Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 29 November 2022
397. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will provide a breakdown the waiting times in weeks for all additional needs payment and exceptional needs payment applications for the year 2021 and to date in 2022, in tabular form, broken down per numbers of week per application. [58768/22]
View answerUnder the Supplementary Welfare Allowance scheme, my Department can make Additional Needs Payment (ANPs) to help meet expenses that a person cannot pay from their weekly income. This is an overarching term used to refer to exceptional and urgent needs payments, and certain supplements to assist with ongoing or recurring costs that cannot be met from a person’s own resources and are deemed to be necessary.
The 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.
As of October 2022, over 75,000 applications for ANPs were processed and awarded; this represents a 63% increase in awarded applications compared to the same period in 2021. My Department has already paid an estimated €46 million in ANPs so far this year. Some of this increase can be attributed to the response to support families arriving from Ukraine.
The claims currently being received for ANPs are varied and often quite complex, reflecting the individual circumstances being experienced.
Where an application is complete and accompanied by the required documentation, it is generally processed very quickly. Where any application cannot be finalised quickly, the delay is normally due to additional information or documentation being requested from the person to support their application and the length of time that it takes for the information to be provided. This can result in longer processing times for these less urgent applications as greater flexibility is given to customers with extended time to respond. Upon receipt of this information, the application will then be processed quickly.
Where it is clear that a person has an immediate need, every effort is made to ensure they receive a payment on the same day.
In light of the increased level of applications, as part of the budget estimates I secured agreement for approximately 74 additional staff to be assigned to the Community Welfare Service. Recruitment has commenced for these additional staff, and it is anticipated that the staff will be in place by Q1 2023.
In the interim, until the staff have been recruited, 30 Social Welfare Inspectors have been temporarily reassigned to the Community Welfare Service since the start of November to assist with claims processing.
I trust this clarifies the matter.
