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Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 8 Dec 1998

Vol. 498 No. 1

Written Answers. - Supplementary Welfare Allowances.

Gay Mitchell

Ceist:

295 Mr. G. Mitchell asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs if funeral and clothing allowances will be paid to a person (details supplied) in Dublin 12 in view of the circumstances of the case; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26615/98]

The supplementary welfare allowance (SWA) scheme is administered by the eight health boards and the Department has no function in deciding entitlement in individual cases.

Legislation makes provision for a health board to make a single payment to help meet essential, once-off, exceptional expenditure, which a person could not reasonably be expected to meet out of his or her weekly income. These payments are known as exceptional needs payments (ENPs).

Eligible people would normally be in receipt of a social welfare or health board payment. ENPs are payable at the discretion of the health board taking into account the requirements of the legislation and all the relevant circumstances of the case.

An ENP towards funeral expenses may be made where it is established that there is an inability to pay the costs in part or in full by the family concerned.

The person concerned made an application on 10 November 1998 for an ENP towards the cost of the funeral expenses of his late spouse who died on 23 October 1998. The funeral bill, which was paid on 7 November 1998, was covered by an insurance policy. The application for an ENP for assistance towards the cost of the funeral expenses was disallowed on the basis that no exceptional need existed.

An application for an ENP for clothing was made approximately two weeks after the funeral and was refused on the grounds that there was no evidence that the individual had an exceptional need. An appeal has been lodged against both decisions.

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