Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The fuel allowance is a targeted payment of €22.50 per week, paid for the duration of the fuel season from October to April, and over 338,000 low income households benefit from this allowance, at an estimated cost of €227 million in 2018. The purpose of this payment is to assist these households with their energy costs, not to pay their full energy costs. One allowance is paid per household representing a contribution towards the energy costs of a household; it is not intended to meet those costs in full. In October 2017, I introduced the option for qualified households to receive their fuel allowance payment in two lump sums, as opposed to weekly, in October and in January. This allows people to buy fuel in bulk and potentially avail of special offers or discounts on the purchase of the particular fuel that meets their specific needs. In budget 2018, I increased the duration of the fuel allowance season by only one week - I would like to have done more - to 27 weeks. This is longer than the winter period in Ireland, and provides assistance during what are largely colder weeks when heating costs are expected to be at their highest.

Any changes to the scheme, in terms of the rate of payment or the duration of the fuel allowance season, would have to be considered in the overall policy and budgetary context for 2019.

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