Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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13. To ask the Minister for Social Protection to extend the fuel allowance period due to uncharacteristically low temperatures in early April. [7955/16]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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The fuel allowance is a payment of €22.50 per week for 26 weeks from October to April, to 391,000 low income households, at an estimated cost of €224 million in 2016. 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 approximately 415,000 customers, at an estimated cost of €228 million in 2016. I am not in a position to extend the criteria for these schemes or the current value of the allowances.

Under the supplementary welfare allowance scheme, exceptional needs payments may be made to help meet an essential, once-off cost which customers are unable to meet out of their own resources – this may include exceptional heating costs.

The best way to tackle fuel poverty in the long term is to improve the energy efficiency of the dwelling. My Department works closely with the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources on these issues and in moving forward the actions agreed in the Energy Affordability Strategy. In that regard, the Better Energy Homes scheme provides support towards the installation of attic and wall insulation, and heating system upgrades.