Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

444. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if any assistance towards electricity and fuel bills is available to a person (details supplied) who is currently in receipt of jobseeker’s benefit and is struggling to pay for heating oil; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52934/22]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

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 a person’s own resources and are deemed to be necessary.

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.

The person concerned applied for assistance with her bills. Further information was requested from the person on 18/10/2022 in support of her application. When this information is returned to my department, the person’s application will be promptly processed.

I trust this clarifies the matter.