Aindrias Moynihan (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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375. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if the qualifying payments required currently for fuel allowance will remain when the new income criteria are implemented in January 2023; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [56210/22]

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.

In Budget 2023, I announced that, 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 measure seeks to ensure that older people not currently in receipt of Fuel Allowance but who are marginally outside the thresholds will now be covered by the scheme.  This reform is being introduced because older people can often be more vulnerable to the effects of energy poverty.

Those aged over 70 will no longer be required to be in receipt of a qualifying Social Welfare payment but will still have to satisfy all other relevant qualifying criteria.

There has been no change to the qualifying payment requirement for those aged under 70 and an applicant aged under 70 will still be required to be in receipt of a qualifying payment for Fuel Allowance purposes.

I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.