Jack Wall (Kildare South, Labour)

I move amendment No. 28:

In page 20, between lines 24 and 25, to insert the following:

23.—Where a recipient of fuel allowance expresses a preference for the payment of the sums due to him or her by way of two lump sums, it shall be lawful for the Minister to make such payment by way of two lump sums.

The thinking behind the amendment is based on the fact that most local authorities have installed oil-fired central heating in many homes and the cost of fuel. A senior citizen will have a huge bill once or twice a year. If the amendment is accepted it would mean they would be able to meet the cost of a fill of oil or to fill the shed with turf or other fuel such as timber. Currently, the fuel allowance is part and parcel of the main social welfare payment. It is more and more difficult for senior citizens to meet the cost of filling an oil tank, for example. The cost of a tank of oil is in excess of €500. That is a huge amount of money for a senior citizen to come up with twice or even three times a year depending on the size of the house. If lump sum payments could be made at specific times a person could arrange to fill their oil tank or whatever fuel source they wished.

The amendment is simple and would benefit senior citizens. The fuel allowance has always been considered of importance to older people to ensure they can afford to have sufficient heat in their homes during the winter months. Up to now people generally had back burners and one could buy a bag of coal or sticks every week when a person came to the house selling fuel and the money was available to pay for that. Because local authorities have installed oil-fired central heating the situation has changed and a person is required to have a lump sum to pay for a fill of oil. It is very difficult to have a large amount of money available, irrespective of how prudent a person is with his or her social welfare payments. In some instances people seek help from community welfare officers but it is unlikely that they would get a positive reply given that they are in receipt of a fuel allowance.

This is a simple change that will not put any extra cost on the Exchequer but it would be of great benefit to senior citizens whose lives have changed for the better through the welcome provision of central heating in local authority houses. In general, a lump sum payment would be of benefit even for senior citizens who do not have central heating systems. The senior citizens to whom I have spoken are delighted with the changeover to central heating but they have a problem meeting the cost of a fill of oil. They would welcome a lump sum payment twice a year, as that would allow them to get a fill of oil and they would not have any problem heating their homes for the rest of the year.

By accepting the amendment the Minister would make the lives of those in receipt of the payment easier and that would be to the benefit of everyone.

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