Seán Canney (Galway East, Independent)
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54. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if she has had any discussions with the Department of Rural and Community Development with a view to addressing the anomaly whereby some persons on rural social schemes cannot access the fuel allowance due to the fact that they were not in receipt of the allowance when they started on the scheme, especially in light of rising fuel and energy costs; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44765/22]

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 early September to April, 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. Only one allowance is paid per 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.

Participants on Rural Social schemes (RSS) can access the Fuel Allowance payment in the same circumstances as other Employment Support Scheme participants, such as those on Community Employment Schemes and Tús schemes.

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

- If the RSS scheme participant was in receipt of a long-term qualifying payment prior to going on the RSS scheme, this will allow them to satisfy the qualifying payment element. However, all other qualifying conditions of Fuel Allowance must also be satisfied i.e. the participant's household must satisfy the means test when assessed and meet the household composition criteria.

- Where the RSS 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 RSS 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 RSS would have to be considered in an overall policy and budgetary context.

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.