Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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283. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if an exceptional needs payment will be facilitated in the case of a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36111/20]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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If the person concerned is experiencing financial difficulties she can contact her local Community Welfare Service in the Cork Street Intreo Centre where her circumstances will be assessed. Under the Supplementary Welfare Allowance scheme, my Department can make a single Exceptional Needs Payment to help meet essential, once-off expenditure, which a person could not reasonably be expected to meet out of their weekly income. There is no automatic entitlement to these payments which are 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.

The Community Welfare Service can be contacted by phone at (01) 8526700 or by email at CWSCorkStreet@welfare.ie.

I trust this clarifies the matter.