Gary Gannon (Dublin Central, Social Democrats)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

179. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the number of applicants for and total payments of the supplementary welfare allowance made in 2019, 2020 and to date in 2021. [7801/21]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The supplementary welfare allowance (SWA) scheme is the safety net within the overall social welfare system in that it provides assistance to eligible people in the State whose means are insufficient to meet their needs and those of their dependents. Supports provided under the SWA scheme can consist of a basic weekly payment, a weekly or monthly supplement in respect of certain expenses, as well as single exceptional needs payments (ENPs) and urgent needs payments (UNPs).

The basic supplementary welfare allowance provides immediate assistance for those in need who are awaiting the outcome of a claim or an appeal for a primary social welfare payment or do not qualify for payment under other State schemes.

Rent supplement provides short-term income support to eligible people living in private rented accommodation whose means are insufficient to meet their accommodation costs and who do not have accommodation available to them from any other source. The scheme ensures that for those who were renting, but whose circumstances have changed due to temporary loss of employment, can continue to meet their rental commitments.

Under the SWA scheme, a supplement can be awarded to assist with ongoing or recurring costs that cannot be met from the client’s own resources and are deemed to be necessary. In addition, officers 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. Decisions on ENPs and SWA supplements are made 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.

Statistics are maintained on the number of applications awarded under the SWA scheme, however they are not maintained on the number of applications received or the outcome of those applications.

Table 1 shows the number of Basic SWA and supplement recipients and expenditure for 2019, 2020 and 2021.

Table 2 shows the number of payments made under the ENP and UNP schemes and expenditure for 2019, 2020 and 2021.

It should also be noted that the urgent needs payments legislative provisions were used as the payment instrument for the Pandemic Unemployment Payment until August 2020. These payments have not been included in this reply.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Table 1

Table 2

Gary Gannon (Dublin Central, Social Democrats)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

180. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the amount spent on communications and publicity in respect of the supplementary welfare allowance in 2020. [7802/21]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

My Department administers over 80 separate schemes and services, which affect the lives of almost every person in the State. The Department is committed to ensuring that members of the general public are aware of the welfare supports and services that are available to them.

Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Department has delivered 18 public information campaigns designed to promote and increase public awareness of the available income supports and related Department services, as they evolved in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

A further aim of these campaigns was to direct customers with questions or concerns to the Department's Income Support Helpline where trained Department staff could, through a protocol in place since March 2020, arrange for a Community Welfare Officer to engage with any person who urgently required financial support and assistance. This was a new route to access supports available from Community Welfare Officers in addition to the usual route availed of by people wishing to access these supports - i.e. by contacting their local Intreo office by phone.

The Supplementary Welfare Allowance scheme incorporates a number of supports, as well as urgent and exceptional needs payments for those in urgent financial need. During 2020 the Department issued 5 press releases related to Supplementary Welfare Allowances. In addition, there were 144 social media posts shared from the Department's Twitter account highlighting Supplementary Welfare Allowances last year. These included, but were not limited to, tweets relating to Rent Supplement support for those at risk of domestic violence, Back to School supports and flooding relief support. The Department also issued related social media posts on Instagram and LinkedIn. This clearly demonstrates the Departments strong efforts to get this information to the public through media and social media channels. The Department continues to promote supports available through the Supplementary Welfare Allowance to members of the public in 2021.

My Department is very aware of the importance of Supplementary Welfare Allowance payments and, as ever, urges any person who considers they may have an entitlement to an exceptional needs payment to contact the Community Welfare Service by phoning their local Intreo office or contacting the Department's Income Support Helpline.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.