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

There will be a campaign, of course, to tell people what they are entitled to and what they should apply for. On the expanded fuel allowance, we hope to target an additional 81,000 homes with the changes to the means test for the over-70s. Just in case people are wondering, we have to change our systems to do that and we are putting together an application form, which we hope to have ready at the end of the year or early next year. However, they will get it from 1 January. If they do not get the money immediately, it will backdated to 1 January.

We are doing everything we can. The staff in social protection have done tremendous work over the past number of years. We had the pandemic and now the cost-of-living crisis. There are many payments that we need to get out before the end of the year. We want to do them in a way that people get them and there are no hiccups. We have to be careful that our IT systems and programmes are written properly so that they are secure and safe. It is a process that needs attention.

We will inform people. I was out in Tallaght in Dublin yesterday-----

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