Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)

In the previous Question Time, I indicated that persons over the age of 75 years would not be required to use the social services card. However, I should have stated that they would not be obliged to use it in the first tranche this year. An information campaign will be launched to support them in this regard. Given the discussion on the economic downturn, I wish to reassure people that the Government is committed to ensuring support for everyone in a vulnerable position.

The first question relates to a relevant and important matter, namely, fuel poverty and the rising cost of fuel. Fuel poverty is an issue that involves the Departments of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Communications, Energy and Natural Resources and Social and Family Affairs.

My Department's role is to assist social welfare recipients with heating costs, both through their basic payments and the household benefits package with fuel, electricity and gas allowances. These schemes have been improved significantly in recent years. For example, the fuel allowance is now payable for 30 weeks and benefits 290,000 people at an aggregate cost of €170 million this year. The payment rate has also increased to €18 per week or €21.90 for recipients living in designated smokeless areas. Electricity and gas allowances under the household benefits package are payable throughout the year to more than 355,000 pensioners, people with disabilities and carer households towards their heating, light and cooking costs at an estimated overall scheme cost of €159 million in 2008. The supplementary welfare allowance scheme can also be used to assist people in certain circumstances with specific heating needs due to infirmity or a particular medical condition.

The income maintenance needs of those on social welfare payments have also been met in recent years through significantly increased primary social welfare rates. Government policy is focused on increasing these rates to ensure that people can meet their basic living costs, including heating costs, throughout the year and also achieve an improvement in quality of life. Since December 2001, overall inflation has increased by 27% while energy product prices have increased by 65%. However, increases in social welfare payments have been between 71% and 88% in the same period.

A number of organisations, including Sustainable Energy Ireland, the Combat Poverty Agency and the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, are engaged in action research projects on energy efficiency. My Department is co-operating with these projects, including providing funding for one project. Reports on these fuel research projects, which are expected by the third quarter of this year, will help to inform Government policy on fuel poverty.

Any changes to social welfare programmes to assist with heating costs will be considered in a budgetary context. However, the main focus of the Government will be on increasing social welfare payments in real terms to enable social welfare recipients to better meet heating and other needs.

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