Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
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295. To ask the Minister for Social Protection if she will publish the revised guidelines for exceptional needs payments. [44659/13]

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 (ENP) to help meet essential, once-off and unforeseen expenditure which a person could not reasonably be expected to meet out of their weekly income. It is expected that the estimated expenditure for ENPs in 2013 will be in excess of €35 million.

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. A review of the guidelines on exceptional needs payments was carried out during 2012 by a working group of staff from the Department's community welfare service. One of the recommendations emanating from this review was to address the different approaches taken, in different areas, to the payment of ENPs.

In January 2013, guidelines were issued to staff providing recommendations in relation to the maximum amounts payable for a number of items covered under the scheme. These guidelines issued by way of an internal Departmental circular to staff administering the scheme, their management and support areas. I have no plans to publish these guidelines. Details of the recommended maximum amounts provided in the circular are as outlined in the following tabular statement. These guidelines assist Departmental staff and do not limit the discretionary powers, provided for under the Social Welfare Acts, available to officers administering the scheme to assist an individual or household in any particular hardship situation which may arise.

Officials in the Department continue to review the issue of payments under the ENP scheme to ensure consistency and fairness.

Recommended maximum amounts under the ENP scheme are as follows: