Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire
Question:290. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Social Protection the average wait time for an additional needs' payment application. [18651/23]
View answerThursday, 20 April 2023
Questions (290)
Written answers
Under the Supplementary Welfare Allowance (SWA) scheme, my Department may make Additional Needs Payments (ANP) to help meet expenses that a person cannot pay from their weekly income. An ANP is an overarching term used to refer to Exceptional and Urgent Needs Payments, and certain other Supplements available to assist with ongoing or recurring costs that cannot be met from a person’s own resources, and which are deemed to be necessary.
The Community Welfare Service (CWS) is committed to providing a quality service to all citizens, ensuring that applications are processed and that decisions on entitlement are made quickly.
Work on hand is within the scheme's normal processing levels and 75% of all applications are finalised within 4 weeks. Applications for ANPs are varied and often quite complex, reflecting the individual circumstances being experienced. Where an application cannot be finalised promptly, the delay is normally due to the need for additional information or documentation and the time it takes for the customer to respond. Upon receipt of this information, the application is then processed quickly.
It is important to note that where it is clear that a person has an urgent or immediate need, every effort is made to ensure that the claim is processed on the same day. Community Welfare Officers are very experienced and can generally assess when a case is so urgent that it requires an immediate response.
A lot of effort and resources have been applied to the CWS to ensure that it is a responsive and accessible service for people.
I trust this clarifies the matter.