Written answer
Social Welfare Schemes
The Minister provided county-level figures for welfare recipients and applications but said office-level data and exceptional needs payment figures were unavailable.
253. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of applications received by the Community Welfare Service for basic supplementary welfare allowance, for additional needs payments and for exceptional needs payments, at each office at which Community Welfare Services are provided, in each of the years 2024, 2025 and in the period 1 January 2026 to 1 July 2026; and the number of such applications awarded in each case, in tabular form. [66047/26]
Comment on this
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.
Table 1 below shows the number of recipients of Basic Supplementary Welfare Allowance at the end of 2024, 2025, and to the end of June 2026 by county. Table 2 below shows the number of Additional Needs Payments registered and awarded in 2024, 2025, and to the end of June 2026 by county. We do not hold the information requested by office.
The figures for Additional Needs Payments do not reflect the number of claims that have been withdrawn, cancelled or are awaiting further information.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 registered and not awarded.
My department also publishes statistics on Additional Needs Payments in the Quarterly Statistics report which is available at gov.ie.
Any person who considers that they may have an entitlement to Basic Supplementary Welfare Allowance or an Additional Needs Payment is encouraged to contact their local Community Welfare Service. There is a National Community Welfare Contact Centre in place - 0818-607080 - which will direct callers to the appropriate office. In addition, applications for an Additional Needs Payment can be made online via www.mywelfare.ie.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
Tabular Statement
Table 1: Basic Supplementary Welfare Allowance – Recipients at year end 2024, 2025, and end of June 2026 by county
Table 2: Additional Needs Payment – Number registered and awarded in 2024, 2025, and to end of June 2026