Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal North East, Sinn Fein)
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Question 392: To ask the Minister for Social Protection the number of applicants for exceptional needs payments for religious ceremonies - that is, communions and confirmations - from County Donegal who were refused a payment in 2010 and 2011. [11157/12]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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Under the supplementary welfare allowance (SWA) scheme, the Department may make a single exceptional needs payment (ENP) to help meet essential, once-off, exceptional expenditure, which a person could not reasonably be expected to meet out of their weekly income. These ENP payments are a vital component of the SWA scheme and link the income support function of the scheme with the wider welfare role of the Department's community welfare service.

There is no automatic entitlement to a payment. ENPs are payable at the discretion of the officers administering the scheme taking into account the requirements of the legislation and all the relevant circumstances of the case in order to ensure that the payments target those most in need of assistance.

The Department does not maintain records of the number of applications received or refused for support for religious ceremonies. Records are only available for the number of payments that have been made.

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail)
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Question 393: To ask the Minister for Social Protection the reason certain social protection payments are no longer paid into local post offices; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11288/12]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail)
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Question 394: To ask the Minister for Social Protection the social protection payments that are paid through the post office system and those that are not available through the post office; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11289/12]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 393 and 394 together.

My Department is committed to providing a high quality service to our customers. In most cases, we offer a range of payment options to customers including payment at a local post office via electronic information transfer (EIT), payment through a bank, building society account or certain credit unions via electronic funds transfer (EFT) or payment by cheque.

There are some exceptions whereby for administrative or control purposes we may limit the choice of payment method. This is determined by reference to the scheme payment which the customer is in receipt of, the payment options available under that scheme and by reference to control and risk consideration. For example, Illness Benefit is not generally paid at Post Offices while on the other hand, Jobseeker's Benefit and Jobseeker's Allowance are generally paid only at Post Offices. In the case of Illness Benefit, payment is generated by a medical certificate, which may be received on any day of the week. Not having a designated payday makes EFT the preferred payment option. In the case of Jobseeker's Benefit and Jobseeker's Allowance, payment at the Post Office contributes to the Department's current approach to fraud control.

Payment can be received at Post Offices under most of the Department's schemes, including all of the schemes with large numbers of recipients. These are listed in the first of the following tables, while the payments that are not available at post Offices are listed in the second table.

*There are approximately 200 long-term recipients receiving payment via EIT.