Brendan Griffin (Kerry, Fine Gael)
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280. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if the Christmas bonus will be paid to supplementary welfare recipients; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [58151/21]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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I was pleased to announce on Budget Day that a 100% Christmas Bonus will be paid in early December this year benefitting over 1.4 million people in recipient of long-term social welfare payments. The payment of the Bonus this year will cost €313 million.

As we know, this payment is an additional help to people as we enter the Christmas period and much of this is spent locally, supporting local economies throughout the country.

The Bonus includes payments to pensioners, people with disabilities, carers, lone parents and the long-term unemployed in recognition of their long-term financial dependence on their social welfare payment for all, or most, of their income.

Long-term recipients of the Basic Supplementary Welfare Allowance will receive the Christmas Bonus. Generally, this would require a person to be in receipt of the payment for a period of at least 15 months. This year, however, I am reducing that period to 12 months.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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281. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the degree to which the processing of various applications for social welfare payments continues to be in line with best possible waiting times; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [58176/21]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The requested information is outlined in the table below and outlines the average performance of schemes for the previous twelve months, for which operational data is available, versus targets issued as part of the published Revised Estimates Volume.

Notwithstanding the difficulties posed by the pandemic, it can be seen that the great majority of schemes have performed in excess of the published targets.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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282. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the degree to which she and her Department continue to ensure the making of a basic payment to applicants of social welfare payments while the primary application is being processed in order to alleviate hardship; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [58177/21]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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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.

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.

I wish to assure the Deputy that the SWA scheme is kept under review to ensure that it continues to support those most in need of assistance. If the Deputy has concerns in respect of a particular case he should bring the details to the attention of the Department.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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283. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the extent to which waiting times for payments in respect of means-tested applications compare with those for contribution-related payments; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [58178/21]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The following means test based schemes are assessed in terms of operational performance:

- State Pension (Non-Contributory)

- Jobseeker's Allowance

- One-Parent Family Payment

- Supplementary Welfare Allowance Total

- Carer's Allowance

- Disability Allowance

- Household Benefits

The following schemes which are based on PRSI contributions are also assessed:

- State Pension (Contributory)

- Widow(er)'s Contributory Pension

- Jobseeker's Benefit

- Maternity Benefit

- Paternity Benefit

- Invalidity Pension

- Illness Benefit

- Occupational Injury Benefit

Over the 12 month period from November 2020 to October 2021 the average performance for all means bases schemes exceeded their targets, as set out in the table.

For schemes whose eligibility are based on PRSI contributions the performances were as set out in the following table.