Aengus Ó Snodaigh
Question:754. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Social Protection for assistance regarding an exceptional needs payment to a person (details supplied). [34369/26]
View answerTuesday, 12 May 2026
Questions (754)
Written answers
The Supplementary Welfare Allowance (SWA) scheme which is the safety net within the overall social welfare system, helps eligible people in the State whose means are insufficient to meet their needs and those of their dependents. Supports provided under the SWA scheme can consist of a basic weekly payment, a weekly or monthly supplement in respect of certain expenses, as well as single Additional Needs Payments (ANPs).
Under the SWA scheme, my department may make an ANP to help meet essential expenditure which an eligible person could not reasonably be expected to meet from their weekly income or household and personal resources. This support is intended to assist with once-off or exceptional expenses that a person is unable to meet from their normal weekly income. ANPs are administered by Community Welfare Officers (CWOs) in the Community Welfare Service (CWS), considering the requirements of the legislation and all the relevant circumstances of the case. All applications are considered on a case-by-case basis based on the need presenting.
The specific purpose of an ANP is to assist with immediate and essential expenses in situations of exceptional or urgent need. It is only intended to provide once-off short-term assistance where no other options are available.
To date, no application for SWA has been received from the person concerned. I have arranged for a SWA1 application form and information checklist to issue to the person concerned at their home address. Once the person concerned has completed and signed the application form and collates the information requested, they should use the freepost return envelope to send back their information for further assessment.
I trust this clarifies the matter.