Posted 2 weeks ago by bernarddurkantd Social Protection

Social Protection | The number of exceptional needs payments made to persons or families in other than bereavement circumstances in each of the past three years to date

QUESTION

To ask the Minister for Social Protection the number of exceptional needs payments made to persons or families in other than bereavement circumstances in each of the past three years to date; and if she will make a statement on the matter.

REPLY

The supplementary welfare allowance scheme is the safety net within the overall social welfare system in that it provides assistance to eligible people in the State whose means are insufficient to meet their needs and those of their dependents.

Under the supplementary welfare allowance scheme, my Department may make Additional Needs Payments to help meet essential expenses that a person cannot pay from their weekly income or other personal and household resources. Additional Needs Payments are an overarching term used to refer to Exceptional and Urgent Needs Payments, and certain other Supplements available to assist with ongoing or recurring costs that cannot be met from a person’s own resources, and which are deemed to be necessary.

Table 1 shows the number of Additional Needs Payments, other than the Funeral Category and ongoing supplements, yearly, from 2022 to end of Q1 2024.

Payments are made at the discretion of the officers administering the scheme, taking into account the requirements of the legislation, and all the relevant circumstances of the case in order to ensure that the payments target those most in need of assistance.

Any person who considers that they may have an entitlement to an Additional Needs Payment is encouraged to contact their local community welfare service. There is a National Community Welfare Contact Centre in place – 0818-607080 – which will direct callers to the appropriate office. In addition, applications can be made online via http://www.mywelfare.ie.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Tabular Statement

Table 1 – Additional Needs Payments other than the Funeral Category and ongoing supplements, yearly, from 2022 to end of Q1 2024.