Gerald Nash (Louth, Labour)
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1359.To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the estimated cost increasing the weekly fuel allowance weekly payment by €7 for the 2024-2025 fuel season; the full-year cost in 2025; the cost of an additional four weeks of fuel allowance in 2025; the additional cost of those four weeks with a €7-per-week increase; the number of applicants that would benefit; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32714/24]

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.

At the end of December 2023, 411,395 household were in receipt of the Fuel Allowance payment. Based on similar numbers of households qualifying for the Fuel Allowance Payment during the 2024/25 fuel season, the estimated cost of increasing the fuel allowance payment to €40 per week for the 2024-2025 period, an increase of €7 per week and the full-year cost in 2025 over the course of a 28-week Fuel Season is as follows.

The estimated cost of increasing the fuel allowance season by 4 weeks to 32 weeks is as follows:

The provision of any additional supports such as increasing the weekly rate of the Fuel Allowance would have cost implications and could only be considered while taking account of the overall budgetary context and the availability of financial resources.

I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Gerald Nash (Louth, Labour)
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1360.To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the estimated cost of every €1 increase in the living alone allowance; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32715/24]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The Living Alone Increase is an extra payment for recipients of certain social welfare payments who live alone. The current rate of increase is €22 per week a and is available to persons aged 66 or older who live alone and are in receipt of the State Pension (contributory and non-contributory), Widows, Widowers and Surviving Civil Partner's (contributory) Pension, Incapacity Supplement or Deserted Wife's Benefit. It is also available to those aged under 66 who live alone and are in receipt of Disability Allowance, Invalidity Pension, Incapacity Supplement, or Blind Pension.

At the end of May 2024 there were just under 245,000 recipients of the Living Alone Increase. Based on that number, an increase of €1 per week would cost an estimated €12.74 million, with an additional €1 per week being a multiple of that.

I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.