Paul Lawless (Mayo, Aontú)
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831. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the assistance his Department can offer to a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24348/25]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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The Humanitarian Assistance Scheme (HAS), administered by my department through the Community Welfare Service (CWS), was activated on 23 January 2025 to assist householders affected across the country by Storm Éowyn.

Humanitarian assistance is available in three stages.

Stage 1 of the HAS is available to people while they are directly impacted by the storm. It targets people who need immediate supports. This stage of humanitarian assistance is to help people with the essentials of life – food, water, shelter and warmth.

Stage 2 support generally involves the replacement of white goods, basic furniture items and other essential household items after a severe weather event.

Stage 3 humanitarian support helps to make a person’s accommodation habitable again in the aftermath of a severe weather event. It generally includes funding for work such as plastering, dry-lining, relaying of floors, electrical re-wiring and painting.

The purpose of HAS 2 support is to provide financial support to eligible householders whose primary dwelling i.e. their home only, was damaged by severe weather events. The scheme is designed to provide hardship alleviation, as opposed to compensation. Therefore, assistance towards the replacement of fences, gates, sheds or other outbuildings is not covered by this scheme. Furthermore, it does not cover damage or losses that are reasonably expected to be covered by insurance policies, nor does it cover commercial, agricultural, or business losses.

According to the records of my Department, no HAS 2 application has been received from the person concerned to date. The person concerned did send in a HAS 1 outlining a request for assistance towards shed repairs on 14/02/2025. However, they were advised in their initial HAS 1 award letter issued on 30/03/2025, that in order to apply for Stage 2 or Stage 3 support, a HAS2 application is required. HAS2 applications are available at: www.gov.ie/en/service/12e880-humanitarian-assistance-scheme-swa/.

If the person concerned has suffered any damages to their primary dwelling and they wish to apply for HAS 2 support, they should sign and complete a HAS2 application providing as much information as possible in relation to the damages incurred and include any additional supporting documentation for same. Completed applications should be returned by post to Humanitarian Assistance Scheme, PO BOX 700, FREEPOST, Dublin 22.