Willie Penrose (Westmeath, Labour)

I move amendment No. 3:

In page 5, between lines 12 and 13, to insert the following:

"1.—The Minister shall, within 6 months from after the passing of this Act, prepare and lay before both Houses of the Oireachtas, a report on increasing the living alone allowance.".

Deputy Crowe is asking for another report within three months. The election will put that to bed but we are tabling the amendment as a parliamentary device to ensure the topic is discussed properly on Report Stage.

It costs more to live alone because of economies of scale. There have been substantial increases in costs in the past 12 to 15 months, particularly in the fuel area, and fuel poverty is endemic in Ireland. People who live alone must buy everything, there is no sharing and, therefore, the process costs more. For those in isolated rural areas, transport, electricity or heating are all additional costs. The living alone allowance, however, has not been increased for many years.

The Minister will say there was a policy choice to increase the basic rate of pension and there was not the necessary wherewithal to deal with this payment. It is an important issue, it is like the child dependent allowance that has not been increased in more than a decade. We were reminded why it was not touched, with the Minister making a strong case. It is hard, however, to justify why the living alone allowance has not been increased.

The allowance was brought in for a specific purpose and recognised the circumstances of people living alone. Many things must be purchased and the overall household bill is increased for a person living alone as opposed to two people sharing. That stands up to financial scrutiny. I doubt we will make progress but we want to put the issue before the Dáil so that those living alone are not forgotten and we can send out a message that where resources permit, we will ensure they will be recognised in a forthcoming budget. They have not been remembered in some time.

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