Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)

My question concerns the fuel allowance and the consequences of the change. Given the changes signalled in the social welfare legislation before the House, a certain category of individuals will be affected from 2014 onwards. I am concerned that people whose contracts will finish when they are 65 will not be entitled to a fuel allowance. Is there any intention to ensure that those who finish at the age of 65 will be able to qualify for the fuel allowance as it currently exists? If their contracts finish when they are 65, they might be entitled to jobseeker's benefit or jobseeker's allowance but not to the fuel allowance because they will not have been on a jobseeker's allowance for a long-term basis at that stage, especially bearing in mind that the State pension age will be increased from 67 to 68 in 2028.

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