M J Nolan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)

It is timely that we should debate this issue on 1 October as winter approaches. We are all aware of instances of fuel poverty in our constituencies. Fuel poverty occurs where a household must spend more than 10% of its income on energy in order to maintain an acceptable level of heat throughout the home. Those most likely to be affected include elderly couples and elderly individuals, some of whom have lost a partner and now find themselves alone in the family home. I am aware of people who have downsized to smaller houses or apartments where maintenance and heating costs are substantially less. People who have spent 30 or 40 years in their home and have a great sentimental attachment to it should not be obliged to move somewhere smaller because of concerns about fuel affordability. It is incumbent on the Department of Social and Family Affairs to look after such persons in their latter years.

Fuel poverty arises as a result of the relationship between household income, energy efficiency and dwelling and fuel prices. Living in cold, damp conditions has an adverse impact on health, particularly so in the case of the elderly. The consequences of fuel poverty include social exclusion, poor health and a general feeling of helplessness. Fuel poverty is, therefore, a social issue and must be dealt with as such. People living in cold, damp houses as a result of fuel poverty are at increased risk of respiratory illness, increased blood pressure and stroke, worsening arthritis, accidents in the home, social isolation and impaired mental health. Such adverse living conditions can also have a detrimental effect on children's education and on the quality of nutrition enjoyed by householders. There is anecdotal evidence that elderly people may do without food in order to pay fuel and electricity bills to keep their homes warm. Fuel poverty is also associated with significant debt to fuel companies, resulting in financial exclusion for the householder.

I have been concerned for some time about the adequacy of existing welfare supports in addressing fuel poverty among low income householders, mainly social welfare recipients. The primary tool used by the Department of Social and Family Affairs for assisting low income householders is the fuel allowance. Last year, more than 300,000 householders were in receipt of this payment of €18 per week for 30 weeks of the year. In addition to the fuel allowance, the Department of Social and Family Affairs provides several other fuel related benefit schemes, including the free electricity allowance, free natural gas allowance and free bottled gas allowances.

Also of assistance to low income families have been the schemes run by local authorities whereby people are assisted in improving their houses by installing new insulation, windows or doors. Unfortunately, in the past two years in particular, local authorities, for whatever reason, have not had sufficient funding to finance these particular schemes. In my own county of Carlow, for example, while the local authority is accepting applications for the disabled person's grant scheme, they are not being processed because the funding is completely exhausted. The authority will not be in a position to process the applications until early next year.

See this speech in context