Marian Harkin (Sligo-Leitrim, Independent)

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. The Deputy will recognise that I am taking this on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Calleary, and I hope she will recognise that I cannot answer on a specific individual. It is not because it is not important. It is. It is absolutely crucial and I would never say in response that it is tough. However, it is a specific case and will have to be dealt with in that way. The only answer I can provide is more generalised. However, if the Deputy would like me to speak to the Minister, I would be happy to do so.

To come back to the supplementary welfare allowance scheme, as the Deputy said, it is the scheme of last resort, the safety net in the overall social welfare system. It provides assistance to eligible people in the State whose means are insufficient to meet their needs and those of their dependents. Supports under the scheme can include a basic weekly payment, rent supplement, other weekly or monthly supplements in respect of certain expenses or additional needs payments. The basic supplementary welfare allowance provides immediate assistance for those in need who are awaiting the outcome of a claim or an appeal for a primary social welfare payment or who do not qualify for a payment under other State schemes. Basic supplementary welfare allowance is paid at rates up to €242 per week with increases for adult and child dependents. Currently, there are approximately 11,000 recipients of the payment.

Rent supplement provides short-term income support to eligible people living in private rented accommodation whose means are insufficient to meet their accommodation costs and who do not have accommodation available to them from any other source. There are approximately 6,600 recipients of this supplement. An additional ongoing supplement may also be provided to help with ongoing needs, including for heat, travel and other ongoing costs. The Department of Social Protection may also make additional needs payments to help to meet essential expenses people cannot pay from their weekly income or other personal and household resources. This payment is available to anyone who needs it and qualifies for it, whether that person is currently receiving a social welfare payment or working with a low income.

Approximately, 83,000 additional needs payment were issued in 2024. Payments are made at the discretion of the officers administering the scheme, taking into account the requirements of the legislation. The community welfare service in the Department administers the supplementary welfare allowance schemes and can enable a flexible approach to meet the income needs of vulnerable individuals and families. The community welfare service is committed to providing a quality service to all citizens, ensuring applications are processed and decisions on entitlement are made as quickly as possible. Where a person has an urgent or immediate need, every effort is made to ensure the claim is processed on the same day. Community welfare officers are very experienced and can generally assess when a case is so urgent that it requires an immediate response.

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