Seán Conlan (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Question 326: To ask the Minister for Social Protection if her attention has been drawn to the fact that due to the high number of applications received in her Department there is currently a waiting list of six to eight weeks for the back to school clothing and footwear allowance applications to be processed; and if it would be possible to move the application date forward to a more reasonable timeframe next year to enable persons to receive a response before the children are due to return to school. [23121/11]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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The Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance (BSCFA) scheme operates from the beginning of June until the end of September each year.

The administrative arrangements for the 2011 BSCFA scheme differ from those that applied in previous years. For this year, the majority of BSCFA entitlements were fully automated with no application form required from customers. Not every household had to apply for a payment under the BSCFA scheme this year, 127,000 households in respect of some 250,000 children received their payment automatically in June.

Those customers who did not receive an automated payment are required to complete and return an application form to the Department. The timescale for determining applications for Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance claims is dependent on a number of factors including: the number of applications received, when the application is lodged, the availability of the required information such as details of the applicant's income, bank statements and other relevant information regarding an individual's application.

In addition, some aspects of the applications are inevitably time consuming and delays can occur where further investigations or third party evidence is required. Delays can also arise if the applicant is slow to respond to requests for additional information.

While the majority of cases have been processed in advance of the new school year it is regretted that for some families this was not possible. Following the conclusion of the 2011 scheme, the Department intends to review all aspects of the scheme. The question of the timeframe for submission of claims for the scheme will be considered in the context of the review

Terence Flanagan (Dublin North East, Fine Gael)
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Question 327: To ask the Minister for Social Protection if she will deal with a matter (details supplied) regarding a one-parent family payment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23124/11]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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The One-Parent Family Payment (OFP) is a means-tested payment for men and women who are bringing up a child or children up to the age of 14 years without the support of a partner. Lone parents are not a homogenous group. A claimant must be widowed, a surviving civil partner, separated, divorced, have a dissolved civil partnership, or be a prisoner's spouse or civil partner. The OFP is, along with other social welfare payments, made up of a personal rate and of additional amounts for dependent children. The current payment rate is €188.00 per week – with a further €29.80 for each additional qualified child.

There are no plans to cease the payment of additional amounts for all qualified dependent children so long as the conditions for the payment of OFP are met.

Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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Question 328: To ask the Minister for Social Protection the average and longest waiting times for decisions in respect of an application for emergency money for food; and the steps she has taken to satisfy herself that all such applications are being processed with the necessary urgency. [23163/11]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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Under the terms of the supplementary welfare allowance scheme, which is administered on behalf of the Department by the community welfare division of the Health Service Executive, an exceptional needs payment (ENP) may be made to help meet an essential, once-off cost which the applicant is unable to meet out of his/her own resources. There is no automatic entitlement to this payment. Eligible people would normally be in receipt of a social welfare or health service executive payment. Each application is determined by the Executive based on the particular circumstances of the case.

ENPs are a key support for low income households and payments are only made after careful consideration of all the circumstances of an individual case. Exceptional needs payments are not normally requested for food items and thus there are no statistics available on the average or waiting times for the processing of such applications. All ENP applications are processed in a timely manner taking into account the exceptional need as appropriate in each individual case.

Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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Question 329: To ask the Minister for Social Protection the position regarding the case of a person (details supplied) in County Cork who submitted an application for a payment in respect of food on 19 July 2011; her views on the fact that as of 18 August 2011 this emergency application was still outstanding; if she will take steps to ensure that this application is processed; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23164/11]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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Under the terms of the supplementary welfare allowance scheme, which is administered on behalf of the Department by the community welfare division of the Health Service Executive (HSE), an exceptional needs payment (ENP) may be made to help meet an essential, once-off cost which the applicant is unable to meet out of his/her own resources. There is no automatic entitlement to this payment. Eligible people would normally be in receipt of a social welfare or health service executive payment. Each application is determined by the Executive based on the particular circumstances of the case.

The Executive has advised that there are no applications for ENP's pending for the person concerned. The person concerned has however recently been given assistance in the form of a number of ENP's.

The HSE has further advised that the person concerned was refused a basic weekly Supplementary Welfare Allowance payment as she does not meet the Habitual Residence Condition. If the person concerned wishes to appeal against the refusal of assistance she should contact the designated appeals officer in the HSE in order that her claim for entitlements can be re-examined.