Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
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349. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the number of persons who received an exceptional needs payment by county in 2018 and to date in 2019, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [12672/19]

Regina Doherty (Meath East, 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 expenditure which a person could not reasonably be expected to meet out of their weekly income. An urgent needs payment (UNP) may be made to persons who may not normally qualify for SWA but who have an urgent need which they cannot meet from their own resources or where an alternative is not available at that time.

In total €38.8 million has been provided for ENPs and UNPs in 2019. The following table shows the number of ENPs and UNPs made per county in 2018 and to date in 2019.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Number of ENPs and UNPs 2018-2019 by County