Written answers
Wednesday, 22 January 2025
Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection
Social Welfare Eligibility
Mairéad Farrell (Galway West, Sinn Fein)
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894. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the reason that recipients of partial capacity benefit who have transitioned from invalidity pension are excluded from the fuel allowance; the supports available for people with disabilities to return to part-time work; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1570/25]
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). It is paid from late September to April, at an estimated cost of €400 million in 2025. The purpose of this payment is to assist qualifying households with their energy costs. Only one allowance is paid per household.
The criteria for Fuel Allowance are framed to direct the limited resources available to the Department in as targeted a manner as possible, and so it is focused on long term payments where an applicant satisfies a means test. People on long term payments are unlikely to have additional resources of their own and are more vulnerable to poverty, including energy poverty.
Partial Capacity Benefit allows people to continue to receive a percentage of their previous payment while in employment. In addition, the scheme has been designed so there are no restrictions on the number of hours a person in receipt of the payment can work and there are no restrictions on earnings. It is for this reason it is not a qualifying payment for Fuel Allowance.
The two main schemes available from my Department to people with disabilities are Invalidity Pension and Disability Allowance.
Partial Capacity Benefit extends the Invalidity Pension scheme to recognise and respond to the reality that some people with long-term illnesses have a capacity to engage in employment while continuing to need some income support from the State. The Partial Capacity Benefit scheme has been designed to allow persons in receipt of this payment to continue to receive a percentage of their previous Invalidity Pension or Illness Benefit payment (i.e., 50%, 75% or 100%) while in employment.
A person in receipt of Disability Allowance may continue to receive the payment if they are engaged in part-time work. They can work and earn up to €165 a week - after paying PRSI, pension contributions and union dues - without their Disability Allowance payment being affected. If they earn more than €165 a week, 50% of their earnings between €165 and €375 will not be taken into account in the Disability Allowance means test with any earnings over €375 assessed in full.
While the Department continues to keep the range of supports available under review, any decision to change the qualifying criteria for the Fuel Allowance payment would have budgetary consequences and would have to be considered in a wider budgetary context.
Finally, the Department of Social Protection provides Additional Needs Payments as part of the Supplementary Welfare Allowance scheme to help meet essential expenses that a person cannot pay from their weekly income. Payments are made at the discretion of the officers administering the scheme, taking into account the requirements of the legislation, and all the relevant circumstances of the case in order to ensure that the payments target those most in need of assistance.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
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