Brian O'Shea (Waterford, Labour)
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Question 99: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs his proposals to remove the means test for eligibility under the national fuel scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35040/05]

Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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The aim of the national fuel scheme is to assist householders on long-term social welfare or health board payments with meeting the cost of their additional heating needs during the winter season. Fuel allowances are paid for 29 weeks, from end-September to mid-April, and are not intended to meet the full cost of heating. Some 274,000 — 151,000 with basic fuel allowance and 123,000 with smokeless fuel supplement — benefit under the scheme at a cost of €85.4 million in 2005.

Eligibility is subject to means. People who already qualify for means tested pensions or allowances such as old age non-contributory pension, long-term unemployment assistance or one-parent family payment need not undergo a further means test to qualify for fuel allowance. The majority of people who receive fuel allowances qualify because they satisfy the relevant means test for their primary weekly payment.

In addition, special arrangements have been in place for a number of years which allow people who are participating on approved employment schemes such as back to work allowance and community employment to retain entitlement to secondary benefits, including the fuel allowance, subject to a weekly household income limit of €317.43.

In the case of contributory pensions such as old age contributory, retirement and invalidity pensions, which are not means tested, a person may have a combined household income of up to €51 per week, or savings/investments of up to €46,000, over and above the maximum contributory pension rate used for reference purposes, and still qualify for fuel allowance. The fuel allowance income limits increase each season in line with the increases in this reference pension rate.

Any changes in the means rules or other conditions of the scheme would have significant cost implications and would have to be considered in the context of the budget and in light of the resources available to me for improvements in social welfare generally.