Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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644. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if the qualification criteria for the fuel allowance payment have been expanded in Budget 2023 to include those in receipt of jobseeker’s benefit or illness benefit. [54412/22]

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, at an estimated cost of €366 million in 2022. The purpose of this payment is to assist these households with their energy costs.

There was no change to the qualifying criteria for Fuel Allowance for those in receipt of Jobseekers Benefit or Illness Benefit in Budget 2023.

Qualifying payments for Fuel Allowance are those payments that are considered long term payments and an applicant must also satisfy a means test. People on long term payments are unlikely to have additional resources of their own and are more vulnerable to poverty, including energy poverty. It is for this reason that the Department allocates additional payments, supports and resources to help this cohort of claimants.

Any decision to allow those in receipt of a short-term payment such as Illness Benefit and Jobseekers Benefit to receive the Fuel Allowance payment would represent a fundamental change to the nature of the scheme and, as such, it 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.

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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645. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the rationale for someone in receipt of deserted wife’s benefit who is not working and not being eligible for fuel allowance or living-alone allowance; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [54438/22]

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, at an estimated cost of €366 million in 2022. The purpose of this payment is to assist these households with their energy costs.

Deserted Wife’s Benefit is a qualifying payment for Fuel Allowance and a person in receipt of Deserted Wife’s Benefit, subject to satisfying all relevant qualifying conditions, may receive the Fuel Allowance payment.

The Living Alone Increase (LAI) is a weekly payment, which is not means tested. The LAI is an additional payment made each week to:

- people aged 66 years or over who are in receipt of certain social welfare payments, including State pensions, and who are living alone;

- people who are less than 66 years of age, living alone and in receipt of Disability Allowance, Invalidity Pension, Incapacity Supplement or Blind Pension.

The payment types that allow a person to receive the LAI aged under 66 are payments that are paid to people who have a long-term illness or disability.

The Deserted Wife’s Benefit payment is not paid on the basis of an illness or disability and therefore LAI is not payable to those in receipt of Deserted Wife’s Benefit aged less than 66.

Those aged over 66 who are in receipt of Deserted Wife’s Benefit can receive the Living Alone Increase.

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.