Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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500. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if a person (details supplied) who is in receipt of a disablement pension of €190 per month is entitled to the fuel allowance. [49742/22]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The Fuel Allowance is a contribution towards the energy costs of a household. The payment of €33 per week for 28 weeks (a total of €924 each year) is paid from late September to April.

Under the current qualifying conditions, a person will not qualify for fuel allowance if they are in receipt of disablement benefit. As the person concerned is in receipt of the state pension (contributory) and disablement benefit, they are currently not eligible for fuel allowance.

As the Deputy is aware, I recently announced that, as part of the Budget 2023 package, the disablement benefit and half-rate carer’s allowance will be disregarded in the means test for fuel allowance from January 2023. I have arranged for a fuel allowance application form to issue to the person concerned. On receipt of the completed application form, their entitlement will be examined.

I hope this clarifies the position.