Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 25 March 2025
489. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of applications received for stage 1, Stage 2, and Stage 3 of the humanitarian assistance scheme following storm Éowyn; the number approved and refused for each stage; and the percentage of refusals per stage, in tabular form. [13488/25]
View answer490. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Social Protection the person that made the decision to refuse a high percentage of applications under stage 1 of the humanitarian assistance scheme following storm Éowyn; the specific criteria used to determine eligibility; and the rationale behind the widespread rejections. [13489/25]
View answer491. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of applicants that requested a review after being denied assistance under stage 1 of the humanitarian assistance scheme following storm Éowyn; the number of reviews that resulted in a decision being overturned; and the criteria applied in the review process. [13490/25]
View answer492. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of applications in the constituency Galway east received for stage 1, stage 2, and stage 3 of the humanitarian assistance scheme following storm Éowyn; the number approved and refused for each stage; and the percentage of refusals per stage, in tabular form. [13491/25]
View answer493. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Social Protection the reason a standardised rejection letter was issued to many applicants in the constituency Galway east under stage 1 of the humanitarian assistance scheme; whether each application was individually assessed before refusal; and the number of applicants in the constituency Galway east denied assistance. [13492/25]
View answer494. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Social Protection to provide a detailed breakdown of the reasons applications were refused under stage 1 of the humanitarian assistance scheme following storm Éowyn, including the number and percentage of refusals attributed to each reason, in tabular form. [13493/25]
View answer495. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Social Protection to provide a detailed breakdown of the reasons applications in the constituency Galway east were refused under stage 1 of the humanitarian assistance scheme following storm Éowyn, including the number and percentage of refusals attributed to each reason, in tabular form. [13494/25]
View answer496. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Social Protection the criteria used to determine the cut-off date for stage 1 applications under the humanitarian assistance scheme following storm Éowyn; to provide the rationale for setting 19 February 2025 as the deadline, given that hardship can extend beyond the immediate aftermath of a storm; to confirm where this cut-off date was advertised; and when and the way applicants were informed of this deadline. [13495/25]
View answer497. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Social Protection the way his Department determines which costs are reasonably expected to be covered by insurance policies under stages 1, 2, and 3 of the humanitarian assistance scheme; and if r his Department will review cases where applicants were denied assistance due to insurance expectations but were unable to claim from their insurers. [13496/25]
View answer498. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Social Protection if the eligibility criteria for humanitarian assistance scheme stage 1, 2, or 3 have changed since the scheme was initially introduced following storm Éowyn; if so, the specific changes, including when each change was made; and the timeline of all adjustments to the scheme’s eligibility criteria with the reasoning behind each change. [13497/25]
View answer500. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Social Protection the average processing time per application under stages one, two and three of the humanitarian assistance scheme following storm Éowyn; the average time from approval to payment being issued; and average time to process an application, in tabular form. [13515/25]
View answer501. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of applications received for stages one, two and three of the humanitarian assistance scheme following storm Éowyn; the number approved and refused for each stage; and the percentage of refusals per stage, in tabular form. [13516/25]
View answer502. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Social Protection the person or body who made the decision to refuse a high percentage of applications under stage one of the humanitarian assistance scheme following storm Éowyn; the criteria used to determine eligibility; and the reason behind the widespread rejections. [13517/25]
View answer503. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of applicants that requested a review after being denied assistance under stage one of the humanitarian assistance scheme following storm Éowyn; the number of these reviews that resulted in a decision being overturned; and the criteria applied in the review process. [13518/25]
View answer504. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Social Protection to provide details of the reasons applications were refused under stage one of the humanitarian assistance scheme following storm Éowyn; the number and percentage of refusals attributed to each reason, in tabular form. [13521/25]
View answer505. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Social Protection to provide details of the reasons applications in Galway east were refused under stage one of the humanitarian assistance scheme following storm Éowyn; the number and percentage of refusals attributed to each reason, in tabular form. [13522/25]
View answer506. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Social Protection the criteria used to determine the cutoff date for stage one applications under the humanitarian assistance scheme following storm Éowyn; the reasoning for setting 19 February 2025 as the deadline; to confirm where this cutoff date was advertised; and when and the way applicants were informed of this deadline. [13523/25]
View answer507. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Social Protection the way in which costs are determined "reasonably expected to be covered by insurance policies" under stages one, two and three of the humanitarian assistance scheme; if he will review cases where applicants were denied assistance due to insurance expectations but were unable to claim from their insurers. [13524/25]
View answer508. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Social Protection if the eligibility criteria for humanitarian assistance scheme stages one, two and three have changed since the scheme was introduced following storm Éowyn; if so, the specific changes; when each change was made; the timeline of all adjustments to the scheme’s eligibility criteria; and the reasoning behind each change. [13525/25]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 489 to 498, inclusive, and 500 to 508, inclusive, together.
