Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)

It is not just pensioners who benefit from the scheme; approximately 300,000 people benefit from the allowance, at a cost of €170 million. One should also consider those who benefit from the household benefits, which allow them to obtain electricity or gas units. The total value of the fuel allowance and the household packages amounts to between €1,200 and €1,300 per annum, depending on whether the recipient lives in a smokeless fuel area. The allowance represents a significant help towards meeting the cost of fuel.

One difficulty that arises is that one could only make the two payments to somebody in receipt a long-term social welfare payment.

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