Frank Feighan (Sligo-Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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307. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection to provide clarity around pension entitlements of retired members of the HSE and former health boards (details supplied). [40000/24]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The Household Benefits Package comprises the electricity or gas allowance, and the free television licence. The Department of Social Protection will spend approximately €294 million this year on the Household Benefits Package for over 529,000 customers.

It is not the case that those who were subject to the D class stamp do not have access to any of these benefits.

The Free Travel pass is available to everyone aged 66 or over who live in Ireland, irrespective of whether they are in receipt of a Social Protection payment or not.

The Household Benefits Package is available to all those aged 70 or over, subject to one package per household. Furthermore, the package is available to those aged 66-69 who are not in receipt of a Social Protection payment, subject to satisfying a means test.

In 2023 I introduced the enhanced Fuel Allowance qualifying conditions for those aged 70 or over. The enhanced qualifying conditions included that a person aged over 70 no longer has to be in receipt of a qualifying Social Protection payment, thus allowing those in receipt of just Public Service pensions to qualify for the payment for the first time. In Budget 2025 I announced that, from January, the enhanced Fuel Allowance qualifying conditions will now be available to those aged 66 and over, allowing more Public Servants to qualify for the payment.

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 and can include payments towards essential heating or repair costs.

I trust that this clarifies these matters for the Deputy.