Written answers

Tuesday, 9 November 2021

Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection

Social Welfare Eligibility

Photo of Martin BrowneMartin Browne (Tipperary, Sinn Fein)
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470. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if his attention has been drawn to the fact that a number of older persons are excluded from the fuel allowance on the grounds of income despite being entirely dependent on social welfare; and her plans to address this issue. [54274/21]

Photo of Heather HumphreysHeather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The Fuel Allowance is a payment of €33.00 per week for 28 weeks (a total of €924 over a full fuel season) from October to April, to 365,000 low income households, at an estimated cost of €300 million in 2021. 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.

The criteria for fuel allowance are framed in order to direct the limited resources available to the Department in as targeted a manner as possible. People who are in receipt of a qualifying contributory payment must also satisfy a means test. All non-contributory recipients are accepted as satisfying the means-test.

A fuel applicant and members of his/her household may have a combined assessable income of up to €100.00 a week above the appropriate rate of State Pension Contributory and qualify for a payment. Therefore, an elderly person who is solely dependent on Social Welfare payments would only be refused fuel on the grounds of income if they are in receipt of an additional payment from my Department at a rate in excess of the allowable €100.00 a week. From January 2022 the allowable combined assessable income will be increased by €20 to €120.

It might be remembered that more than half of those over 66 are solely dependent upon the State pension. The €100 a week means limit is significantly higher that the weekly fuel allowance rate of €33.00. Therefore, pensioners with a weekly social welfare income of €100 above the appropriate rate of State Pension Contributory will still be receiving a payment that is higher than those received by pensioners dependent on just the State Pension and fuel allowance.

Any decision to disregard all Social Welfare payments when assessing household means for fuel allowance purposes would have budgetary consequences and could only be considered while taking account of the overall budgetary context and priorities and the availability of financial resources.

Under the Supplementary Welfare Allowance scheme exceptional needs payments (ENP) may be made to help meet an essential, once-off cost which an applicant is unable to meet out of his / her own resources. There is no automatic entitlement to this payment. Each application is determined by a Deciding Officer based on the particular circumstances of the case.

I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

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