Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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To ask the Minister for Social Protection if an exceptional needs payment will be awarded in the case of a person (details supplied) in County Kildare; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6320/13]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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The person concerned attended his local community welfare clinic on 31st January 2013 and made an enquiry about the availability of support this year with communion and confirmation costs.

Under the supplementary welfare allowance (SWA) scheme, the Department may make a single exceptional needs payment (ENP) to help meet essential, once-off, exceptional and unforeseen expenditure which a person could not reasonably be expected to meet out of their weekly income. There is no automatic entitlement to a payment.

Following a review of the guidelines on exceptional needs payments the Department has recommended that for 2013 exceptional needs payments specifically in respect of religious ceremonies will cease. Applications can continue to be made under the scheme for assistance with child clothing. This measure will ensure that the ENP scheme will continue to respond to specific financial need and not to the occasion.

This recommendation does not affect the discretion available to officers administering the scheme in issuing an ENP to assist an individual or household in any particular hardship situation which may arise.