Willie Penrose (Longford-Westmeath, Labour)
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98. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection her plans for a cold weather fuel payment for 2019; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38859/18]

Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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The Fuel Allowance Scheme is means tested and assists pensioners and other welfare dependent householders 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.

The scheme operates over the colder weather period (currently 27 weeks). The allowance is €22.50 per week and was increased from €20 per week in the 2016 Budget.

Only one Fuel Allowance is paid to a household. It is payable to those who are in receipt of a long-term social welfare payment, who satisfy a means test, and who are either living alone or only with;

- a qualified spouse/civil partner/cohabitant or qualified child(ren);

- a person in receipt of a qualifying payment who would be entitled to the allowance in their own right;

- a person in receipt of Carer's Allowance or Carer's Benefit in respect of providing full time care and attention to the applicant or their qualified spouse/civil partner/cohabitant or qualified child(ren); or

- a person receiving short term Jobseeker's Allowance or the Basic Supplementary Welfare Allowance (less than 391 days).

An applicant in receipt of a means-tested qualifying payment is automatically deemed to have satisfied the means test for the Fuel Allowance. For the fuel season 2017/18 there were some 365,000 customers in receipt of the Fuel Allowance. This figure has decreased in recent years in line with the live register figure.

My Department is very aware of the hardship that all people, including fuel allowance recipients, face during adverse weather conditions. Members of the Department attended the National Emergency Centre during adverse weather conditions, to ensure a coordinated and quick response to help our customers. During the severe weather in March this year the Department automatically paid all people in receipt of the Fuel Allowance an extra payment of €22.50 at that time. This was the equivalent of an additional week’s payment of the Allowance and this was to ensure our customers were safe and warm.

Exceptional needs payments can be made under the supplementary welfare allowance scheme towards heating needs e.g. purchase of oil, solid fuel, heating bills etc.

I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.