord Údarás na Gaeltachta faoi Acht na Gaeltachta, 2012 a athrú agus próiseas toghcháin agus roghnúcháin nua a chur ina áit. Leis an leasú seo, comhlíonadh ge…

Níl mórán ama tugtha do na céad céimeanna eile. Bhí muid dírithe ar an mBille a chur tríd an Oireachtas. Táimid chun é sin a scrúdú anois. Le haghaidh gach toghchán, tá cúram na dtoghchán faoi chúraim na Roinne Tithíochta, Rialtais Áitiúil agus Oidhreachta. Beidh na leasuithe le plé le hoifigigh na Roine sin leis na rudaí eile agus beidh na sonraí eile le haghaidh na dtoghchán á bplé ag leibhéal a…

I thank Deputies O'Reilly and Wall for their ongoing work on this issue. The DCA is a monthly payment to a parent or a guardian in respect of a child aged under 16 who has a severe disability and requires care and attention substantially over and above that needed by a child of the same age. The payment is not means tested. There is no restriction on the number of children for whom a person may cl…

I have placed considerable emphasis on this since being appointed. At the end of 2024, there were 1,700 appeals on hand. At the end of 2025, there were 664 appeals on hand, and we had a 17.5% increase in applications in 2025. As I said at the end of my previous contribution, we have a similar increase this year. We have allocated additional resources to manage it. By moving it online, we have take…

We have the online option. The average time to award a payment in 2026 to date has been seven weeks. The target is nine. We have also put a fast-track system in place between our medical assessors and my officials to ensure that all medical issues are expedited. I am trying to take all the blockages out of the application system. In response to the work of Deputies O'Reilly and Wall, who have cons…

As the Deputy knows, the carer's allowance is the main scheme by which my Department provides income support for carers. Currently, just over 108,000 carers receive this payment, with a provision of over €1.4 billion euro this year. The carer's support grant is a separate payment that was paid to over 147,000 carers on 4 June 2026, at a rate of €2,000 per person being cared for, marking an investm…

I am very aware of the work of Family Carers Ireland. We host a forum specifically for carers every year. We did that in May. I am very aware of the challenges being faced by carers in terms of respite and other supports. The Deputy may have missed the point within the report that over 68% of families would now receive a carer's allowance payment as a consequence of the income disregards being cha…

This means that somebody on an income of €110,000 can receive a full carer's allowance payment and those on €138,000 can receive a partial payment. So, we are making very substantial progress in phasing out the means test. It is a commitment in the programme for Government and I will continue to progress it. I also have other commitments and I want to ensure that we look at the people who are on e…

The lifetime of this Government is to 2029. I have my ambitions to maintain this commitment. Any situation where a social protection support is available to a family on €110,000 per year in full or to a family on €138,000 in part represents very good progress. These are the biggest increases in the income disregard for the carer's allowance and will come into effect on 1 July. However, I also must…

I thank the Deputy. We are very committed in the Department to reducing any administrative, financial or other barrier that may prevent people from accessing their social protection entitlements. Our schemes are generally accessed through two main mechanisms: by assessing the PRSI contribution record of a person in respect of social benefit schemes; and by applying a means test and other condition…

To put Deputy O'Reilly's remarks in context, we discussed this at committee last week. I followed it up. I am going to follow this up with the Deputy. It was raised by many Deputies following her intervention. The Department of Social Protection does not require applicants to obtain private assessments or specialist medical reports to submit an application for a social welfare payment. All availab…

I thank the Deputy. We will engage with the Minister, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, in relation to the communication of this. It is something we have noticed coming up in forums as well - that there is a genuine consideration that we require very complex medical assessments. We do not. I also meant to emphasise in relation to the domiciliary care allowance earlier that we do not require assessments of …

I thank the Deputy. As he knows, the State pension is the bedrock of our pension system in Ireland. As reflected in data from the CSO, it is effective in ensuring that our pensioners do not experience poverty. We, as a Government, are committed to ensuring that this remains the case for current pensioners, including those nearing State pension age, and today’s young workers, including those only s…

I am very aware of the people of Belmullet. I had the privilege of being there recently at a 100th birthday, and with a neighbour who is 101. I give my good wishes to Mrs. Ginnelly who is 100 today. That is three people in one village breaking the 100 year mark. I am very aware of it and of older people everywhere, including in Dublin Bay South. We want to ensure there is an adequacy of income, pa…

The fuel allowance is paid to many people, such as pensioners, but it is paid to allow them make decisions about their own fuel and energy. I am certainly open to ideas as to how we make sure it can help people directly with fuel payments. People's fuel demands and fuel bills are different, depending on their use of fuel, what kind of heating systems they have and where they live. The whole basis …