Thomas Gould (Cork North-Central, Sinn Fein)
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7. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the number of applications for urgent needs payments in Cork in the first three months of each of the years 2019, 2025 and 2026 respectively, by category of application, and the number approved, in tabular form. [31076/26]

Thomas Gould (Cork North-Central, Sinn Fein)
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Will the Minister provide an update on the number of applications for urgent needs payments in Cork for the first three months of the years 2019, 2025 and 2026, by category of application and the numbers approved, in tabular form?

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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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 The figures do not reflect the number of claims that have been withdrawn, cancelled or are awaiting further information.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.

Thomas Gould (Cork North-Central, Sinn Fein)
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Go raibh maith agat. I would have preferred to have the information in front of me so I could have gone through it. There has been a reduction of 40 payments made between 2025 and 2026, if what the Minister has said is correct. I find that unbelievable. More and more people are coming to my office every week in urgent need - people in debt, whether in arrears on electricity or on gas; people who have had a car break down and do not have the money to fix it; people who are struggling to pay for confirmations and communions at this time of year. For it to be less, that is a failure of the Government to let people know the payment is there. There are just over 1,000 people availing of the scheme in Cork; that is only a fraction of the people who are in trouble. We know from information that came out this week that over 300,000 people are in energy arrears. The ESRI found today that more than one in ten households cannot afford a warm home. How do these figures match with that? They just do not.

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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I share the Deputy's concern about the low number. That is why we put in considerable effort, following submissions from the Deputy's colleague, Deputy O'Reilly, and other Deputies in recent months, to bring the community welfare service here. We had a very good afternoon in the audiovisual room a few weeks back. Each community welfare service had a clinic in every part of the country for Oireachtas Members to attend, meet them and get information. We have provided considerable information to every Member in recent weeks about that contact point, the qualification, the means test and so on. I will give the Deputy's office that information again. I want people to avail of these services. We have done a lot of work in relation to feedback about the ESB and, in particular, meters - the so-called pay as you go. There is an awareness of the difficulties people are under there, from feedback from Deputies.

If the Deputy feels we need to do more in the Cork area in terms of information, we will do that. We have tried to use Oireachtas channels to provide that information; if there are other channels, we will use them.

Thomas Gould (Cork North-Central, Sinn Fein)
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If we are serious, the Minister has a job of work to do now. Over 300,000 people are in arrears on their energy bills. The Minister for energy has announced that there will be a 9% rise in energy prices, so more and more people will go into arrears. What is the plan? Has the Minister devised a plan in his Department to support affected people and let them know support exists?

The fuel allowance ends today. In the next week, we will see temperatures drop to 5°C. What about those people who are going to struggle, who cannot afford to turn on their heating? It is going to be cold and the fuel allowance is to end.

Let me put on the record the view of a 21-year-old who is trying to pay rent. The person says the cost of living has reached a point where it feels impossible to get ahead. They add that everyday expenses like those related to food, rent and bills are becoming overwhelming, and despite working hard, it feels like there is no real support available. I have a list of people crying out for support. The Minister needs to do more.

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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As I said earlier, this year, 2026, we are going to spend €557 million on the fuel allowance. We have extended it to May. It is being paid right until the beginning of May. It has been extended by four weeks and increased by €5 per week. It has been extended to 50,000 people who are on the working family payment. That is a significant extension. In 2020, we spent €290.4 million on the fuel allowance. This year, we will spend €557.4 million. The household benefits package continues to be paid.

I am very much open to getting information about additional needs payments out. A household with two children on €45,000 a year can still qualify for an additional needs payment. Our community welfare teams, including the local ones we all engage with but also the central one, through mywelfare.ie, are available to assist people in any given situation. The supports are available and open. Once again, we will make information available on them.

With regard to the fuel allowance, an investment of over half a billion euro is very significant.