Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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270. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection when an emergency payment/supplementary welfare allowance will issue in the case of a person (details supplied) who is currently unable to work due to illness; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3921/23]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The Community Welfare Service (CWS) delivers the Supplementary Welfare Allowance (SWA) scheme which is the safety net within the overall social welfare system. This scheme helps 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 (ANPs).

The basic SWA 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.

Under the SWA scheme, my Department can make ANPs 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.

According to the records of my Department, the person concerned was awarded an ANP for €250 in November 2022. He was advised at that time if he needed financial assistance in the future, he should provide a letter from the Department of Justice confirming his residency status in the State. Applications for a basic SWA and/or an ENP have not since been received from the person concerned.

For the convenience of the person, a SWA1 application pack has issued to his home address. The completed application form and any supporting documentation can be returned to my Department together with confirmation of the person’s residency status in the State if applying for a basic SWA. When this documentation is received, the person’s claim will be progressed, and he will be advised of the outcome in writing.

I trust this clarifies the matter.