Patricia Ryan (Kildare South, Sinn Fein)
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74. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if she is aware that in many cases, bereavement grant applications are taking six to eight weeks to be paid to those who are in dire need of it; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26409/24]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The Bereavement Grant has been discontinued for some time but under the Supplementary Welfare Allowance (SWA) scheme, my Department may make an Additional Needs Payment (ANP) to help meet essential expenditure which an eligible person could not reasonably be expected to meet from their weekly income. An ANP application can be made for assistance with funeral and burial expenses where there is an inability to pay these costs, in part or in full, by the family of the deceased person without causing hardship.

The ANP scheme is demand led and payments are administered by Designated Persons (DPs) in the Community Welfare Service (CWS). Work on hand for ANPs is within the scheme's normal processing levels and fully completed applications, where the required documentation is supplied, are generally processed within ten days.

When considering an application from people in financial difficulty for any payment under the SWA scheme, including ANP claims for assistance with funeral and burial expenses, the DP must consider all of the relevant circumstances when examining a case in determining the most appropriate scheme type and level of assistance required. The DP may ask for a number of supporting documents to ensure the customer receives a level of payment appropriate to their needs. 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 information to be provided. Upon receipt of this information, the application is then processed quickly. The 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.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.