Joe O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

The fuel allowance is a payment of €33 per week for 28 weeks at an estimated cost of €366 million in 2022. It is a targeted payment to people dependent on specified long-term social welfare payments. The purpose of this payment is to assist those households most in need with their energy costs.

The criteria for fuel allowance are framed in order to direct the limited resources available to my Department in as targeted a manner as possible. To qualify for the fuel allowance payment, a person must satisfy all the qualifying criteria including a means test and the household composition criteria. This ensures that the fuel allowance payment is targeted at those who are more vulnerable to fuel poverty including those reliant on social protection payments for longer periods who are unlikely to have additional resources of their own.

As part of budget 2022, an increase in the weekly fuel payment of €5 and a number of expansions to the eligibility criteria for the fuel allowance payment were announced, including expanding the means threshold for the fuel allowance by €20 to €120 above the appropriate rate of State pension contributory, which enables more people to qualify for this support.

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 relation to the fuel allowance through budget 2022.

We are acutely aware of recent price increases and their impact on households that are dependent on social welfare. All options will be kept under review, together with trends in prices, to inform preparations for the budget later this year. We must, however, take account of the overall budgetary context and the availability of financial resources.

The Department of Social Protection provides additional needs payments as part of the supplementary welfare allowance scheme for people who have an urgent need, which they cannot meet from their own resources. These payments are available through our community welfare offices.

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