Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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Question 124: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if she will index the social welfare payments to inflation in Budget 2009; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31346/08]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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In the recent Budget, the Government's main priorities are:

to restore order and stability in the public finances;

to increase productivity and competitiveness; and

to protect those who are most vulnerable in our country.

In his speech on Budget Day, the Minister for Finance announced that the expected rate of inflation for 2009 would be 2.5%. In Budget 2009, all weekly income maintenance payments increased by amounts varying from 3% to 3.8%, thereby fully protecting people from inflation.

In addition, the Qualified Child Increase went up by €2 per week (8.3%), from €24 to €26. Other improvements include the following:

An extra €2 per week (an increase of 11.1%) on the fuel allowance, with payment also being made for an additional 2 weeks;

Improvements in the Family Income Supplement for low income working families; and

18,000 more families becoming eligible for the Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance.

Even in these difficult economic times, the Government has given priority to ensuring that increases in the basic rates of social welfare payments will be ahead of the projected rate of inflation and in line with the wage increases agreed by the social partners in the 2nd phase of the National Pay Agreement.

Liz McManus (Wicklow, Labour)
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Question 125: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs her intentions to increase the rate of fuel allowance; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34874/08]

Martin Ferris (Kerry North, Sinn Fein)
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Question 165: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if she will extend fuel allowance payments. [34847/08]

Emmet Stagg (Kildare North, Labour)
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Question 175: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the changes she will make to the way the fuel allowance is paid; and her views on paying it in two lumps sums to people with oil-fired central heating, when that is the applicant's wish, in order to ease the burden of large infrequent or once-off costs. [34868/08]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 125, 165 and 175 together.

The Department's role is to assist social welfare recipients with heating costs, both through their basic payments and through the household benefits package with fuel, electricity and gas allowances. These schemes have been improved significantly in recent years.

The national fuel allowance scheme assists householders on long-term social welfare or health service executive (HSE) payments with meeting the cost of their heating needs during the winter season. The allowance represents a contribution towards a person's normal heating expenses. It is not intended to meet those costs in full.

Electricity and gas allowances under the household benefits package, are payable throughout the year to 358,000 pensioners, people with disabilities, and carer households towards their heating, light and cooking costs at an estimated overall scheme cost of €159m in 2008. The value of the electricity/gas allowance was increased to €540 a year from 1 August 2008 in line with increases in the price of electricity and gas.

The supplementary welfare allowance scheme can also be used to assist people in certain circumstances with specific heating needs due to infirmity or a particular medical condition. Budget 2009 provided for an increase in fuel allowance of €2 to €20 (€23.90 in designated smokeless zones) per week from January 2009, benefiting almost 300,000 households. This is an 11% increase on the current rate of payment. The duration of the fuel season is being increased by 2 weeks from April 2009 bringing the total period for which fuel allowance is paid to 32 weeks. The additional annual cost of the fuel allowance measures is €30m bringing total annual expenditure on the scheme to €205m in 2009.

I will keep all aspects of the fuel scheme under review including the issue of a lump sum payment.