Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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158. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if she will extend the living alone and fuel allowance eligibility criteria to carers in the context of the Budget 2025. [29983/24]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The Living Alone Increase is a weekly payment, which is not means tested. The Living Alone Increase is an additional payment made each week to persons who live alone and are in receipt of certain Social Protection payments.

These payments include over 66 recipients of State Pension (Contributory), State Pension (Non-contributory), Widow’s, Widower’s, or Surviving Civil Partner’s (Contributory) Pension, Widow's/Widower's Pension under the Occupational Injuries Benefit Scheme, Incapacity Supplement under the Occupational Injuries Benefit Scheme and Deserted Wife's Benefit.

The payment types that allow a person under age 66 to receive the Living Alone Increase are payments to people who have a long-term illness or disability that is Disability Allowance, Invalidity Pension, Incapacity Supplement or Blind Pension.

While a person in receipt of Carer's Allowance may be caring for people who have a long-term illness or disability, payment is not paid on the basis of an illness or disability of the person being cared for and therefore the Living Alone Increase is not payable to those solely in receipt of Carer's Allowance.

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.

While Carer's Allowance is not a qualifying payment for Fuel Allowance, a person in receipt of Carer's Allowance may avail of the Fuel Allowance payment in certain circumstances. Fuel Allowance is a household-based payment, and a carer will very often live with and care for a person in receipt of a qualifying payment for Fuel Allowance. Income from Carer's Allowance is disregarded from the fuel means test if the carer is providing full time care and attention to the Fuel Allowance applicant, his/her qualified spouse/civil partner or cohabitant or qualified child(ren).

If a person is getting certain qualifying social welfare payments and also providing full time care and attention to another person, they can keep their main social protection payment in addition to receiving the half-rate Carer's Allowance. They can also receive an extra half-rate Carer’s Allowance if they care for more than one person. Since January 2023, the amount of half-rate Carer’s Allowance received is now disregarded when assessing means for Fuel Allowance purposes.

Any further widening of the qualifying criteria for accessing the living alone increase or the fuel allowance scheme can only be considered while taking account of the overall policy and budgetary situation.

I trust that this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.