Jennifer Murnane O'Connor (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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283. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the reason a pensioner was refused an old age adaptation support to their home (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39737/24]

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 essential expenses that a person cannot pay from their weekly income or other personal and household resources. However, Additional Needs Payments are not generally intended to cover circumstances where responsibility rests with another Government Department or Agency.

Responsibility in relation to supports for housing adaptions, for the purposes of rendering a house more suitable for the accommodation needs of an older person, including any shortfalls in funding, is a matter for the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage and the relevant Local Authority.

According to the records of my Department, the person concerned applied for an ANP to assist with the costs of insulating her home. This claim was disallowed on the basis that the person concerned has sufficient resources to provide for the shortfall in cost of the work. A letter advising the person concerned of this decision issued to her on 12/08/2024.

The information provided with the persons application indicates that the work has not yet commenced, and that the person previously completed similar work on her home. Under the Better Energy Homes Scheme the SEAI will evaluate whether the home meets the criteria for additional insulation measures. Therefore, an exceptional need has not been established.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.