Billy Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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160. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the working age benefits or allowances that do not permit recipients to apply for the fuel allowance. [9910/15]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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The fuel allowance is a payment, of €20 per week for 26 weeks from October to April, to low income households to assist them with their energy costs. The payment represents a contribution towards the energy costs of a household. It is not intended to meet those costs in full. Only one allowance is paid per household.

The allowance is paid to more than 400,000 customers at an estimated cost of €195 million in 2015. This includes people in receipt of job-seekers allowance or basic supplementary welfare allowance for more than 15 months (390 days), pensioners, widows, people in receipt of disability allowance, invalidity pension, and one parent families payment.

Payments which do not qualify people for fuel allowance include: jobseeker’s benefit, illness benefit, short term jobseeker’s allowance, carer’s allowance and carer’s benefit.

The fuel allowance is a means tested payment, targeted at those who are more vulnerable to energy poverty, including those reliant on social protection payments for longer periods and who are unlikely to have additional resources of their own.