Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein)
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240. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the reason workers on the pandemic unemployment payment cannot receive the fuel allowance; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40938/20]

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.

Qualifying payments for fuel allowance are those payments that are considered long term payments and an applicant must also satisfy a means test. People on long term payments are unlikely to have additional resources of their own and are more vulnerable to poverty, including energy poverty. It is for this reason that the Department allocates additional payments, supports and resources to help this cohort of claimants

The PUP was introduced by my Department in March 2020 and is available to all employees and the self-employed who have lost employment due to a downturn in economic activity caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. When introduced the scheme was expected to be a short term measure and applicants do not have to satisfy a means test to qualify for the payment.

Any decision to include the PUP as a qualifying payment for fuel allowance would have budgetary consequences and would have to be considered in the context of budget negotiations taking into consideration the resources available to my Department.

While the PUP is not a qualifying payment for the fuel allowance, similar to the short-term jobseeker’s allowance payment, it does not prevent an otherwise qualified household from receiving the payment.

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, 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.

Brendan Griffin (Kerry, Fine Gael)
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241. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if the Christmas bonus will be paid to a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40954/20]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The person concerned made a claim for Pandemic Unemployment Payment on 6th October 2020, having last worked on 4th October 2020. He received his first payment on the 13th October 2020 and is in receipt of the payment each week thereafter, to date.

In order to receive the Pandemic Unemployment Payment Christmas bonus the person must:

- Be eligible to receive payment in respect of the Pandemic Unemployment Payment entitlement week of 27th November to the 3rd December, which is due to be paid on 8th Decemberand

- Have been in receipt of the Pandemic Unemployment Payment and/or a Jobseekers payment and/ or an Emergency Needs Payment in lieu of the Pandemic Unemployment Payment for a total of 17 weeks in the period from 13^thof March to the 3^rdDecember 2020. The 17 weeks does not have to be continuous.

As the person concerned made his claim on 6th October 2020, he does not unfortunately satisfy the eligibility condition of the 17 weeks. If the person concerned is in need of financial assistance he may contact his local Community Welfare Officer to discuss his situation.