Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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138. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the extent to which exceptional needs payment might be made available to a person (details supplied) in County Kildare; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [21067/13]

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 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.

The costs incurred by the person concerned in providing a diabetic diet for her daughter are on-going in nature and therefore are not eligible for funding by way of exceptional needs payments.