Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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864. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the rationale for the rule that means a person on deserted wife's benefit is not entitled to the fuel allowance or the living alone allowance; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [63758/22]

Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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865. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the rationale for the rule that means a person on deserted wife's benefit is not entitled to the fuel allowance or the living alone allowance; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [63759/22]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 864 and 865 together.

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 €412 million in 2023.  The purpose of this payment is to assist these households with their energy costs.  Only one allowance is paid per household.

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 under age 66 to receive the LAI are payments 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 under 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 Deputies.