Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

65. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the number of persons in respect of whom application has been made for exceptional needs payments in the past 12 months; the way this compares with previous years; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5286/15]

Kevin Humphreys (Dublin South East, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

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. The Government has provided €27.9 million for the ENP scheme in 2015.

There is no automatic entitlement to a payment. The ENP scheme is demand led and payments are made 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.

Statistics are maintained relating to payments made under the ENP scheme. Details of the numbers of payments made for the years 2012 to 2014 are provided in the attached tabular statement. Department records indicate that ENP payments were made to over 57,800 individual persons in 2014 compared to over 72,600 the previous year.

Tabular Statement

Number of Exceptional Needs Payments made by year: