Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 26 September 2018
67. Deputy Willie Penrose asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if she is satisfied that Intreo offices provide sufficient accessibility to persons seeking to access exceptional and urgent needs payments; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38860/18]
View answerUnder the supplementary welfare allowance (SWA) scheme, my Department may make a single exceptional needs payment (ENP) to help meet essential, once-off expenditure which a person could not reasonably be expected to meet out of their weekly income. An urgent needs payment (UNP) is a once-off payment made to persons who may not normally qualify for SWA but who have an urgent need which they cannot meet from their own resources or an alternative is not available at that time. The Government has provided over €36 million for these payments in 2018.
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.
Provision of a prompt service is a major objective for the Department, especially for the SWA scheme which is the safety net within the social welfare system. The Deputy will be aware that my Department has re-engineered its business model to support the provision of integrated services across all business streams involved in the delivery of localised services. As part of this strategy, the Department is engaged in the delivery of integrated Intreo centres, which provide a full range of services, including the Community Welfare Service (CWS), generally available in one location. This means that the frequency of CWS public clinics has increased and an improved phone and appointments service is generally available.
Alternative arrangements are in place for those who cannot travel, for example due to illness, as well as in response to emergency situations such as those caused by severe weather events. This could include home visits or the provision of emergency or out of hours services.
I wish to assure the Deputy that the ENP scheme is kept under review to ensure that it continues to support those most in need of assistance. If the Deputy has concerns in respect of a particular case he should bring the details to the attention of the Department.
I trust this clarifies the matter.
