Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I would rather if the Minister did not, and instead amended the legislation. The reality is a small number of carers will miss out on the fuel allowance for a full 12 months because we will not have the opportunity to look at this again. I submitted this amendment in plenty of time, and I am sure the officials looked at the figures. I stand to be corrected but I suspect we are talking about a very small number who would fall into this category with no supplementary income and the only "income" is the half-rate carer's allowance. If that half-rate carer's allowance is not considered income under the fuel allowance scheme if the person is in receipt of a non-contributory pension, why in God's name would it be considered as income when the person is in receipt of a contributory State pension?

This is an anomaly. The people involved are being discriminated against. I would like to see the Minister address this in the legislation before us. She knows I cannot move an amendment in this respect, although I wish I could. I know the complexity of the issue if the Minister accepts the principle of what I am saying. It will not be possible for her to go back to the Cabinet to get that approval before this Bill goes to the Seanad. There is a minimal cost relating to it. Is there some way we can resolve this matter for the small number of people who are being discriminated against? It is blatant discrimination. They are not in receipt of anything else that others are not. As they paid into the social insurance fund, the same payments are being treated differently.

See this speech in context