Claire Kerrane (Roscommon-Galway, Sinn Fein)
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555. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the number of successful applications to the supplementary welfare allowance, by month, since October 2021 to date by income bracket (details supplied) in tabular form. [9938/22]

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 dependants. 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 (ENP) 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.

Table 1 shows the number of Basic SWA and supplement recipients by month since October 2021.

Table 2 shows the number of Exceptional Needs Payments and Urgent Need Payments paid by month since October 2021.

Information on the household income of these recipients is not collated.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Table 1 - Number of Basic SWA and supplement recipients by month since October 2021

Table 2 - Number of Exceptional Needs Payments and Urgent Need Payments issued by month since October 2021