Maurice Quinlivan
Question:461. Deputy Maurice Quinlivan asked the Minister for Social Protection if the case of a person (details supplied) will be examined; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25925/23]
View answerTuesday, 30 May 2023
Questions (461)
Written answers
The purpose of the ENP is to assist people with essential expenditure, which a person could not reasonably be expected to meet out of their available resources. The ENP scheme is demand led and payments are made at the discretion of the officers administering the scheme taking into account the requirements of the legislation and all the relevant circumstances of the case. Applications for ENPs are made under the Supplementary Welfare Allowance scheme administered by Designated Persons in the Community Welfare Service (CWS) in the Department.In general, where ENP applications are made for assistance with the repair or replacement of kitchen appliances and as officers are not qualified in assessing the technicalities and mechanisms of kitchen appliances, a technical expert report may be required in some cases in support of these applications. The need for a customer to provide a report is made by a CWO on an individual case basis, taking into account the age of the item and the immediate need or urgency of the applicant.If the CWO considers that a technical report is needed, the applicant can apply for a separate ENP to meet the cost of the report, and a payment can be made to the customer in advance of the report being completed. According to the records of the Department, the person concerned applied for an ENP for assistance with the replacement of kitchen appliances. A request for further information subsequently issued. A member of the CWS Team will contact the person concerned in the coming days to discuss how this application can be progressed. I trust this clarifies the matter.