Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 97 and 98 together.

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.

The basic supplementary welfare allowance 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.

Rent supplement provides short-term income support to eligible people living in private rented accommodation whose means are insufficient to meet their accommodation costs and who do not have accommodation available to them from any other source. The scheme ensures that those who were renting, but whose circumstances have changed due to temporary loss of employment, can continue to meet their rental commitments.

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 the client’s own resources and are deemed to be necessary.

The reporting of this schemes was revised in 2022 to extract more complete information in relation to registrations and refusals, and to include reoccurring supplements in the overarching term of an Additional Needs Payment.

In relation to Basic SWA, statistics are not available on applications received awarded and disallowed for 2021. There were 412 Basic SWA recipients awarded at end of 2021 in Co Wicklow. Table 1 shows the number of Basic SWA claims registered, awarded and disallowed for 2022 and 2023 (to end of May) in Co Wicklow. The figures do not reflect the number of claims that have been withdrawn, cancelled or are awaiting further information.

In relation to Additional Needs Payments, figures prior to 2022 are collated differently and exclude recurring supplements. Statistics are now prepared and published on a quarterly basis for Additional Needs Payments. Table 2 shows the number of Additional Needs Payments awarded in 2021 and the number of Additional Needs Payments registered, awarded and disallowed for 2022 and 2023 (to end of March) in Co Wicklow. The figures do not reflect the number of claims that have been withdrawn, cancelled or are awaiting further information.

Table 3 shows the number of rent supplement recipients awarded at year end for 2021 and 2022, and for end of May 2023 in Co. Wicklow. Statistics are not available at present for rent supplement claims registered and disallowed during the period.

The figures presented represent a snapshot of claim activity and are subject to change.

Any person who considers they may have an entitlement to Supplementary Welfare Allowance 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. In addition, applications can be made online via www.mywelfare.ie.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Tabular Statement

Table 1: The number of Basic SWA claims registered, awarded and disallowed for 2022 and 2023 (to end of May) in Co Wicklow.

Year	Registered	of which Awarded	of which Disallowed
2022	2,085	1,392	177
2023 (end of May)	687	370	58

Table 2: The number Additional Needs Payments awarded in 2021 and the number of Additional Needs Payments registered, awarded and disallowed for 2022 and 2023 (to end of March) in Co Wicklow.

Year	Registered	Awarded	Disallowed
2021	N/A	2,133*	N/A
2022	4,358	2,817	487
2023 (end of March)	900	561	127

* excludes supplements

Table 3: The number of rent supplement recipients awarded at year end for 2021 and 2022, and for end of May 2023 in Co. Wicklow.

Year	Recipients
End Dec 2021	512
End Dec 2022	392
End May 2023	349

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Under the Supplementary Welfare Allowance (SWA) scheme, my Department may make Additional Needs Payments (ANP) to help meet expenses that a person cannot pay from their weekly income. An ANP is an overarching term used to refer to Exceptional and Urgent Needs Payments, and certain other Supplements available to assist with ongoing or recurring costs that cannot be met from a person’s own resources, and which are deemed to be necessary.

Work on hand is within the scheme's normal processing levels and fully completed applications are processed within two weeks. Applications for ANPs are varied and often quite complex, reflecting the individual circumstances being experienced. Where an application cannot be finalised promptly, the delay is normally due to the need for additional information or documentation and the time it takes for the customer to respond. Upon receipt of this information, the application is then processed quickly.

It is important to note that where it is clear that a person has an urgent or immediate need, every effort is made to ensure that the claim is processed on the same day. Community Welfare Officers are very experienced and can generally assess when a case is so urgent that it requires an immediate response.

The Community Welfare Service is committed to providing a quality service to all citizens, ensuring that applications are processed and that decisions on entitlement are made quickly.

I trust this clarifies the matter.

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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For May 2023, the average processing time or time to award for Jobseeker's Allowance applications was one week. Over 96% of claims are processed within six weeks.

My Department calculates the average processing time on a national level only. As such, a breakdown of processing times by county is not available.