Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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405. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if a fuel allowance will be awarded to persons (details supplied) once a means test is satisfied; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9805/23]

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.

The criteria for Fuel Allowance are framed in order to direct the limited resources available to my Department in as targeted a manner as possible. To qualify for the Fuel Allowance payment, a person must satisfy all the qualifying criteria including a means test and the household composition criteria. This ensures that the Fuel Allowance payment is targeted at those who are more vulnerable to fuel poverty, including those reliant on social protection payments for longer periods and who are unlikely to have additional resources of their own.

To satisfy the household composition requirement, an applicant aged under 70 must live alone or only with:

- a qualified spouse / civil partner / cohabitant or qualified child(ren); (if the Qualified Adult is in receipt of half rate Carer’s Allowance, in addition to the IQA payment, they may qualify for Fuel Allowance, subject to a means test)

OR

- a person in receipt of a qualifying payment who would be entitled to the allowance in their own right

OR

- a person who is in receipt of Carer’s Allowance or Carer’s Benefit in respect of providing full-time care and attention to the Fuel Allowance applicant or their qualified spouse / civil partner / cohabitant or qualified child(ren).

OR

- a person receiving short-term Jobseeker's Allowance or Basic SWA (less than 312 days for JA and less than 12 months/364 days for SWA).

The Benefit Payment for 65-Year-Olds is a short-term payment for people aged 65 who have ceased employment or self-employment and who satisfy the pay-related social insurance (PRSI) contribution conditions. It is not a means tested payment. Therefore, Benefit Payment for 65-Year-Olds is not a qualifying payment for Fuel Allowance.

Any decision to include the Benefit Payment for 65-Year-Olds as a qualifying payment for Fuel Allowance would have to be considered in an overall policy and budgetary context.

I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Michael McNamara (Clare, Independent)
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406. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the reason a person (details supplied) has not qualified for an invalidity pension; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9807/23]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Invalidity Pension (IP) is payable to an insured person who satisfies certain Pay Related Social Insurance (PRSI) contribution conditions and who is permanently incapable of work due to an illness or incapacity and for no other reason.

Claimants must have at least 260 (5 years) paid PRSI contributions (class A, E, H or S) since entering social insurance and 48 contributions paid or credited in the last or second last complete contribution year before the relevant date of their Invalidity Pension claim.

The relevant date is:

(a) any date after the completion of one year of continuous incapacity for work, or

(b) any lesser period that may be prescribed, subject to the conditions and in the circumstances that may be prescribed

where the insured person has entered into a continuous period of incapacity for work and he or she is subsequently proved to be permanently incapable of work.

A qualifying condition for IP is that a person must be regarded as being permanently incapable of work. A person is regarded as being permanently incapable of work if;

For the period of 1 year immediately before the date of application the person had been continuously incapable of work and a Deciding Officer or an Appeals Officer is satisfied that the person is likely to continue to be incapable of work for at least another year,

OR

A Deciding Officer or an Appeals Officer is satisfied that the likelihood is that the person will be incapable of work for life.

My Department has not received an application for IP from the person concerned. In March 2022, a medical review commenced as the person concerned was in receipt of Illness Benefit (IB) for 18 months and IB is payable for a maximum of 2 years. This review was to assess his continued eligibility for the IB that was in payment to him and also to access his possible medical suitability for IP. The result of the medical assessment was that he did not meet the medical eligibility conditions for IP at that time. The person concerned was informed of the outcome of the medical assessment on the 9 May 2022, he was also advised that he could still make an application for IP if he felt he met the qualifying criteria.

Eligibility for IP can only be established on receipt of a completed application form. The person concerned should submit an IP application form and their entitlement can then be determined.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.