Sorca Clarke (Longford-Westmeath, Sinn Fein)
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248. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the average processing time for applications for exceptional needs payments; the steps that she is taking to shorten the waiting times; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [62847/22]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The Community Welfare Service (CWS) is committed to providing a quality service to all citizens, ensuring that applications are processed and that decisions on entitlement are made as quickly as possible.

Approximately 70% of Exceptional Needs Payment (ENP) applications are processed within four weeks.

If an application is urgent, every effort is made to ensure the person receives a payment on the same day. Community Welfare Officers (CWOs) are very experienced and can generally assess when a case is so urgent as to require an immediate response. Approximately 9% of Community Welfare Services (CWS) payments to customers across the country are made on this basis, which shows just how responsive the service is to an urgent customer need.

Applications which take longer than four weeks, usually relate to cases where additional information or documentation has been requested from the applicant confirming the essential nature of the expense or the person’s inability to cover the expense from their normal income. This can result in longer processing times for these applications as greater flexibility is given to clients with extended time to respond. Upon receipt of this information, the application will then be processed quickly.

I have taken a number of steps to manage the increased level of Supplementary Welfare Allowance (SWA) applications and improve service capacity, including:

- I recently secured agreement for some 74 additional staff to be assigned to the CWS.  Recruitment has commenced and it is anticipated that staff will be in place by Q1 2023.

- In the interim until the staff have been recruited, 30 Social Welfare Inspectors have been temporarily reassigned to the CWS since the start of November to assist with claims processing.

- The introduction of a national CWS freephone line means that clients don't have to attend an office in person to make a claim or an enquiry.

- The rostering of staff ensures there is a full-time CWO presence in over 50 offices nationwide.

- The establishment of a back-office support team, to take-on the more routine administrative tasks associated with claim processing, frees up front-line CWOs to deal directly with client and their claims.

- The establishment of a national CWS Response Team, which is the primary resource in responding to pressure points and surges in demand for community welfare services.

- In addition, the Department is well advanced in the development of an online claim option.

These changes mean that the CWS is in stronger position than it would otherwise have been to respond to the increase in service demand.

The number of applications for ENPs has slowed in recent weeks. This can likely be attributed to the €1.2 billion which has been paid out under the eight lump sum payments since the Budget.

I trust this clarifies the matter.

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Working Family Payment (WFP), formerly Family Income Supplement, is a weekly in-work support which provides an income top-up for employees on low earnings with children. To qualify for Working Family Payment the customer must be working a minimum of 38 hours per fortnight in ongoing insurable employment and have at least 1 qualified child who normally resides with them.

An application for WFP was received from the person concerned on 27th September 2022. The department requested further information, and this was submitted. The WFP application was reviewed by a deciding officer and the claim was disallowed on 14th November 2022 as the person concerned was not meeting the minimum working hours eligibility criteria to claim WFP.

The person concerned requested a review of this decision, advising that they had commenced a new employment and would now be working the hours needed to qualify for the payment. The deciding officer re-examined the claim and requested the necessary evidence to confirm the minimum working hours are now being met.

Officials are engaging with the person concerned to establish entitlement as quickly as possible. If the person concerned is found to have an entitlement to WFP, any payment owed to them will be issued as arrears to their nominated account.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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250. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if an exceptional needs payment can issue in the case of a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [62899/22]

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.

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

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 has not applied for an Exceptional Needs Payment (ENP) for household repairs. Following the Deputy's representation, an ENP application pack has issued to the person by post.

The completed application and any supporting documentation can be returned by FREEPOST to P.O. Box 1107, Newbridge, Co. Kildare.

When the application is received, accompanied by the required supporting documentation, a Community Welfare Officer will then consider the claim and the person will be advised immediately of the outcome in writing.

I trust this clarifies the matter.