Written answers

Thursday, 31 March 2022

Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection

Social Welfare Eligibility

Photo of Louise O'ReillyLouise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein)
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318. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if a husband and wife can receive the fuel allowance in circumstances in which both are in receipt of a contributory pension; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17311/22]

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 each year) from October to April, which is supporting up to an estimated 400,000 households in 2022, at an estimated cost of €366 million in 2022. 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.

To receive the Fuel Allowance payment an applicant must be in receipt of a qualifying payment, satisfy a means test and the household composition test. This ensures that the Fuel Allowance payment goes to those who are more vulnerable to fuel poverty including those reliant on social protection payments for longer periods and those who are unlikely to have additional resources of their own.

Contributory pensions such as the State Contributory Pension and Invalidity Pension are qualifying payments for Fuel Allowance and a husband and wife who are both in receipt of the payment may qualify for Fuel Allowance, subject to satisfying all other relevant qualifying conditions. However, it needs to be reiterated that only one allowance is payable per household.

I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

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