Tom Hayes (Tipperary South, Fine Gael)

I welcome the opportunity to contribute to what is an important debate each year. I wish to address a number of issues, the first of which is the fuel allowance. Figures released indicate that 18.4% of Irish households, almost one in five, experience fuel poverty. People cannot afford to keep themselves warm during the cold months of the year. With a bag of coal costing €14 and a tank of oil costing almost €1,000, there is a real problem in terms of the fuel allowance. We have had a cold and wet winter and it is unfair that people get a fuel allowance of €18. They cannot afford the oil, coal and timber they must buy to keep their houses warm. If anything needs to be changed that issue must be addressed, particularly in terms of older people. It is impossible to keep a damp, cold house heated on that amount of money. I implore the Minister to examine the fuel allowance in the context of the Social Welfare Bill.

Housing aid for the elderly is another issue I have raised on many occasions. That is a wonderful scheme. I realise it has been changed and taken before the councils but the number of people who want to avail of the scheme on a yearly basis is very high. I have seen that at first hand across my own constituency. Families have been helped under that scheme and it should be re-examined with a view to allowing a greater number of people avail of it. Provision for replacing windows and doors, and other cost saving measures in terms of heating, should be made available for older people living in old council houses, old farm houses in rural areas and old local authority houses in our towns. There is a real need in regard to the housing aid for the elderly scheme. For a small amount of money we could get a major return in terms of cutting costs. More people should be able to avail of the scheme.

I realise this Minister's Department is not responsible for FÁS schemes but people on FÁS schemes must be unemployed or on social welfare. A serious situation has arisen in my constituency, and I am delighted Deputy Mansergh is in the Chamber because I am aware he is doing some work on it. There are people who do not know if they will be on those schemes in two weeks time or thrown to the wolves, so to speak, in terms of earning money. Those people have made a good contribution to their communities be it through tidying up graveyards, school grounds or helping elderly people. We have championed that in Tipperary because we have a very successful scheme but we are now being put under pressure because the Minister, Deputy Martin, does not appear to be willing to address that problem.

The other issue I want to address is people qualifying for local authority houses. It takes too long to get people on local authority housing lists, particularly now when budgets are tighter and banks are not freely making mortgages available to people. That issue must be addressed to ensure those people know whether they are on or off the housing list. It is unfair to let the issue drag on for so long.

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