Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 3 March 2026
626. Deputy John Clendennen asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of applications, approvals and refusals for exceptional needs payments (additional needs payments) processed by the Community Welfare Service, broken down by county, for each of the years 2021 to 2025 inclusive; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16424/26]
View answer627. Deputy John Clendennen asked the Minister for Social Protection the total expenditure on exceptional needs payments (additional needs payments) by county, for each of the years 2021 to 2025, inclusive; the average payment awarded in each year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16426/26]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 626 and 627 together.
The Supplementary Welfare Allowance scheme is the safety net within the overall social welfare system in that it provides assistance to eligible people in the State whose means are insufficient to meet their needs and those of their dependents.
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.
Table 1 below shows the expenditure on the Additional Needs Payment by county from 2021 to 2025 inclusive. Additional Needs Payments can have a wide range value as the amount paid will depend on a person’s weekly household income, their outgoings and the type of assistance needed. Payments are made for large items, such as help provided in setting up a home for the first time and smaller weekly supplements to assist with ongoing costs. Average payments are not collated as they would have no meaning in these circumstances.
The reporting of the scheme was revised in 2022 to extract more complete information, including the number of claims registered and disallowed. Statistics on the number of Additional Needs Payments applications registered and disallowed are not available for 2021.
Table 2 below shows the number of Additional Needs Payments awarded in 2021 and the number of Additional Needs Payments registered, awarded and disallowed from 2022 to 2025 inclusive by county. The figures do not reflect the number of claims that have been withdrawn, cancelled or are awaiting further information. Applications are assessed on the basis of identified need, income, available resources and essential expenditure. Applications continue to be submitted from individuals who may not qualify when assessed against this criterion, impacting the number of claims not paid.
My Department also publishes statistics on Additional Needs Payments in the Quarterly Statistics report, which is available on gov.ie.
Table 1 - Additional Needs Payment expenditure 2021-2025 by county
