Joe O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

The Department of Social Protection has an important role in supporting the most vulnerable in society. It is important to note that the Commission for Regulation of Utilities, CRU, is currently running a public campaign informing people of their rights if they are struggling with utility payments. It also notifies people that providers are obliged to work with them on a payment plan. From the Department of Social Protection's perspective, the supplementary welfare allowance scheme provides, where necessary, additional needs payments to help to meet essential expenses that people cannot pay from their weekly income such as arrears that have accumulated on energy bills and on prepay meters. The Government has approved €66 million for the additional needs payment schemes and €3.27 million for recurring supplements in 2023. This is a demand-led scheme with no budget cap. Payments are made at the discretion of the officers administering the scheme who consider all the relevant circumstances of the case to ensure the payments target those most in need of assistance. This assistance is available to anyone who needs it, even those who are working but on a low income.

In response to the ongoing cost-of-living pressures, budget 2023 saw the largest social protection package in the history of the State at a total of €2.1 billion. Some €1.1 billion of this package has been targeted to provide a wide range of lump-sum payments and provided for a wide range of assistance to alleviate the cost-of-living pressures, including the autumn cost-of-living double week payment; the double payment of child benefit to support families with children which was paid alongside the regular child benefit payment in November 2022; a €400 lump-sum fuel allowance payment; a €200 lump-sum payment for pensioners and people with a disability receiving the living alone allowance; a €500 lump-sum payment to families in receipt of the working family payment, disability allowance, the blind pension, the invalidity pension and the carer's support grant; a 100% Christmas bonus which was paid to all long-term social welfare recipients; and a €12 across-the-board increase on all social welfare payments. Crucially, a €200 spring bonus will also be paid to all long-term social welfare recipients at the end of April 2023 and an additional €100 per child to support families with children will be paid alongside the regular child benefit payment in June 2023.

See this speech in context