Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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47. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection if community welfare offices in County Louth have the capacity to assist persons with meeting the cost of deposits for accommodation within the remit of the exceptional needs payment scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44457/15]

Kevin Humphreys (Dublin South East, 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. The Government has provided €27.9m for exceptional and urgent needs payments in 2015.

An ENP is a means tested payment 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. Assistance through ENPs may be provided towards rent deposits. The Department has agreed to provide assistance for rent deposits in respect of Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) tenancies pending the introduction of a deposit protection scheme. This form of assistance is very important to those on low incomes who are at risk of, or who are homeless, or who rely on the private rented market to meet their housing needs.

The Department made over 2,300 payments of rent deposits/rent in advance to the end of November 2015, costing approximately €1.3 million. This includes the payment of 40 rent deposits in County Louth.

Any persons who consider that they have an entitlement to an ENP under the SWA scheme should contact the Department.