Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 17 September 2014
130. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the number of successful applications for exceptional needs payments in the Dublin 15 and 24 areas in the years 2011, 2012, 2013 and to date in 2014; and the amount that was paid in these years and these areas. [34216/14]
View answer151. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the expenditure on exceptional needs payments in each year since 2010, including 2014 to the end of August; the reasons for the changes in the amount paid; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34508/14]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 130 and 151 together.
Under the supplementary welfare allowance (SWA) scheme, the Department may make a single exceptional needs payment (ENP) to help meet essential, once-off and unforeseen expenditure which a person could not reasonably be expected to meet out of their weekly income. The Government has provided €31.3m for ENPs in 2014.
There is no automatic entitlement to a payment. The ENP scheme is demand led and 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. Examples of the main types of needs that are met under the scheme include assistance towards new house kit-outs, funeral and burial expenses, the purchase of household appliances, clothing and child related items such as cots and prams.
A review of the guidelines on exceptional needs payments was carried out during 2012 by a working group of staff from the Department’s community welfare service. One of the recommendations emanating from this review was to address the different approaches taken, in different areas, to the payment of ENPs. This review has been used as a basis for revised guidelines that issued to staff in 2012 and 2013, recommending maximum amounts payable under the scheme for a variety of household and personal items, to ensure consistency with regard to payment levels on a national basis.
These guidelines assist Departmental staff and do not limit the discretionary powers available to officers administering the scheme to assist an individual or household in any particular hardship situation which may arise. Officials in the Department continue to review the issue of payments under the ENP scheme to ensure consistency and fairness.
The number of ENP payments and expenditure for Dublin 15 and Dublin 24 for the years 2011 to 2014 are set out in the following tabular statement. The tabular statement also sets out national ENP expenditure for the period 2010 to end of August 2014.
Tabular Statement
Exceptional Needs Payments - Numbers of Payments and Expenditure
|
- |
DUBLIN 15 |
DUBLIN 15 |
DUBLIN 24 |
DUBLIN 24 |
NATIONAL |
|
YEAR |
No. of Payments |
Expenditure |
No. of Payments |
Expenditure |
Expenditure |
|
2010 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
€69.4m |
|
2011 |
3,944 |
€1.2m |
4,905 |
€1.7m |
€62.6m |
|
2012 |
6,527 |
€2.6m |
7,426 |
€2.3m |
€52.7m |
|
2013 |
4,735 |
€1.3m |
3,505 |
€1.4m |
€35.7m |
|
2014 (to end August) |
2,493 |
€0.7m |
1,808 |
€0.7m |
€19.2m |
Note 1: Dublin area details are available from May 2011.
