Thomas Gould
Question:455. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Social Protection the average wait time for an additional needs payment in Cork. [34082/23]
View answerTuesday, 11 July 2023
Questions (455, 456, 458)
Thomas Gould
Question:456. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Social Protection the average wait time for a supplementary welfare allowance in Cork. [34083/23]
View answerThomas Gould
Question:458. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of community welfare officers employed in Cork in each of the past five years, in tabular form. [34085/23]
View answerWritten answers
I propose to take Questions Nos. 455, 456 and 458 together.
The Supplementary Welfare Allowance (SWA) scheme is the safety net within the overall social welfare system which helps eligible people in the State whose means are insufficient to meet their needs and those of their dependents. There is a range of supports provided by the Community Welfare Service under the SWA scheme. These supports can consist of a basic weekly payment, a weekly or monthly supplement in respect of certain expenses, as well as single Additional Needs Payments (ANPs).
The current average time to award a basic SWA is one week. Work on hand for ANPs is within the scheme's normal processing levels and fully completed applications, where the required documentation is supplied, are processed within two weeks. Where it is clear that a person has an urgent or immediate need, every effort is made to ensure they receive a payment on the same day. Approximately 19% of clients who present to Community Welfare Officers (CWOs) in person each week receive a same-day cheque payment.
There are currently 41 CWOs based in Cork, this equates to a whole time equivalent of 38.9.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
Question No. 456 answered with Question No. 455.