Maurice Quinlivan (Limerick City, Sinn Fein)
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153. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if she will report on the requirement for those who apply for an exceptional needs' payment for kitchen items, such as fridges and ovens, to hire with expense, an engineer in order that an engineer’s report can be submitted with the application; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8954/23]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Under the supplementary welfare allowance scheme, my Department may 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 customer’s own resources, and which are deemed to be necessary.

The schemes are demand led and payments are made at the discretion of the officers administering the scheme considering the requirements of the legislation and all the relevant circumstances of the case to ensure that the payments target those most in need of assistance.

In general, where ANP applications are made for assistance with the repair or replacement of kitchen appliances and as officers are not qualified in assessing the technicalities and mechanisms of kitchen appliances, a technical expert report may be required in some cases in support of these applications. The need for a customer to provide a report is made by a CWO on a case by case basis, taking into account the age of the item and the immediate need or urgency of the applicant.

If a CWO considers that a technical report is needed, the applicant can apply for a separate Additional Needs Payment to meet the cost of the report, and a payment can be made to the customer in advance of the report being completed.

Any person who considers that 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.