Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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902. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if, in the case of 80-year-olds, she will consider the widening of the income brackets to qualify for fuel allowance; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [57120/23]

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 €382 million in 2024. 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. 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.

As Minister for Social Protection, I was pleased to introduce a new means test for over 70s last year. The means threshold for those aged over 70 is now €512 for a single person and €1,024 for a couple and is based on gross income. In addition, for people aged 70 or over, the amount of capital (savings and investments) that is disregarded in the means test for Fuel Allowance was increased from €20,000 to €50,000. Capital means over €50,000 are assessed on a tapered level.

Any further widening of the thresholds for accessing the fuel allowance scheme for those aged 80 or over can only be considered while taking account of the overall policy and budgetary situation.

Finally, my Department provides Additional Needs Payments as part of the Supplementary Welfare Allowance scheme for people who have an essential 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 Deputy.

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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From September 2012, the rates of State pension (contributory) paid to those who had a yearly average of less than 40 contributions was lowered.

In recognition that these rate changes may have negatively impacted certain cohorts, in January 2018, the Government announced an Interim Total Contributions Approach (TCA) to calculate the entitlement of pensioners who reached State pension age on or after 1 September 2012 (i.e., those born on or after 1 September 1946) and who had a reduced rate pension entitlement based on those post Budget 2012 rate bands. As part of the Total Contributions Approach, HomeCaring Periods were introduced for the first time which allowed those who cared for children, or other dependent relatives, claim up to 20 years in lieu of contributions.

People whose pensions were decided under the 2000-2012 ratebands (i.e., those born before 1 September 1946) were subject to a significantly more generous payment regime than those who qualified before or afterwards, as a Yearly Average of only 20 contributions per year (out of a possible maximum of 52) could attract a 98% pension. If pre-2012 pensioners were also allowed avail of the interim Total Contributions Approach, including HomeCaring Periods, their arrangements, as a group, would be significantly more generous than those of post-2012 pensioners.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.