Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry South, Independent)
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Question 300: To ask the Minister for Social Protection with regard to persons retiring from the Health Service Executive, if their payments are not going to be paid on time if there is any emergency system in place to pay them social welfare in view of the fact that it is not their fault that systems were not in place to deal with the paperwork that arose following on from the decision to go ahead with these forced redundancies. [15762/12]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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Payment of pensions and lump sums to staff retiring from the Health Service Executive (HSE) is a matter for the HSE itself.

The supplementary welfare allowance (SWA) scheme operated by the Department of Social Protection is the "safety net" within the overall social welfare system in that, subject to qualifying conditions, it provides assistance to any persons in the State whose means are insufficient to meet their needs and those of their dependants. SWA provides a minimum weekly allowance to eligible persons who have insufficient means. Certain qualified persons with low incomes may also be entitled to a weekly supplement to meet specific needs such as rent or mortgage interest supplement, diet supplement, heating supplement, or a once off payment to help with the cost of any exceptional needs they may have which they could not reasonably be expected to meet from their own resources. Any person in need of assistance should contact their nearest office where the supplementary welfare allowance scheme is being administered.