Cormac Devlin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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405. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if time spent on a community employment scheme counts towards entitlement for fuel allowance and double payment benefits in circumstances in which an applicant has re-applied for jobseekers allowance; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41344/24]

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.

I recently announced that form this Fuel Allowance season, the period a person spends on a Community Employment Scheme, Rural Social Scheme or Tús can be counted when assessing if a person satisfies the qualifying period criterion for Fuel Allowance purposes.

Therefore, claimants who move to these Employment Support Schemes who were previously in receipt of short-term Jobseeker’s Allowance or Basic Supplementary Welfare Allowance can accrue entitlement to Fuel Allowance while on the scheme.

Furthermore, those who move onto a qualifying social welfare payment for Fuel Allowance such as Jobseekers Allowance or Basic Supplementary Welfare Allowance, following completion of these Employment Support Schemes, will also be able to use the period spent on the Employment Support Scheme to satisfy the payment period requirement.

With regards to the double payments, time spent on an Employment scheme or Training/Education course such as Community Employment Schemes, Vocational Training Opportunities Schemes or Education and Training Board courses may also be considered when establishing entitlement to these payments.

I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.