THE LACK OF information available about reasons people are seeking an Emergency Needs Payment (ENP) has been criticised by a number of charities supporting people who find themselves struggling financially.
In a recent parliamentary question, TD Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Social Protection Joan Burton, for data on the number of payments given to people because they had become homeless.
In her response, Burton said statistics are not available on the number of applications for the payment promoted where a person or family has become homeless. A spokesperson for the department also told TheJournal.ie there was not always a paper record kept for people who seek this payment and that it is “not possible to provide details on the number of people who make enquiries” about it.
The scheme provides a once off payment to help with the cost of any exceptional needs a person may have and cannot afford like rent, food or fuel costs.
Head of Policy for the Simon Community Niamh Randall commented that collecting figures explaining the different reasons people are accessing the payment would provide useful information about the kinds of challenges people are facing.
“It might be self-reported by it would be very useful to get some sense of what it’s for – is it for housing, eating, food?” she said. “The concern around housing has increased because the amount people are spending on housing has increased as well as the cost in terms of fuel heating and home utilities”.
Tightening up conditions
Figures provided by the department show that the number of payments given have fallen over the last number of years fro 8,700 in 2010, to 7,500 in 2011 and then 5,600 last year. So far this year there have been 3,400 payments awarded, totalling €1.6 million.
Jim Walsh of St Vincent De Paul said it appears to the society that “because the budget has been cut severely, there has been a tightening up of conditions” over the years and this explains the decrease in the number of payments made.
“There is a growing number of people who need the ENP and the unfortunate thing is a lot of people have to rely in St Vincent De Paul to pick up the slack which in turn is putting pressure on us,” he said.
The society has seen an increase in direct assistance payments it gives to people seeking help from €24 million in total in 2007 to €40 million last year.
Walsh echoed Randall’s sentiments about the lack of information kept by the department saying he “would have expected them to have figures broken down so they can give an indication of what demand is and where it is.”
Increased demand
Speaking to TheJournal.ie, TD Catherine Murphy said she had asked the question because she is “trying to get a handle on what is going on in the department”.
She said she believes there will now be an increased demand for the payment as people in exception need who are no longer entitled to the bereavement grant or the telephone allowance will be seeking it.
“The number of people who need it has increased and it will increase,” she said. However she added that the “level of discretion” that community welfare officers have has reduced and this will mean requirements will be more strict.
When asked if the department was expecting to see an increase in the number of people seeking the ENP, and therefore increased expenditure in this area, a spokesperson for the minister said: “We’ll have to wait and see because we have no way of predicting what the demand might be, but the minister has pointed to the fact that there would be support there for those in exception need”.
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