Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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1321.To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the number of persons who have availed from the extension of child benefit to those continuing secondary education but who have turned 18 years since its introduction in 2024, per county, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32165/24]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Child Benefit is a monthly payment to the parents or guardians of children under 16 years of age. Child Benefit can also be claimed for children aged 16, 17 and 18 if they are in full-time education or full-time training or have a disability and cannot support themselves.

I extended Child Benefit to 18-year-olds as part of Budget 2024 with the measure due to be implemented from September 2024.

In February, I secured Cabinet approval to introduce the changes four months earlier, with it being successfully implemented from May.

58,164 children turned 18 from June 2023 to May 2024 and had their payments extended or were asked to confirm continuing full time education prior to the May payments issuing on 7 May 2024.

A breakdown of this total per county is provided below.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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1322.To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the number of community welfare officers in Cavan and Monaghan; the locations in which they operate; the times they operate; if she plans to expand these numbers; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32166/24]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The delivery of locally based community welfare services to meet the needs of citizens across the country including in counties Cavan and Monaghan is a priority for me and for my Department. The Community Welfare Service (CWS) provides a flexible service to meet the different needs of people, who may find themselves in a financially difficult or vulnerable situation. It is important that this service is easily accessible and responsive to people's needs. The number of Community Welfare Officers (CWOs) currently engaged in the delivery of Community Welfare Services in Counties Cavan and Monaghan are as follows:

In addition to the CWO numbers above, a Locum CWO is also available to support service delivery and to assist clients in Cavan and Monaghan as required.

Work on hand in these Counties for ANPs is within the scheme's normal processing levels and fully completed applications, where the required documentation is supplied, are processed within ten days.

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. CWOs are very experienced and can generally assess when a case is so urgent that it requires an immediate response.

When considering an application from people in financial difficulty for any payment under the SWA scheme, 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 and they will work with customers to ensure that claims are processed as quickly as is possible.

CWOs are physically on site in over 50 Intreo Centres across the country, including at the new Intreo Centre in Carrickmacross, where they are available to be seen without an appointment, during business hours, Monday to Friday. In addition to meeting citizens in Intreo Centres and DSP offices, CWOs can facilitate an appointment within a short time of a person requiring such a meeting, at a mutually agreed location, including at the person's home or indeed where facilities are in place, at their local Social Welfare Branch Office.

While local face-to-face engagement with people continues to be a cornerstone of the CWS, it is important to mention that there has been a lot of expansion of the CWS services supports and nowadays a person does not need to meet with a CWO in person to make an application for assistance. Any person, located anywhere across the Country, who needs to access the CWS can do so by calling the National CWS freephone number at 0818 60 70 80, to make an appointment or to speak directly to a CWO. if they do not wish to travel but want to make a claim without needing to meet with a CWO in person.

A person can make an application for Supplementary Welfare Allowance (SWA) by completing a SWA1 form which is available in all Intreo Centres and Social Welfare Branch Offices. This form can also be requested by calling freephone 0818 60 70 80 or at this linkwww.eforms.gov.ie/en/forms/5. The completed application form together with any supporting documentation can be returned directly to my Department where the claim will be processed quickly.

As you may be aware, a person can also now apply online for an Additional Needs Payment (ANP) via www.MyWelfare.ie. This service means that there is no requirement for a person to travel to make a claim if that is their preference.

I trust this clarifies the matter.