Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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73. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if she has had regard to a report by the Irish Hospice Foundation on the real financial impact of bereavement; and, if so, her views on the report. [25017/23]

Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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I ask the Minister for Social Protection if she has had regard to a report by the Irish Hospice Foundation on the real financial impact of bereavement and, if so, her views on it. I thank and pay tribute to the Irish Hospice Foundation, which recently provided an Oireachtas briefing in which it highlighted its study on the importance of supports for people who are bereaved.

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputy for raising this matter.

The Irish Hospice Foundation, IHF, secured a grant of €60,000 for research in budget 2020 from the then Minister for Social Protection. The purpose of this research was to carry out an exploratory investigation into the economics of bereavement in Ireland, a topic that had not yet been studied in this country and represented a knowledge gap. As my Department provides a range of supports for people following bereavement, this research appeared to be a logical step in supporting people in their time of grief.

While initially the research was to be conducted in one year, the Covid-19 pandemic resulted in it being delayed and conducted over two years. The IHF delivered its summary report, The Real Financial Impact of Bereavement, late last year.

The findings of the report are that the costs of bereavement are complex and interlinked. They include increased spending due to funeral costs, a loss of income and earnings, financial impacts on a person’s health or well-being and an impact on a person’s employment.

While most of the recommendations are wider than the remit of my Department, I was pleased that resources from my Department enabled the carrying out of this important research given that getting an insight, for the first time in Ireland, into the economics of bereavement is very valuable. The report demonstrates that the financial impacts of bereavement are much broader than the immediate costs associated with a funeral. The stress of dealing with a bereavement extends beyond the management of finances. This research will be of benefit to all relevant stakeholders in dealing with issues that relate to the costs associated with bereavement.

Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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The Minister is correct; the report covers a broad array of subject matters. There is one recommendation, however, where there is a clear articulation of the view, through the surveys that were carried out, of the need to provide greater signposting regarding, in particular, access to the supplementary welfare allowance for funeral costs. That resonated me because all of us, as public representatives, are proactive in assisting our constituents to access the supplementary welfare allowance for funeral costs, but it has become obvious to me now that not everybody is aware of that service. The service is invaluable because it takes a lot of pressure off families who need support. Could greater emphasis be put on providing greater signposting towards that service within the Department regarding the supplementary welfare allowance and exceptional or additional needs payments when it comes to funeral services?

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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We had a major national campaign last year to promote and raise awareness of additional needs payments. There were adverts on the radio and in the newspapers, and there was also an extensive social media campaign. We made a number of changes to simplify the process and make it easier for people to apply, and I am pleased to inform the House we recently introduced an online application process for additional needs payments. A number of Deputies had been asking for that and I am glad it is now in place. On top of that, our team of community welfare officers, CWOs, is based in more than 50 Intreo offices. They are there every week, Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., so people can call in to them. There is also a national phoneline people can call to get in touch with their local community welfare officer, who can then arrange to meet them in person by appointment or even arrange to visit their house, if appropriate.

In fairness, I tried this out myself this evening. I googled "support for funeral costs" and one of the very first results related to information on additional needs payments and how to apply, and it showed that the SWA5 is the form that needs to be completed. I am happy to get the news out there.

Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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I thank the Minister. Even having this interaction with her is one way for us to highlight the issue. I acknowledge the campaign, although I have some issues with it given it was effectively a cost-of-living crisis campaign for working families in the main. Nevertheless, while I have some reservations about what I perceive to be the centralisation of services, we all acknowledge it must move online and there is no question about that. I still fear the gradual and slow diminution of the CWO service, but that is for another day.

I acknowledge what the Minister is saying. If there were a small budget line to work with, for instance, for organisations such as the Irish Hospice Foundation or other NGOs or voluntary bodies to get out the message regarding access to supplementary welfare allowance schemes for funeral services, that would be welcome.

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputy. He and I both know funerals are a very tough time for a family, without the additional stress of worrying about the costs and so on. If people need help, therefore, they should look up the website and apply online, or call or visit their local Intreo office. Funeral directors tend to be quite good at directing people to these services.

I am happy to talk to my officials to see whether we can carry out some further promotional work with a focus on funeral costs. We can do it through the likes of Citizens Information, which is a very good service. Its website was the first result when I did my search earlier and the next was mywelfare.ie, and the information was given. The Deputy will be aware I am bringing forward a Bill to make it easier to register deaths, so perhaps we can do something around that. As he said, his raising the issue will foster awareness that supports are available and that we want to help people.