Christopher O'Sullivan (Cork South West, Fianna Fail)
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31. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the number of persons applying for assistance with energy costs under the exceptional needs payments scheme by applications, grants and refusals, by county; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14832/22]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Under the Supplementary Welfare Allowance scheme, my Department 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.  An urgent needs payment (UNP) may be made to persons who may not normally qualify for supplementary welfare allowance but who have an urgent need which they cannot meet from their own resources or where an alternative is not available at that time.  Government has provided €45.75 million for the exceptional and urgent needs schemes in 2022.

The scheme is demand led and payments 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 in order to ensure that the payments target those most in need of assistance.  

My Department provides discretionary Exceptional Needs Payments to people who face difficulties in meeting fuel bills.  In 2021, over 2,300 exceptional needs payments of almost €735,000 were made to assist with electricity, heating, and gas costs. 

Statistics are maintained on the number of applications awarded under the SWA scheme.  They are not maintained on the number of applications made or applications refused.  My Department is currently compiling more extensive statistics in relation to the number of applications made to the SWA schemes in 2022.

Table 1 below shows the number of ENPs paid towards energy costs by county in 2022 to the end of February 2022.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Table 1 - Number of ENPs paid towards energy costs by county in 2022 to the end of February 2022