Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent)
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1332. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the level and number of exceptional needs payments that have been made in 2018 and to date in 2019, by county in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14161/19]

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 tabular statement below shows the number of payments and expenditure on ENPs and UNPs per county in 2018 and to date in 2019.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

ENPs and UNPs, Expenditure and Number of Payments 2018-2019 by County

Note: These figures are taken from the Department's ENP database and represent a snapshot of ENPs as they are approved by an officer rather than when they are paid. The figures do not capture payments that are cancelled, payments that go out of date or overpayments recouped and therefore will not reconcile with the end of month / year outturn figures.