Sorca Clarke (Longford-Westmeath, Sinn Fein)
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171. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the number of persons who applied for an exceptional needs payment to assist with funeral expenses in each of the years 2018 to 2020 and to date in 2021, by county in tabular form. [51696/21]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Under the supplementary welfare allowance scheme, my Department may make an exceptional needs payment (ENP) to help meet essential, once-off expenditure which a person could not reasonably be expected to meet from their weekly income. 

An ENP is a means tested payment 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.

An application can be made under the ENP scheme for assistance with funeral and burial expenses where there is an inability to pay these costs, in part or in full, by the family of the deceased person without causing hardship. 

In addition, my Department may provide for the burial of a person who has died and in respect of whose burial suitable arrangements are not otherwise being made. In such cases, my Department may meet all expenses necessarily incurred in the burial of a person. 

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

The tabular statement below shows the number of ENPs paid by county for funeral and burial expenses in each of the years 2018 to 2020 and to date in 2021

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Tabular Statement: Number of ENPs paid by county for funeral and burial expenses in the years 2018 to 2021 (end of September)