Flood Relief Schemes Expenditure

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 11 February 2014

Tuesday, 11 February 2014

Questions (277, 298, 310, 322)

Nicky McFadden

Question:

277. Deputy Nicky McFadden asked the Minister for Social Protection if a funding scheme is available specifically for persons affected by recent flooding who have not been able to get house insurance since previous floods; the other schemes for which persons without insurance may apply; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6794/14]

Patrick O'Donovan

Question:

298. Deputy Patrick O'Donovan asked the Minister for Social Protection if a location (details supplied) in County Limerick will be included in any humanitarian relief fund made available to flood victims; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6405/14]

Michelle Mulherin

Question:

310. Deputy Michelle Mulherin asked the Minister for Social Protection how emergency payments for flooding victims are calculated; the valuations used for items destroyed such as fixtures, fittings and furniture, structural components, flooring and carpets, and consumable goods such as food; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6490/14]

Nicky McFadden

Question:

322. Deputy Nicky McFadden asked the Minister for Social Protection the schemes available in her Department to assist households affected by flooding; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6785/14]

Written answers

Minister for Social Protection

I propose to take Questions Nos. 277, 298, 310 and 322 together.

The Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government is the lead Department for severe weather emergencies and the Office of Public Works has responsibility for capital flood relief activities. However, the Department of Social Protection has an important role to play in assisting households in the immediate aftermath of emergency events such as the recent severe weather conditions under the supplementary welfare allowance scheme (SWA).

Under the SWA scheme, the Department can make a single exceptional needs payment (ENP) to help meet essential, once-off, exceptional expenditure, which a person could not reasonably be expected to meet out of their weekly income. ENPs are payable 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 to ensure that the payments target those most in need of assistance.

In addition to the payment of ENPs, SWA legislation also provides for assistance in the form of an urgent needs payment (UNP) which can be made to persons who would not normally be entitled to SWA. The person may be required to pay the money back in respect of a UNP at a later date, for example, if the person had significant capital or income or was later compensated by an insurance company.

A humanitarian assistance scheme was approved by Government in November 2009. The scheme, which is means tested, is available to assist people whose homes are damaged by flooding and who are not in a position to meet costs for essential needs, household items and in some instances structural repair. Levels of payment under the scheme depend on the relative severity of damage experienced and the household’s ability to meet these costs ensuring that the funding is appropriately targeted. Humanitarian assistance does not cover risks that are covered by insurance policies or cover business or commercial losses.

In dealing with events of this nature the DSP generally adopts a three stage approach as follows:

-Stage 1 is to provide emergency income support payments for food, clothing, personal items and temporary accommodation in the immediate aftermath of the event. A relatively small amount of financial assistance is generally provided initially but this will increase as the extent of the problems become clearer.

-Stage 2 generally involves the replacement of white goods, basic furniture items and other essential household items. It is not until the flood water abates and houses dry out that the full extent of the damage to homes will become known.

- Stage 3 is to identify what longer term financial support or works are required. It could take several months before this stage of response commences and this involves a cross Departmental/Agency response. Work carried out can include plastering, dry-lining, relaying of floors, electrical re-wiring, painting etc.

The income test for humanitarian assistance is fair and the means assessment is more generous than that applied under the SWA scheme in general. For example, a family consisting of a couple and two children with a gross household income of €70,000 or less will receive 100% of the amount allowable in respect of their application. For each whole €1,000 of household income above the €70,000 the couple will be required to make a personal contribution of 1% toward the amount allowable. The amount allowable in any particular case refers to the amount the officer administering the scheme determines is required to replace essential losses and to make any essential repairs. Further detail on the humanitarian assistance scheme and the income test for single persons and families is available on the Department’s website at http://www.welfare.ie/en/Pages/Humanitarian-Assistance-Scheme.aspx.

Guidelines have been provided to officers responsible for administering the humanitarian assistance scheme as to what type of goods and appliances are generally covered by the scheme and what replacement value should typically be attributable to each item, as set out in the tabular statement below. This list is not exhaustive and is intended as a guide only.

Any person who is experiencing hardship as a result of the recent weather events, including those in the Foynes area of Limerick, should contact the Department’s local representative administering SWA who may be able to offer assistance.

Tabular Statement - Humanitarian Assistance Essential Goods Guideline

Household Item	Recommended Amount Payable	Household Item	Recommended Amount Payable
Kitchen	-	Miscellaneous Items	-
Cooker: Electric	€310	Cutlery Set	€25
Cooker: Gas	€310	Crockery Set 4/Crockery Set 6	€25/€35
Fridge: Single	€140	Electric Iron	€25
Fridge/Freezer	€250	Electric Kettle	€25
Kitchen Chair	€40	Frying Pan	€13
Kitchen Table	€120	Ironing Board	€20
Microwave	€80	Mop and Handle	€15
Table & 4 Chairs	€260	Saucepan Set	€36
Table & 6 Chairs	€360	Sweeping Brush	€15
Tumble Drier	€200	Tea Pot	€11
Washing Machine	€250	Tea Set	€40
-	-	Toaster	€20
-	-	Towels	€22
Sitting Room	-	-	-
Coffee Table	€60	Clothing	-
Rug	€50	Coat/Jacket	€40
Suite of Furniture	€700	Dressing Gown (Adult/Child)	€15
-	-	Jeans/Trousers/Skirt	€20
Bedroom	-	Jumper	€25
Beds (inc Mattress): Bunks	€250	Night Dress (Adult/Child)	€10
Beds (inc Mattress): Cots	€100	Pyjamas (Adult)	€12
Beds (inc Mattress): Double	€180	Pyjamas (Child)	€8
Beds (inc Mattress): Single	€120	Runners /Shoes	€30
Cot Bedding	€30	Shirt	€15
Drawer Chest (3)	€90	Slippers (Adult)	€8
Drawer Chest (6)	€100	Slippers (Child)	€5
Duvet - Double	€30	Socks/Underwear (Adult)	€20
Duvet - Single	€25	Socks/Underwear (Child)	€10
Duvet Cover - double inc. pc.	€20	-	-
Duvet Cover - single inc. pc.	€15	General House Items	-
Locker	€50	Buggy (Double)	€150
Mattress Cot	€50	Buggy/Pram	€100
Mattress Double	€110	Curtain: Living Room	€75
Mattress Single	€60	Curtains: Bedroom	€50
Pillows	€5	Curtains : Sliding Doors	€90
Sheets - double	€15	Electric Oil Heater	€80
Sheets - single	€12	Fire Guard	€40
Two pillow case	€5	Floor Covering per m: Bedroom	€10
Wardrobe 2 Door	€150	Floor Covering per m : Kitchen Area	€10
Wardrobe 3 Door	€230	Floor Covering per m : Living Area	€10
-	-	Hoover	€100
-	-	Smoke Alarm	€10
-	-	Stair Gate	€40