Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Under the supplementary welfare allowance scheme, my Department may make additional needs payments to help meet essential expenses that a person cannot pay from their weekly income or other personal and household resources. This includes supplements to assist with ongoing or recurring costs that cannot be met from the customer’s own resources and which are deemed to be necessary. The main items eligible for assistance include utility bills, repairs to household appliances, clothing, child-related items such as cots and prams, assistance with funerals or burial costs, and travel costs.

The reporting of this scheme was revised in 2022 to give more complete information; therefore, the format requested by the Deputy is not available for previous years, including 2019. I have a tabular statement for this reply and will provide it to the Deputy separately. It outlines the number of additional needs payments registered and awarded, by category, in County Cork in quarter 1 of 2025 and 2026. In 2025 there were 1,078 awarded in quarter 1, compared with 1,038 in quarter 1 in 2026. The largest number of claims fall into the general category, followed by housing and then clothing. The figures do not reflect the number of claims that have been withdrawn, cancelled or are awaiting further information. Applications are assessed on the basis of identified need, income, available resources and essential expenditure.

I would encourage anybody to engage with the community welfare service. We have done a lot of work in recent weeks to connect that service to Oireachtas Members through mywelfare.ie or through the community welfare contact centre.

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