Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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1144. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if her Department will make available grants or extend current grants such as the fuel allowance to those workers aged 66 years of age and over who cannot access Covid-19 but are under serious financial stress; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9499/20]

Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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The Government has been seeking to implement and operate supports that are targeted where most needed, to ensure continued economic activity and reduce the risk of poverty.  In March, as part of these measures, I was delighted to be able to announce the extension of the Fuel Allowance scheme by four weeks until Friday, 8th May 2020.  At a cost of €36.61 million, the extension of the fuel season for over 370,000 existing eligible households was put in place, to ensure that the most vulnerable groups, particularly older people in receipt of State pensions, were provided with additional targeted financial supports.

Any further measures, for any section of society, will have to be considered in the context of the evolving advice from appropriate health authorities, the potential impacts of any measures taken on foot of such advice, the overall budgetary context and the availability of financial resources.

The primary State income support in respect of people who are aged 66 years or over is the State Pension – either the contributory State pension or the non-contributory pension, which is means tested. Those over 66 years do not pay social insurance contributions and can, if in receipt of State Contributory Pension, retain all of their State pension as well as their employment income.  Those people retain that pension if they lose employment, thus guaranteeing an income support.  People in receipt of a reduced rate of non-contributory or means tested pension who are also in receipt of an employment income may have their pension payment increased if they lose that employment income or if it is reduced. 

Recipients of State pension payments may, subject to satisfying eligibility conditions, have access to a range of additional supports including living alone increase, household benefits, telephone support allowance, free travel and free TV licence.

Further, my Department operates both Exceptional and Urgent Needs Payments as part of the Supplementary Welfare Allowance scheme for people of any age, who have an urgent need which they cannot meet from their own resources.  These payments are available through our Community Welfare Officers.

I trust this clarifies the position for the Deputy.