Alan Farrell (Dublin Fingal, Fine Gael)
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30. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection for an update on the recent expansion to the fuel allowance scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37611/24]

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.

In Budget 2023, the Government announced the largest ever expansion of the Fuel Allowance Scheme.

• In January 2023 a new means threshold was introduced for people aged 70 years and over. The new means threshold was €500 for a single person and €1,000 for a couple.
• In addition, for people aged 70 or over, the amount of capital that is disregarded was increased from €20,000 to €50,000. Savings over €50,000 are assessed on a proportionate basis only.
• The weekly means threshold for those aged under 70 was increased by €80 to €200 above the appropriate rate of State Pension (Contributory). The means threshold for a single person aged under 70 is €477.30. The means threshold when a qualified spouse, civil partner or cohabitant is aged under 66 is €662 and the means threshold when a qualified spouse, civil partner or cohabitant is aged over 66 is €725.90.
• Also from January 2023, Disablement Benefit and Half-rate Carers Allowance payment are disregarded when assessing means for Fuel Allowance purposes. Disablement Benefit also no longer disbars a household from receiving the Fuel Allowance payment.

• The Fuel Allowance Guidelines were amended from the 1^st February 2024 so that a person(s) renting a room under the prescribed conditions that allow the Fuel Allowance applicant to benefit from the rent-a-room disregard, are also disregarded for household composition and means testing purposes when assessing an applicant’s entitlement to Fuel Allowance.
• The allowable means for those aged 70 and over was increased to €512 a week for a single person and to €1,024 a week for a couple.
• The period a person spends on an Employment Support Scheme can now be counted when assessing if a person satisfies the qualifying period criterion for Fuel Allowance purposes. Therefore, claimants who move to an Employment Support Scheme who were previously in receipt of short-term Jobseeker’s Allowance/Basic Supplementary Welfare Allowance can accrue entitlement to Fuel Allowance. Those who move onto a qualifying social welfare payment for Fuel Allowance, following completion of an Employment Support Scheme, will also be able to use the period spent on the Employment Support Scheme to satisfy the payment period requirement.
• Income from any maintenance received in respect of a child will no longer be assessed as means for Fuel Allowance purposes. Compensation awards to people under the Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme, together with income from the investment of that money will also be disregarded.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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31. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if she has considered options to improve the speed with which applications for disability allowance or similar means-tested payments are processed, thus eliminating hardship for people who may be vulnerable; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37658/24]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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My Department is committed to providing a quality service to all its customers, ensuring that applications are processed and that decisions on entitlement are made in a timely manner. My Department understands the pressures faced by people and always seeks to ensure that claims are processed quickly and efficiently.

When determining someone’s suitability for Disability Allowance (DA), evidence must be examined in respect of the applicant’s medical condition, the extent to which it restricts them from taking up employment, their means and their habitual residency. To assist the Department to make timely and fair decisions on applications, applicants should ensure that they complete the form fully and attach all the supporting documentation required as per the checklist provided on the application form. It is critical that applicants provide comprehensive details about their medical conditions at the outset to best support their claim.

Many applicants submit their forms before securing all necessary supporting documentation to establish an early entitlement date. While this is understandable, claims with incomplete information typically take longer to process.

I am pleased to inform the Deputy that we are currently meeting our processing target for the DA scheme, which aims to award 75% of applications within 10 weeks. In fact, the average processing time for DA claims has remained at 6 weeks for several months.

It is also worth nothing that approximately 80% of awarded DA applicants are already supported through another social welfare payment during the DA application process. If applicants are not receiving another payment, they may be eligible for an interim payment via the Supplementary Welfare Allowance (SWA) scheme. When a claim is awarded, DA arrears are issued to the customer, backdated to the date their claim was received.

Schemes requiring extensive documentary evidence, particularly illness-related schemes, may take longer to process. Similarly, means-tested payments often necessitate more detailed investigations and interactions with applicants, which can extend the decision-making process.

Regarding Blind Pension, all applications received are registered immediately upon receipt. The ophthalmic report is forwarded to the Medical Review and Assessment section of my Department for examination by a Medical Assessor. Following the Medical Assessor’s review, the Deciding Officer conducts a means assessment and a decision on entitlement is made promptly.

I am also pleased to report that claim processing is up to date with processing targets met, or exceeded, for the main medically and means assessed scheme areas. The average processing time for Carer's Allowance claims is currently 7 weeks.

If the Deputy has a specific case they would like my officials to examine, I encourage him to forward the details for consideration.

I trust this clarifies the position for the Deputy.