Written answers

Wednesday, 6 May 2015

Department of Social Protection

Fuel Allowance Payments

Photo of Mattie McGrathMattie McGrath (Tipperary South, Independent)
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60. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the efforts her Department is making to address fuel poverty; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17240/15]

Photo of Joan BurtonJoan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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The Government will continue to ensure that those on low incomes and those who are more vulnerable to energy poverty are supported through the fuel allowance and the household benefits package.

The fuel allowance is a payment of €20 per week for 26 weeks from October to April, to 415,000 low income households, at an estimated cost of €208 million in 2015. The purpose of this payment is to assist these households with their energy costs. The allowance 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.

My Department also pays an electricity or gas allowance as part of the household benefits package to 415,000 customers, at an estimated cost of €227 million in 2015.

This compares favourably with the winter fuel payment for the elderly in Northern Ireland which ranges from £100 (€126) to £300 (€379) per year depending on age and household composition. There is no equivalent in Northern Ireland to the free electricity allowance.

The Government's affordable energy strategy “Warmer Homes” indicated that the best measure to address energy poverty is to continue to improve the thermal efficiency of people's homes. The “better energy warmer homes” scheme delivers a range of energy efficiency measures to low income households that are vulnerable to energy poverty at no charge to the householder. Since 2000, when the scheme began, over 105,000 homes around the country have received energy efficiency measures under the warmer homes scheme, with a total spend of over €116 million.

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