Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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32. To ask the Minister for Social Protection to set out the cost in 2015 of planned €100 payment to persons in receipt of the household benefits package to alleviate the impact of water charges; the additional cost of extending the payment to recipients of the fuel allowance who do not receive the household benefits package; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36238/14]

Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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33. To ask the Minister for Social Protection to set out the cost in 2015 of increasing the €100 payment to persons in receipt of the household benefits package to alleviate the impact of water charges to €150; the additional cost of extending the payment at the same rate to recipients of the fuel allowance who do not receive the household benefits package; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36239/14]

Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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51. To ask the Minister for Social Protection to set out the cost of extending the household benefits package to recipients of carer's benefit; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36386/14]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 32, 33 and 51 together.

The household benefits package comprises the electricity/gas allowance (€35 per month) and the free television licence scheme (€160 per annum). At present, it is paid to some 411,000 customers, with expenditure estimated at €230 million for 2014.

From 2015 the household benefits package will also include a quarterly water support payment of €25. The estimated cost of this new water support payment of €100 per annum will be in the region of €42 million in 2015.

There are approximately 226,000 people in receipt of fuel allowance who do not receive the household benefits package. Extending the water support payment to these people would cost in the region of €22.6 million.

If the water support was increased to €150 annually, the estimated cost in 2015 would be €63 million, based on the existing cohort of household benefits customers. Extending a water support payment of €150 to people in receipt of the fuel allowance would cost in the region of an additional €33.9 million.

There are currently approximately 1,750 people in receipt of care’s benefit. Extending household benefits, including water support, to all of these people would cost €1.2 million per annum. The cost would be less if household benefits were paid only where the carer is living with the person being cared for as is the practice with carer’s allowance.

The household benefits package was envisaged as a way of providing some additional support for those who are elderly or on long-term welfare payments. Issues in relation to all social welfare supports in 2015 are a matter for Government in the context of the forthcoming Budget.