Thomas Pringle (Donegal, Independent)
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282. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the reason that those on community employment schemes are excluded from receiving fuel allowance; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46490/22]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The Fuel Allowance is a payment of €33 per week for 28 weeks (a total of €924 each year) from late September to April, which is supporting over 370,000 households in 2022, at an estimated cost of €366 million. 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.

The criteria for Fuel Allowance are framed in order to direct limited resources in as targeted a manner as possible. 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 who are unlikely to have additional resources of their own.

If a participant on a Community Employment (CE) scheme was in receipt of Fuel Allowance prior to going on the scheme, they can continue to receive the fuel allowance payment while participating on the scheme once they continue to satisfy the qualifying conditions.

If the CE participant was not in receipt of the Fuel Allowance payment prior to going on the CE scheme they may still apply for and qualify for Fuel Allowance in the following circumstances.

- If the CE scheme participant was in receipt of a long-term qualifying payment prior to going on the CE scheme this will allow them to satisfy the qualifying payment element. However, all other qualifying conditions of Fuel Allowance must also be satisfied.

- Where the CE scheme participant has an established underlying entitlement to Fuel Allowance but is not in receipt of the allowance because another member of the household was receiving the payment, it is open to the CE scheme participant to apply for Fuel Allowance if these circumstances change, e.g., where the Fuel Allowance recipient leaves the address.

Any decision to extend the eligibility criteria for Fuel Allowance for other people participating on a CE scheme would have to be considered in the context of overall budgetary negotiations.

Finally, the Department of Social Protection provides Additional Needs Payments as part of the Supplementary Welfare Allowance scheme for people who have an urgent need, which they cannot meet from their own resources. These payments are available through our Community Welfare Officers.

I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.