Kieran O'Donnell (Limerick City, Fine Gael)
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668. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if she will review the eligibility criteria for fuel allowance from 1 January 2023 to cater for persons who meet the means but are not on a qualifying payment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [54890/22]

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.

As part of the overall social welfare Budget 2023 package of €2.2 Billion, I was pleased to have secured a major expansion of the Fuel Allowance Scheme. From January 2023, a new means threshold will be introduced for people aged 70 years and over. The new means threshold will be €500 for a single person and €1,000 for a couple. This is a significant expansion of the means threshold for those aged 70 or over.

As part of this measure, those aged over 70 will no longer have to be in receipt of a qualifying Social Welfare payment to access the Fuel Allowance payment.

In Budget 2023, the allowable means for those aged under 70 is also increased from €120 to €200 above the relevant rate of the State Pension (Contributory) from January 2023. However, applicants aged under 70 must be in receipt of a qualifying Social Welfare payment to receive Fuel Allowance.

Any decision to further amend the qualifying conditions for Fuel Allowance in the manner outlined by the Deputy would have to be considered in the context of future overall budgetary negotiations.

I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.