Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats)
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548. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the estimated full year cost if the gas or electricity allowance increased to €42 per month for persons in receipt of the household benefits package; and the last time that these allowances were increased. [39260/22]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The Household Benefits Package (HHB) comprises the electricity or gas allowance, and the free television licence.  My Department will spend approximately €273 million this year on HHB. The package is generally available to people living in the State aged 66 years or over who are in receipt of a social welfare type payment or who satisfy a means test.  The package is also available to some people under the age of 66 who are in receipt of certain welfare type payments. 

In 2013, the arrangements governing the electricity/gas allowance were changed from a unit-based allowance to a credit-based allowance. The new monthly allowance was set at €35 per month per customer and there has been no change to the monthly allowance rate since then.

If the increases outlined in the question were introduced in 2023, the estimated average number of recipients would be 495,000 and the additional yearly cost of the measures would be as follows:

Any decision to enhance or increase the electricity and gas aspect of the package would have to be considered in a budgetary context.

Finally, the Department of Social Protection provides Additional Needs Payments as part of the Supplementary Welfare Allowance scheme for people who have an urgent need, which they cannot meet from their own resources.  These payments are available through our Community Welfare Officers.

I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Thomas Gould (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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549. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the average wait time for an additional needs' payment in Cork. [39285/22]

Thomas Gould (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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550. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the average wait time for a supplementary welfare allowance in Cork. [39286/22]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 549 and 550 together.

The Supplementary Welfare Allowance (SWA) scheme offers a safety net within the overall social welfare system by providing assistance to people in the State whose means are insufficient to meet their needs and those of their dependents.

The main purpose of the scheme is to provide immediate and flexible assistance to those in need.

There are several payments within the scheme, i.e., basic SWA, Rent Supplement, Additional Needs Payments and SWA Supplements.

Supplementary Welfare Allowance is administered by the Community Welfare Service of the department.

The Community Welfare Service is committed to providing a quality service to all its customers, ensuring that applications are processed and that decisions on entitlement are made as quickly as possible.

There is currently no data available on the processing times for SWA payments.  Processing times for payments are dependent upon the complexity of the claim and the volume of claims pertaining at any given time.  Payments that require a high level of documentary evidence from the customer, can take longer to process.  Means-tested payments also require more detailed investigation and possible interaction with the customer, thereby effecting the time required in the decision-making process.  

I wish to reassure the Deputy that claim processing is kept under active review and we will continue in our efforts to further improve the service.

I can assure the Deputy of my Department's commitment to providing a quality service to all its customers.

I trust this clarifies the matter.

Thomas Gould (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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551. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the number of applications for an additional needs' payment in Cork by reason in 2019, 2020, 2021 and to date in 2022, respectively in tabular form. [39287/22]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Under the supplementary welfare allowance 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.

The Government has provided funding of €45.75 million for the provision of exceptional and urgent needs that are provided for as Additional Needs Payment in 2022.  A further provision of €5.3 million has been provided for SWA Supplements in 2022 (excluding rent supplement).  The scheme is demand led and is funded accordingly.  The payment is available to anyone who needs it and qualifies, whether the person is currently receiving a social welfare payment or working on a low income.  

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. 

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.

The Department is 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.

Table 1 shows the number of additional needs payment applications registered in County Cork for  2022 (to end of June). This represents a snapshot of claim activity taken at 4 July 2022 and is subject to change.

The main items for which applications for assistance with costs were registered under the scheme to-date in 2022 include help with fuel, utility bills, repairs to or replacement of household appliances, clothing, child related items such as cots and prams, assistance with funerals and burial costs and travel.  Applications have also been received for assistance under this scheme towards rent deposits.

While the number or the categorisation of additional needs payment applications registered prior to 2022 is not available, table 2 shows the number by category of exceptional and urgent needs payments awarded in County Cork for 2019, 2020 and 2021.

Any person who considers they may have an entitlement to an additional needs payment is encouraged to contact their local community welfare service.  There is a National Community Welfare Contact Centre in place - 0818-607080 - which will direct callers to the appropriate office.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

TABLE 1 - Number of Additional Needs Payment applications registered in County Cork for 2022 (to end of June)

TABLE 2 - Number by category of Exceptional and Urgent Needs Payments awarded in County Cork for 2019, 2020 and 2021