Brendan Ryan (Dublin North, Labour)
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Question 89: To ask the Minister for Social Protection the reason community welfare officers are not providing exceptional needs payments to long term lease tenants throughout County Donegal. [26447/11]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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Under the supplementary welfare allowance (SWA) scheme, the Health Service Executive (HSE) may make a single payment to help meet essential, once-off, exceptional expenditure, which a person could not reasonably be expected to meet out of their weekly income. Those who qualify are normally in receipt of a social welfare or HSE payment.

The principal consideration in making a single payment of SWA to address a particular need is that the need to be met must be 'exceptional'. Payments should arise only under abnormal conditions and should not become a regular or standard practice. Thus, an exceptional needs payment (ENP) should be a single payment to meet an unforeseen and/or special need which cannot be met from a client's basic income. The use of ENP's and every such decision must be based on the careful consideration of all the circumstances of an individual case. However, it is not considered appropriate that ENP's should be paid towards the costs of furnishing private rented accommodation. In this regard, my Department has advised the Department of Environment, Community and Local Government that local authorities should not seek to have long term leased properties furnished by way of ENP's.

Jack Wall (Kildare South, Labour)
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Question 90: To ask the Minister for Social Protection the reason a person (details supplied) has not been awarded rent allowance or subsidy payment for the maintenance of their four children and themselves; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26449/11]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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The Health Service Executive (HSE) has advised the person concerned met with the Community Welfare Officer recently. The HSE advised the person concerned that in order to process an application for rent supplement she must provide information on her means for the months where she had no social welfare payment, she must make an application for a social welfare payment and provide proof of her address.