Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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383. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the estimated cost of increasing the fuel allowance to €40 per week for the 2023-2024 period; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2703/23]

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 €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.

Based on an estimated 450,000 recipients of the Fuel Allowance payment, the estimated cost of increasing the fuel allowance payment to €40 a week for the 2023/24 period is as follows:

Any decision to extend the eligibility criteria for Fuel Allowance or to increase the weekly rate payable would have to be considered in a budgetary context.

I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.