Claire Kerrane (Roscommon-Galway, Sinn Fein)
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989. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the processes that are in place to ensure that persons who become homeless can continue to receive their social welfare payments particularly in circumstances in which they move location from one county to another and in which they no longer have a fixed address; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19562/22]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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My Department provides two main payment options for its customers: payment in cash at post offices or payment directly into customer accounts by Electronic Fund Transfer (EFT).  Last month, 71.7% of all Social Welfare payments were made by EFT and 27.9% were by cash collection at post offices.  A small number of ad hoc payments are also made by cheque, which represented less than half of one per cent of all payments in March of this year.

Both EFT and post office payments to persons already in receipt of social welfare would continue for at least 12 weeks if a person informed my Department that they have become homeless.  This 12 week period can be extended depending on the individual’s circumstances.  The advice from my officials is that anyone in this situation must register with their local authority to engage with the Housing Assistance Payment scheme (HAP) or any local homeless service.

For individuals who previously collected their payment in cash at a post office, the payment would continue to be available at their nominated post office, even if their home address has changed.  If, due to a change in circumstances, a person is unable to attend a particular post office, they can contact my Department to nominate a different post office.  The original payment would then be redirected to this new post office.

My Department can also make a temporary payment by cheque should neither EFT nor post office collection be a viable option.  Again, the person would need to contact a Department of Social Protection office as soon as possible so that an emergency cheque payment can be made by Community Welfare Service (CWS) staff in the Department.  This cheque payment would be handed directly to the person concerned.  CWS staff would also liaise with the homeless person so that a more permanent payment arrangement can be put in place.