Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

As I said earlier, this year, 2026, we are going to spend €557 million on the fuel allowance. We have extended it to May. It is being paid right until the beginning of May. It has been extended by four weeks and increased by €5 per week. It has been extended to 50,000 people who are on the working family payment. That is a significant extension. In 2020, we spent €290.4 million on the fuel allowance. This year, we will spend €557.4 million. The household benefits package continues to be paid.

I am very much open to getting information about additional needs payments out. A household with two children on €45,000 a year can still qualify for an additional needs payment. Our community welfare teams, including the local ones we all engage with but also the central one, through mywelfare.ie, are available to assist people in any given situation. The supports are available and open. Once again, we will make information available on them.

With regard to the fuel allowance, an investment of over half a billion euro is very significant.

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