Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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217. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the current position in regard to qualification for basic supplementary welfare allowanceand disability allowance in the case of a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40873/24]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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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 (ANP)s. The basic SWA provides immediate assistance for those in need who are awaiting the outcome of a claim or an appeal for a primary social welfare payment or do not qualify for payment under other State schemes.

According to the records of the Department, the person concerned applied for a basic SWA payment. The most recent correspondence to the customer issued on 20/09/2024 requesting proof of household means and financial details since 2019, and evidence and details of income received from child-minding.

To date, the person concerned has not provided the evidence requested. Once the required documents have been received, the claim will be processed promptly, and the person concerned will be notified of the outcome in writing.

Disability Allowance (DA) is a weekly allowance paid to people with a specified disability who are aged 16 or over and under the age of 66. The full list of qualifying conditions for DA can be found at .

I can confirm that the Department received an application for DA from the person concerned on 14 March 2024. Based on the evidence supplied in support of this application, the claim was disallowed on the grounds that the medical qualifying condition was not satisfied and the person concerned also failed to supply the additional information requested on 28/03/2024.

The person concerned was notified in writing of this decision on 16/05/2024 and was also notified of their right to request a review of this decision or to appeal it to the independent Social Welfare Appeals Office (SWAO).

The person concerned forwarded further evidence in support of their DA application on 08/08/2024. However, the outcome of the application remained unchanged as the medical qualifying condition was still not satisfied, and the documentation requested on 28/3/24 was still not provided.

The person concerned has been notified in writing of this decision and advised that if they can provide the outstanding information, a further review can be undertaken. They were also notified of their right to request a review of this decision or to appeal it to the independent SWAO.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.