Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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192. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the degree to which adequate resources continue to be made available to his Department to meet exceptional needs payment requirements; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12046/16]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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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 €30.3 million for the scheme in 2016.

In 2012 a Departmental working group made up of staff from the Community Welfare Service reviewed the existing ENP guidelines with a view to, in so far as possible, achieve standardisation and consistency of treatment of applications across the country. This review has been used as a basis for revised guidelines that issued to staff in 2012 and 2013. These guidelines assist departmental staff administering the scheme and do not affect the discretion available to officers in issuing an ENP to assist an individual or household in any particular hardship situation which may arise.

While expenditure under the scheme has reduced in recent years, the scheme is demand led and continues to provide assistance to those with exceptional needs 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.

People who require an ENP should contact the local officials in the Community Welfare Service administering the scheme.