John Brady (Wicklow, Sinn Fein)
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2080. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the full year estimated cost of increasing the budget for the exceptional needs payment by €20 million. [28516/17]

Willie Penrose (Longford-Westmeath, Labour)
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2124. To ask the Minister for Social Protection if she will increase the budget for exceptional needs payments by €20 million from its current budget of €30 million up to €50 million for more exceptional needs for persons and families in low income; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29118/17]

Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 2080 and 2124 together.

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 €31.5 million for exceptional needs payments (ENPs) and urgent needs payments (UNPs) in 2017.

An increase of €20 million in the budget allocation for ENPs and UNPs would bring the overall yearly allocation to €51.5 million. Any increase in the allocation for the scheme would have to be considered in a budgetary context and within the scope of the overall resources available for welfare improvements.

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.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputies.