Written answers

Tuesday, 19 January 2010

Department of Social and Family Affairs

Social Welfare Benefits

9:00 pm

Photo of Joe CostelloJoe Costello (Dublin Central, Labour)
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Question 130: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs her plans to temporarily increase the rate of fuel allowance to offset the significant increase in fuel costs during the recent prolonged cold weather. [1784/10]

Photo of Róisín ShortallRóisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Labour)
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Question 723: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs her plans to use the increased VAT revenues arising from increased fuel consumption during the recent prolonged cold weather to provide a once off increase in fuel allowance to poor families. [2064/10]

Photo of Mary HanafinMary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 130 and 723 together.

The Department's role is to assist social welfare recipients with heating costs, both through their basic payments and through the fuel allowance scheme and the household benefits package of electricity and gas allowances.

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.

Fuel allowance is payable for 32 weeks a year. The standard allowance is €20 a week while the rate in smokeless zones is €23.90 a week. The scheme benefits almost 318,000 people a year at an estimated cost of €217 million in 2009.

Electricity and gas allowances under the household benefits package, are payable throughout the year to almost 380,000 pensioners, people with disabilities, and carer households towards their heating, light and cooking costs at an estimated cost of €200m in 2009. The electricity allowance covers standing charges plus VAT and up to 2,400 units of electricity in each billing period.

The gas allowance covers a cash equivalent amount. Up to 30% of customers availing of the electricity allowance consistently carry forward unused units to the next billing period.

The supplementary welfare allowance scheme, administered by community welfare officers, can be used to assist people in certain circumstances with specific heating needs due to infirmity or a particular medical condition. Heating needs can also be met under the exceptional needs payments provisions of the scheme where a person is unable to meet such needs out of his/her resources. Eligible people would normally be in receipt of a social welfare or health service executive payment.

Since the onset of the adverse weather conditions, community welfare officers have provided assistance to people to purchase additional fuel, heaters and clothing and also towards the payment of heating bills and for repairs arising from burst pipes. Over €72,000 has been paid out since 1 January 2010 in respect of such claims. Assistance will continue to be provided towards the payment of heating bills for those in need.

The exceptional needs payments scheme is considered to be the appropriate response to heating needs arising from the recent cold weather. Community welfare officers are best placed to deal with the situation having local knowledge and taking individual circumstances into account.

An increase in the fuel allowance, irrespective of need, would have significant cost implications and would have to be considered in the light of resources available for improvements in social welfare payments generally.

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