The Humanitarian Assistance Scheme, administered by my department through the local Community Welfare Services (CWS) was activated on Thursday 23 January 2025 to assist householders affected across the country by Storm Éowyn.
The Humanitarian Assistance Scheme (HAS) is operated in 3 stages. Stage 1 of the scheme is to address hardship in the immediate aftermath of a severe weather event and provides emergency support payments to cover food and other essential costs. This stage of humanitarian assistance is to help people with the essentials of life – food, water, shelter and warmth.
Up to 18 March 2025, the CWS registered over 73,500 claims nationally for Stage 1 of the Humanitarian Assistance Scheme and just over 27,475 claims have been awarded with a total of over €6.5 million being paid in respect of Storm Éowyn related claims.
There has been no change to eligibility criteria nor has there been any decision to refuse a percentage of applications. Every individual application is assessed and payments are made based on the information provided by the applicant and the eligibility of the request under HAS.
The majority of payments made to people to date as a result of Storm Éowyn have been to meet the additional cost of feeding their families in the immediate aftermath of the storm where people remained without power and/or water. The scheme does not provide a general compensation payment for damage or losses incurred as a consequence of a weather event. All decisions, positive and negative have a right of review.
In recognition of the unprecedented nature and extent of the event that was Storm Éowyn, Stage 1 applications continue to be accepted for a longer period than would normally be the case after the onset of the storm. This allows people who may not have had the opportunity submit a claim in a timely manner to make an application.
If a customer is not satisfied with the outcome of their HAS application, they can request a review of the decision to SWA Central Review Officer, PO BOX 700, FREEPOST, Dublin 22. They should set out the reason why they believe they have an entitlement to a payment for example for accommodation, or additional food costs, while their power was out. They should include as much information as possible.
Stage 2 and 3 payments, which are typically for household goods and property damage, are open for application in respect of losses incurred. Stage 2 and 3 claims are only paid where the losses are not covered by insurance; where there is a valid reason for non-insurance and where the person can show they do not have the resources to cover the losses themselves. These are reasonable checks to ensure that the state does not take on a liability for losses that should properly be covered by insurance.
As has always been the case, HAS does not cover costs or losses that should properly be covered by home insurance. For clarity spoiled freezer food is covered by standard home insurance and should be claimed under insurance cover.
My Department cannot provide a breakdown analysis of claims between East Galway and the rest of County Galway, nor can it provide the details of HAS payments made per stage. However, I can advise you that the CWS registered just over 24,066 claims in for County Galway, of which, over 9,337 claims received payment. A total of €2.3 million has been awarded in County Galway in respect of Storm Éowyn related claims, with an average award of €247.46.
Until claim processing is completed my department cannot provide information on the average timeframes, the number of disallowed claims, the number of reviews received, or the number of those being overturned.
However, I can assure the Deputy that claim processing levels within the CWS are closely monitored and that HAS claims are being processed as quickly as possible, with priority given to the most urgent cases. Additional staff have been assigned to deal with applications to ensure there are no undue delays. Where an immediate need presented in the aftermath of the storm these claims were paid by way of a cheque payment ‘on the spot’ by a Community Welfare Officer. The focus for the Department at the moment remains on ensuring that payments will issue as soon as possible to those eligible for the payment.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
