Pearse Doherty (Donegal South West, Sinn Fein)
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114. To ask the Minister for Social Protection if funding will be put in place to recompense persons who have had property damaged in the recent storms; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3435/14]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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The Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government is the lead Department for severe weather emergencies and the Office of Public Works has responsibility for capital flood relief activities. However, the Department of Social Protection has an important role to play in assisting households in the immediate aftermath of emergency events such as the recent severe weather conditions under the supplementary welfare allowance (SWA) scheme.

Under the SWA scheme, the Department can 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. 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. This is to ensure that the payments target those most in need of assistance. There is no automatic entitlement to a payment. Examples of the main types of needs that may be met under this provision in respect of severe weather conditions includes assistance towards the purchase of household appliances, bedding, clothing and household repair and maintenance.

In addition to the payment of ENPs, SWA legislation also provides for assistance in the form of an urgent needs payment (UNP) which can be made to persons who would not normally be entitled to SWA. The person may be required to pay the money back in respect of a UNP at a later date, for example, if the person had significant capital or income or was later compensated by an insurance company.

In response to the recent weather events the humanitarian assistance scheme has been activated. The humanitarian assistance scheme, which is means-tested, is available to assist people whose homes are damaged by flooding and who are not in a position to meet costs for essential needs, household items and, in some instances, structural repairs as a result of the flooding damage. The Government has not set a limit on the amount that can be paid to an individual household under this scheme. Levels of payment depend on the relative severity of damage experienced and the household’s ability to meet these costs ensuring that the funding is appropriately targeted. Humanitarian assistance does not cover risks that are covered by insurance policies or cover business or commercial losses. Any person continuing to experience hardship as a result of the recent weather events should contact the Department’s local representative administering the SWA scheme who may be able to offer assistance.