Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent)
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116. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the provisions that are in place within the free travel scheme to allow for a travel pass for a minor under 18 years of age whose full-time carer is in receipt of a travel pass; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34688/22]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The Free Travel scheme provides free travel on the main public and private transport services for those eligible under the scheme. These include road, rail and ferry services provided by companies such as Bus Átha Cliath, Bus Éireann and Iarnród Éireann, as well as Luas and services provided by over 80 private transport operators. There are currently approximately 1,034,000 customers with direct eligibility. The estimated expenditure on free travel in 2022 is €95 million.

There is no provision in place within the Free Travel scheme that allows a free travel pass for a minor under 18 years of age whose full-time carer is in receipt of a travel pass. A free travel pass is only awarded to those aged under 18 when a child aged 16 or over qualifies for a disability allowance payment or when a child is registered as blind.

While my Department does not provide a free travel pass to children aged under 18 in the circumstances outlined by the Deputy, my Department does provide additional support in the form of the Domiciliary Care Allowance. The Domiciliary Care allowance is a monthly payment of €309.50 to the carer of a child aged under 16 with a disability. The allowance may be used for the additional costs involved in caring for the child and this may include additional transport costs.

Support is also available under the Supplementary Welfare Allowance scheme (SWA). A travel supplement may be awarded in any case where the circumstances of the case so warrant. The supplement is intended to assist with ongoing or recurring travel costs that cannot be met from the person's own resources and are deemed to be necessary. Every decision is based on consideration of the circumstances of the case, taking account of the nature and extent of the need and of the resources of the person concerned.

If the Free Travel scheme were to be extended to all children under 18 whose full-time carer is in receipt of a travel pass, significant extra funding would be required and, accordingly, it could only be considered in the context of overall budgetary negotiations.

I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Mairéad Farrell (Galway West, Sinn Fein)
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117. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the number of supplementary welfare allowance applications submitted to each Intreo centre; the number of these that have been processed to date, per month of 2022, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34694/22]

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 dependents. 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 additional needs payments.

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, my Department can make additional needs payments to help meet expenses that a person cannot pay from their weekly income. This is an overarching term used to refer to exceptional and urgent needs payments, and certain supplements to assist with ongoing or recurring costs that cannot be met from the client’s own resources and are deemed to be necessary. An Exceptional Needs Payment (ENP) is a single payment 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. 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.

My Department is currently running a major awareness campaign which includes national radio adverts to promote and raise awareness of the Additional Needs Payment. This support is available to anybody on a low income who is experiencing financial hardship regardless of the number of hours they work per week. Anyone who needs support should contact the Department either through their local Intreo or Branch Office or by phoning 0818 60 70 80. Further details on the Additional Needs Payment are available online at: www.gov.ie/en/service/4eb45-additional-needs-payment/.

The Department is also developing more extensive statistics in relation to the number of applications made to the ENP/UNP schemes. The focus of the development has been on current data from January 2022 with details on the number of applications available from this date onward.

While information on SWA schemes by Intreo Centre is not collated, it can be provided by county.

Table 1 shows the number of Basic Supplementary, Other Supplement and ENP/UNP applications received by county to-date for 2022 (to end of May)

Table 2 shows the number of Rent Supplement Recipients by County at the end of each month to-date for 2022 (end of May). The number of applications received/awarded/disallowed for Rent Supplement is not currently available.

Table 3 shows the number of Basic SWA, Rent Supplement, Other supplement, ENP and UNP applications processed by month to-date in 2022 (to end of May).

This represents a snapshot of claim activity taken at 1st June 2022 and is subject to change.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

TABLE 1 – Number of Basic Supplementary, Other Supplement and ENP/UNP applications received by county to-date for 2022 (to end of May)

TABLE 2 - Number of Rent Supplement Recipients by County at the end of each month to-date for 2022 (end of May)

TABLE 3 – Number of Basic SWA, Rent Supplement, Other supplement, ENP and UNP applications processed by month to-date in 2022 (to end of May)