Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue.

Fuel allowance is paid to social welfare recipients such as pensioners, people with disabilities, lone parents and the long-term unemployed in recognition of the fact that they have a long-term financial dependence on a social welfare payment for all or most of their income.  It is not paid to people in receipt of illness benefit who have an attachment to the labour market and who are in receipt of short-term welfare supports. Fuel allowance can only be paid if the qualifying criteria as outlined in the scheme guidelines are met. It cannot be paid on a discretionary basis. 

As part of budget 2022, I announced a number of expansions to the eligibility criteria for the fuel allowance payment. The weekly means threshold for the fuel allowance scheme was increased by €20 to €120 above the appropriate rate of contributory State pension, representing a 20% increase in the threshold which enables more people to qualify for this support. The €120 allowable means limit is significantly more than the €33 weekly rate of fuel allowance. With effect from September 2022, the qualifying period for jobseeker's and supplementary welfare allowance recipients to be in a position to access the fuel allowance payment will be reduced from 15 to 12 months. The Government has, therefore, implemented significant expansions in the fuel allowance scheme through budget 2022. Any decision to further expand the qualifying criteria of the fuel allowance payment in the manner outlined by the Deputy would have significant cost implications for the scheme and could only be considered while taking account of the overall budgetary context and the availability of financial resources. 

Under the supplementary welfare allowance scheme, exceptional needs payments may be made to help meet an essential, one-off cost which customers are unable to meet out of their own resources and this may include exceptional heating costs.  Decisions on such payments are made on a case-by-case basis.

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