Arthur Spring (Kerry North-West Limerick, Labour)
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To ask the Minister for Social Protection her views on whether the fuel allowance payment should be restructured to allow for a sliding scale rather than a flat cut-off point, to prevent situations arising whereby a person who receives an income which is even less than one euro over the threshold misses out on the whole of the €520 payment. [49812/12]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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My Department will spend almost €215 million in 2012 on the fuel allowance scheme benefitting some 400,000 people. The cost of this scheme has increased by over 160% since 2005 when 265,000 people were in receipt at a cost of €82 million. The current fuel season commenced in October this year and will run for 26 weeks until April 2013. The fuel allowance assists pensioners and householders on long-term social welfare 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. In order to qualify for fuel allowance a person must be in receipt of a qualifying payment, satisfy a means test and be living alone or only with certain excepted people. The purpose of these qualifying conditions is to ascertain the ability of applicant households to meet their normal heating requirements out of their own resources and to ensure the maximum amount of support is targeted at those most in need of assistance. The nature of a means test means that there will always be a cut-off point above which a person will not qualify. I am satisfied that the current criteria for the scheme ensure that the resources are targeted at those who need them most. I have no plans at this time to restructure it in the manner proposed.