Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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152. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection when the fuel allowance will be awarded to a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35550/20]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Fuel allowance is a means-tested payment to assist householders on long-term social welfare payments towards the cost of their heating needs.

The main eligibility conditions that apply to the fuel allowance scheme are that a person must be in receipt of a qualifying payment, must satisfy a means test and must either be living alone or with other qualifying persons. The fuel allowance means test is linked to the maximum rate of the state pension (contributory). The applicant and their spouse can have a combined weekly household income of €100.00 above the maximum rates for State pension (contributory) and Increase for qualified adult and still be eligible for a fuel allowance.

The person concerned applied for this allowance on 16 October 2020. Since it is a means-tested payment, information regarding their household means was requested on 29 October 2020. Once this information is received, the person’s eligibility for fuel allowance can be determined and they will be notified of a decision as soon as possible.

I hope this clarifies the position for the Deputy.

Marian Harkin (Sligo-Leitrim, Independent)
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153. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if the means test will be removed for the fuel allowance for those in receipt of a State pension who have a disability; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35568/20]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The fuel allowance is a payment of €24.50 per week for 28 weeks (a total of €686 each year) from October to April, to an average of 352,000 low income households, at an estimated cost of €261.35 million in 2020. 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 under the Household Benefits scheme at an estimated cost of €194 million in 2020. This is paid at a rate of €35 per month, 12 months of the year.

The criteria for fuel allowance are framed in order to direct the limited resources available to my Department in as targeted a manner as possible. Therefore, to receive the fuel allowance a person must be in receipt of a qualifying payment from my Department and also have satisfied a means test.

Any decision to remove the means test qualifying criteria for fuel allowance for those who are in receipt of the State pension and have a disability would have to be considered in the context of overall budgetary negotiations.

Under the supplementary welfare allowance (SWA) scheme, a heating supplement may be paid to assist people in certain circumstances that have special heating needs. If a recipient of a social protection or HSE payment has exceptional heating costs due to ill health, infirmity or a medical condition which he/she is unable to meet out of household income, that person may apply for a heating supplement. There is no automatic entitlement to a payment. Heating supplements are payable at the discretion of the officers administering the scheme taking into account the requirements of the legislation and all the relevant circumstances of the case in order to ensure that the payments target those most in need of assistance.

Exceptional needs payments are also available under the SWA 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, and this may include exceptional heating costs. Decisions on such payments are made on a case-by-case basis.

I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.