Additional Needs Payments treble in 2022

The number of people struggling to make ends meet and applying to the Department of Social Protection seeking an Additional Needs Payments almost trebled last year.

The supplementary welfare allowance scheme helps applicants to meet expenses the person cannot pay ordinarily from their weekly income.

The schemes is demand led and payments are made at the discretion of the officers administering the scheme who ensure such payments target those most in need of assistance.

Last year saw 1,526 exceptional and urgent needs payments made to persons in Cavan, up from 565 the year before (2021).

This is compared to 589 payments made in 2020, the year the pandemic hit.

The same trend is reflected in many counties around the country, where there were 97,224 payments made in 2022 compared to 55,552 some 12 months previous.

By comparison to neighbouring counties, Monaghan had 802 payments in 2022, up from 558, with 993 applications in 2020.

Elsewhere, Leitrim had 1,498 payments awarded in 2022, with 710 in 2021, and 850 in 2020; Longford had 2,316, up from 1,080, and 1,227 in 2021; and Meath had 4,346 in 2022, up from 2,327 in 2021, and 2,350 the years before.