Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

This is a demand-led scheme, as the Deputy knows. We spent €58 million on it last year. There is a budget for this year and if the scheme requires more money, that is not a problem. We will provide it. The additional needs payment, through the community welfare service, is the State's safety net for people who get into difficulty. I have been in politics for 20 years and have always dealt with the local CWOs. They have always done their best to help people, as has the Deputy. I value the CWOs.

The delivery of this service is a priority for me and my Department. Where people are in need, I want to make sure they get support. That is why we had a major communications campaign to raise awareness of the additional needs payment. In 2022, 97,000 applications were processed. That is up significantly since 2021. The additional needs payment is available to those in financial hardship. People are finding that their ESB bills are increasing. There is another €200 credit. We have already paid out €400 in credit.

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