Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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1240.To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the number of applications for aid that have been received by the State for aid in east Cork since the flooding on 18 October 2023; and the amount of money paid out to date in aid to the residents of east Cork since the flooding. [31150/24]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage is the lead Department for severe weather emergencies. My department provides assistance to eligible households in the immediate aftermath of emergency weather events under the Humanitarian Assistance Scheme.

The Humanitarian Assistance Scheme, administered by my department through the local Community Welfare Service, was activated to assist householders affected by a number of recent weather events across the country. This scheme remains open to those affected by these weather events to apply for assistance.

The purpose of the Humanitarian Assistance Scheme is to provide income-tested financial support to people whose homes are damaged and who are not able to meet costs for essential needs, household items and, in some instances, structural repair.

The income test for Humanitarian Assistance Scheme is more generous than that which applies in the case of social welfare schemes generally. The basic principle of the income test is that individuals and families with average levels of income will qualify for assistance (including non-Social Welfare recipients).

Statistics are maintained by county on the number of payments made on the scheme. Since Storm Babet which occurred on 18^thOctober 2023, over 1,100 payments have been made to members of the public in County Cork up to the end of June 2024, totalling almost €3.27 million.

If any household affected by the flooding in County Cork needs to access these supports, they can contact the Community Welfare Service by phoning 0818 60 70 80.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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1241.To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the number of persons who applied for jobseeker’s allowance or jobseeker’s benefit, and who identified themselves as former farmers, in each of the past ten years. [31151/24]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The number of persons with last held occupation in farming and with a Jobseeker's Allowance or Jobseeker's Benefit claim commencing in calendar years 2014 to mid 2024, as requested by the Deputy, is shown in the tabular statement. These previous occupational categories are based on self-reported information at the time a person's jobseeker application and includes Farmers, Landowners and Managers in Horticulture, Forestry and Fishing. Farm Assist is a means-tested payment for current, low-income farmers; recipients of Farm Assist are excluded from the figures.