Brendan Griffin (Kerry, Fine Gael)
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464. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if a decision has been made on an additional needs’ payment application by a person (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [57969/22]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Applications for Exceptional Needs Payments (ENPs) are made under the Supplementary Welfare Allowance scheme administered by Designated Persons in the Community Welfare Service in the Department.

The purpose of the ENP is to assist people with essential, once-off, exceptional expenditure, which a person could not reasonably be expected to meet out of their weekly income.

ENPs are 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.

According to the records of my Department, the person concerned applied for financial assistance with the purchase of heating oil. Having considered the circumstances of the application, the Designated Person determined that the need was not exceptional and refused the application on the basis the person’s weekly household income was deemed sufficient to meet this ongoing need.

A letter dated 17/11/2022 issued to the person concerned advising her of the outcome of her application. If the person is dissatisfied with the determination of the Designated Person, she can request a review by setting out the grounds for her request to the SWA Review Officer, Freepost, PO Box 700, Clondalkin, Dublin 22.

I trust this clarifies the matter.