Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)

I thank the Deputy for raising the issue. It is an interesting case and as he stated no fraud was intended on the part of the 237 households. However, because of a glitch they were effectively receiving a double allowance for the same purpose. The aim of the national fuel scheme is to assist householders who are in receipt of long-term social welfare or Health Service Executive payments towards meeting their additional heating needs during the winter season. Fuel allowances are paid for 29 weeks from the end of September to mid-April. Some 274,000 customers, 151,000 with basic fuel allowance and 123,000 with smokeless fuel supplement, benefit under the scheme at a cost of €85.4 million in 2005. In that context €700,000 is a small amount.

Under the scheme a fuel allowance of €9.00 per week is paid to eligible households during this 29-week winter heating period, with an additional €3.90 per week being paid in the designated urban smokeless fuel zones, bringing the total amount in those areas to €12.90 per week. In addition to fuel allowance, more than 300,000 pensioners and other households qualify for electricity or gas allowances through the household benefits package, payable towards their heating, light and cooking costs throughout the year, at an overall cost of €108.8 million in 2005. There is also a facility available through the supplementary welfare allowance scheme to assist people in certain circumstances who have special heating needs. To qualify for an allowance under the national fuel scheme an applicant must be in receipt of a qualifying payment, live alone or only with a dependent spouse, partner, child or children, or with other eligible recipients.

In the course of a routine review of fuel allowance payments, the Department recently ceased allowance entitlement which had been paid in error to certain recipients who were in, or had moved to local authority accommodation with subsidised or low-cost heating. The main purpose of the review was to ensure that the allowance eligibility rules were being applied correctly and consistently. The allowances in question, which should not have been put in payment in the first place, were withdrawn in these cases with effect from the start of this winter heating season. The allowance was not included in their new pension books or in EFT payments. The Department is not seeking repayment of the overpayment of the allowance which arose in these cases.

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