Under the supplementary welfare allowance scheme, my Department can make additional needs payments to help meet expenses that a person cannot pay from their weekly income. It provides supports and services to help support people on low incomes and facing financial hardship.
The additional needs payment is an overarching term for exceptional and urgent needs payments, and certain supplements paid under the Supplementary Welfare Allowance Scheme. This scheme is administered by the Community Welfare Service of the Department of Social Protection.
The Government has provided funding of €45.75 million for the provision of exceptional and urgent needs that are provided for as Additional Needs Payment in 2022. A further provision of €5.3 million has been provided for SWA Supplements in 2022 (excluding rent supplement). The scheme is demand led and funding is not capped. The payment is available to anyone who needs it and qualifies, whether the person is currently receiving a social welfare payment or working on a low income.
An exceptional needs Payment (ENP) is a single payment 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) may be made to persons who may not normally qualify for supplementary welfare allowance but who have an urgent need which they cannot meet from their own resources or where an alternative is not available at that time.
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.
While it is not possible to show the payment value for each individual ENP and UNP paid for the months in question, tables 1 and 2 show the breakdown by category of the number and total expenditure of ENPs and UNPs paid in each of the months for October 2021 to end of March 2022.
This represents a snapshot of claim activity taken at 4th July 2022 and is subject to change.
A Heating Supplement may be paid to assist people in certain circumstances that have exceptional heating costs over and above the normal due to ill health, infirmity or a medical condition that has been certified by a Registered General Practitioner and are unable to meet those costs out of household income.
Heating supplements are payable at the discretion of the officers administering the scheme. All the relevant circumstances of the case are taken into account in order to ensure that the payments target those most in need of assistance.
Guidance is provided to assist staff and does 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.
I wish to assure the Deputy that the guidance issued to the Community Welfare Service officers on the Heating Supplement 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.
Approximately 1,100 people benefited from this supplement in 2020 and approximately 1,000 in 2021. There are currently 946 claimants in receipt of a heating supplement. Table 3 shows the total number of heating supplement recipients at the end of each month for October 2021 to March 2022.
More generally, my Department also provides discretionary Exceptional Needs Payments (ENPs) where appropriate to people who face difficulties in meeting fuel bills. In 2021, over 2,300 exceptional needs payments totaling almost €750,000 were made to assist with household bills and heating costs. To the end of June 2022, some 1,450 exceptional needs payments totaling almost €530,000 were made to assist with household bills and heating costs.
Any person who considers they may have an entitlement to a payment under the SWA Scheme is encouraged to contact their local Intreo Centre. There is a National Community Welfare Contact Centre in place - 0818-607080 - which will direct callers to the appropriate office.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
Tabular Statement
Table 1 - The number by category of ENPs and UNPs paid in October/ November/December 2021, and January/February/March 2022.
|
Category
|
October 2021
|
November 2021
|
December 2021
|
January 2022
|
February 2022
|
March 2022
|
|
Bills
|
124
|
147
|
106
|
125
|
148
|
197
|
|
Child Related
|
161
|
193
|
129
|
129
|
170
|
172
|
|
Clothing
|
865
|
975
|
809
|
531
|
630
|
1,280
|
|
Funeral
|
202
|
222
|
137
|
193
|
252
|
238
|
|
General
|
1,213
|
1,298
|
1,351
|
941
|
1,088
|
1,512
|
|
Housing
|
2,009
|
2,117
|
1,844
|
1,557
|
1,834
|
1,781
|
|
Illness
|
102
|
115
|
75
|
94
|
104
|
103
|
|
Urgent Needs Payment
|
24
|
36
|
38
|
26
|
25
|
45
|
|
Total
|
4,700
|
5,103
|
4,489
|
3,596
|
4,251
|
5,328
|
Note: These figures are taken from the Department's ENP/UNP database and represent a snapshot of ENPs/UNPs as they are approved by an officer rather than when they are paid. The figures do not capture payments that are cancelled, payments that go out of date or overpayments recouped.
Table 2 - The total expenditure by category of ENPs and UNPs paid in October/ November/December 2021, and January/February/March 2022.
|
Category
|
October 2021
|
November 2021
|
December 2021
|
January 2022
|
February 2022
|
March 2022
|
|
Bills
|
€77,283
|
€112,727
|
€64,757
|
€79,198
|
€79,721
|
€99,643
|
|
Child Related
|
€26,622
|
€31,373
|
€21,230
|
€18,870
|
€26,220
|
€26,369
|
|
Clothing
|
€104,760
|
€117,494
|
€103,877
|
€62,247
|
€74,844
|
€164,728
|
|
Funeral
|
€432,183
|
€444,204
|
€312,845
|
€421,974
|
€576,924
|
€571,588
|
|
General
|
€272,448
|
€290,335
|
€327,786
|
€205,818
|
€224,699
|
€340,060
|
|
Housing
|
€2,319,620
|
€2,600,017
|
€2,387,573
|
€2,019,290
|
€2,317,537
|
€2,386,875
|
|
Illness
|
€13,560
|
€19,440
|
€13,883
|
€14,431
|
€16,325
|
€16,759
|
|
Urgent Needs Payment
|
€11,053
|
€21,913
|
€36,016
|
€9,066
|
€26,693
|
€38,115
|
|
Total
|
€3,257,529
|
€3,637,503
|
€3,267,967
|
€2,830,894
|
€3,342,963
|
€3,644,137
|
Note : These figures are taken from the Department's ENP/UNP database and represent a snapshot of ENPs/UNPs as they are approved by an officer rather than when they are paid. The figures do not capture payments that are cancelled, payments that go out of date or overpayments recouped.
Table 3 - Total number of heating supplement recipients at the end of each month for October 2021 to March 2022
|
Month (end of)
|
Total Number of Recipients
|
|
October 2021
|
982
|
|
November 2021
|
976
|
|
December 2021
|
977
|
|
January 2022
|
969
|
|
February 2022
|
959
|
|
March 2022
|
961
|
Note : These figures are taken from the Department's Heating Supplement database and represent a snapshot of Heating Supplements as they are approved by an officer rather than when they are paid. The figures do not capture payments that are cancelled, payments that go out of date or overpayments recouped.
