Colm Burke (Cork North-Central, Fine Gael)
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97. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if an examination of improvements to key ancillary benefits such as the fuel allowance, household benefits package and living alone allowance to support vulnerable groups has occurred as per the programme for Government; if not, when this examination is to occur; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21297/25]

Colm Burke (Cork North-Central, Fine Gael)
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I ask the Minister if an examination of improvements to key ancillary benefits, such as the fuel allowance, household benefits package and living alone allowance, to support vulnerable groups has occurred as part of the programme for Government. If not, when is this examination to occur? Will the Minister make a statement on the better?

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Deputy for his question. As he knows and referred to, the programme for Government has committed to protect core welfare rates while ensuring that available resources are targeted at vulnerable groups. The programme for Government includes a commitment to examine key ancillary benefits such as the fuel allowance, household benefits package and living alone allowance to support vulnerable groups. This is an ongoing activity as part of my Department's budget planning each year. For example, there have been a number of expansions under recent budgets to the fuel allowance payment which will make it more available to vulnerable cohorts. In January 2023, enhanced fuel allowance measures for people aged 70 and over were introduced. In budget 2025, these enhanced fuel measures were extended to all those aged 66 or older. These measures include a new means threshold of €524 for a single person and €1,048 for a couple.

In addition, the amount of capital disregarded in the means test for fuel allowance was increased from €20,000 to €50,000. Savings of more than €50,000 are assessed on a proportionate basis only.

Other measures include the weekly means threshold for those aged under 70 has increased by €80 to €200 above the appropriate rate of contributory State pension. Disablement benefit and half-rate carer's allowance payments are now disregarded when assessing means for fuel allowance purposes. Disablement benefit no longer disbars a household from receiving the fuel allowance payment. Budget 2025 has also allowed for carer's allowance to be considered a qualifying payment for fuel allowance since last January.

As part of the budget planning process, I will continue to consider any improvements that can be made to ensure these benefits are continued in a targeted manner so that the vulnerable people who need them are getting the support. As the Deputy will be more than aware, any future decisions will have to take account of the availability of financial resources.

Colm Burke (Cork North-Central, Fine Gael)
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I mentioned the growing population and people living longer, but there is the additional problem of people living alone, especially in rural areas. As the Minister will know, having come from a rural constituency, transport costs for someone living alone in a rural area is a matter we have not focused enough on and we need to look at. The cost of getting from A to B, be it ten miles, 15 miles or 20 miles, in a rural area is more expensive. This is one matter we should be considering in terms of the living alone allowance.

Where people look after themselves at home, there is less demand on the State compared to them being in nursing home care. Therefore, it is important that we ensure people can stay in their own homes for the longest possible time and we provide the additional supports they need. With the rising costs in various areas for the household, it is important that that review would continue annually. The one subject we need to look at, especially for people living in rural areas, is that of people living alone and the living alone allowance.

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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I endorse the Deputy's comments, particularly regarding rural poverty. I will keep a laser-like focus on it during my time in the Department. I commend the work done by organisations such as Local Link, which is expanding its footprint to address the exact kind of loneliness the Deputy has just referred to.

The living alone allowance, or the living alone increase as it is formerly known, is available to those who are in receipt of the qualifying payments. It is a living alone allowance, not a scheme or stand-alone payment. It is a supplement to a primary social protection payment of €22 per week made to people aged 66 or over who are in receipt of certain social welfare payments and who are living alone. For the record of the House, the eligible payments are the State pension, the widow's, widower's or surviving civil partner's pension, the widow's, widower's or surviving civil partner's pension under the occupational injuries benefits scheme, the incapacity supplement and the deserted wives benefit. The living alone increase is also paid to people aged under 66 who live alone and are in receipt of the disability allowance, invalidity pension, incapacity supplement or blind pension.

There are no circumstances where the living alone allowance can be paid to people who are not in receipt of a primary qualifying payment from my Department or who do not meet the living alone eligibility criteria. That is on the basis and data we have available from a number of resources, including the CSO and the Vincentian Partnership for Social Justice, which shows the cost of living for a single person is slightly more than the individualised costs of two people living together.

Colm Burke (Cork North-Central, Fine Gael)
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In rural and urban areas, support groups provide an important service, particularly for those living alone or who are elderly and need support. It is important that, in reviewing those supports, there is work done across the Departments of Health and Social Protection to ensure that those groups get support to help those who need care and assistance, be they in urban or rural areas. It is something that needs to be co-ordinated to a far greater scale that it has before. Much work was done, particularly during Covid, and it is important that we continue and ensure that does not in slip in any way. We should not just take it that everyone is well able to look after himself or herself. That is not the case and is why we need to have those supports in place.

Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein)
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I am glad this is being discussed in terms of rural poverty. The Minister will completely understand this. I commend Irish Rural Link on the great work it has done in Mayo. It needs to be resourced to do an awful lot more. I will give the Minister an example of a woman I spoke to in Castlebar the other day. She has an appointment in Galway hospital next week. All of her income and benefit for the week will be wiped out because she has to pay for that taxi. She cannot get public transport. We discussed the ins and outs of it, but she just cannot. That is all of her benefit for the week. This is how people are being plunged into poverty. What is she to do for her food, fuel and everything else for that week? It is okay centralising health services and we all need the centres of excellence in certain disciplines, but asking somebody, without any help, to get from Castlebar - never mind from Blacksod - to Galway is impossible. I want the Minister to examine transport, specifically transport from Mayo to Galway hospital.

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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I agree with Deputy Burke and we will try to do that. Not just during Covid, but during Storm Éowyn we saw the real value of local groups, hubs and services. With my other hat of rural and community development, I am working within the Department on supporting those local hubs and services.

The timing of hospital appointments frustrates me. Even if a person was able to use public transport, the timing of a hospital appointment in Galway or any regional centre does not often reflect where that person has to travel from. More work can be done in facilitating people who are in a position to use public transport to use it, or even those with their own transport not to have to come in during rush hour, adding to the stress of the appointment.

Regarding the specific case, I am happy to work with Deputy Conway-Walsh's office. We may be able to look at an additional needs payment or some sort of support because nobody should have to make a choice like that between protecting her health and getting essential healthcare and having the food that is essential to that health. If the Deputy gives me the details, we will be more than happy to work with her on this.