Arthur Morgan (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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Question 401: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the number of households here suffering from fuel poverty. [35200/05]

Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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The term "fuel poverty" has been described as the inability to afford adequate warmth in a home, or the inability to achieve adequate warmth because of the energy inefficiency of the home. Various studies have been conducted on this issue in recent years, with varying estimates of the numbers and types of households affected by fuel poverty as defined in this way. I am not aware of any definitive number of households in this situation.

The primary contributory factor is the energy efficiency of the private and public housing stock. Problems in this regard relate mainly to older housing, with poor insulation and draught-proofing or inefficient heating systems. All new housing, including social housing, is being built to modern energy efficiency standards. Local housing authorities are undertaking an ongoing programme to upgrade the older social housing stock and provide better living conditions generally for tenants, including draught insulation and energy efficiency.

The role of the social welfare system in this issue is primarily to provide income support. The main focus of Government policy is to increase primary weekly social welfare rates significantly in real terms, to enable pensioners and other vulnerable groups to meet their heating and other basic living needs more adequately throughout the year. This policy will be continued in the forthcoming budget.

In addition, there are a number of social welfare programmes to assist with heating costs specifically. These programmes are: (1) Fuel allowances payable during the winter heating season for householders who are in receipt of long-term social welfare or health board payments. Some 274,000 customers, 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; (2) Electricity and gas allowances under the household benefits package, payable throughout the year over 320,000 pensioner, disabled and carer households toward their heating, light and cooking costs at an overall scheme cost of €108.8 million in 2005; and (3) Special heating needs facility available through the supplementary welfare allowance scheme to assist people in certain circumstances with specific heating needs due to infirmity or particular medical condition.

While there is no precise measure available, it is realistic to state that only a small proportion of the groups benefiting under these programmes could be considered to be experiencing fuel poverty, and that this is attributable mainly to the energy inefficiency of their homes. In this regard, my Department is co-operating with the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Sustainable Energy Ireland and the Combat Poverty Agency in an action research project those agencies are undertaking to improve heating systems and insulation in selected older private dwellings and to monitor the outcomes in terms of improved cost-efficiency and household comfort and health levels. This project is due to commence shortly and should be very informative in formulating future policy on this issue, as well as being of direct benefit to the pilot households involved.

In addition to this project, I am continuing to keep the various social welfare income support programmes in this area, particularly the fuel allowance, under close review to ensure that they assist towards heating needs as efficiently and effectively as possible within the resources available.