Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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577. To ask the Minister for Finance the details of all services, grants, loans and payments available to individuals or households funded by his Department and agencies under his remit; the eligibility requirements and any conditionality for receiving the service, grant, loan or payment (details supplied); and the monetary value, or range of values, of the service, grant, loans or payment, where applicable. [19172/25]

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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The Disabled Drivers and Disabled Passengers Scheme Fuel Grant is under the remit of my Department. To qualify for this grant, a claimant must hold a valid Primary Medical Certificate (PMC). The fuel grant may be paid to an eligible person in respect of hydrocarbon oil used in a qualifying vehicle or qualifying vehicle (organisation), where the use of the hydrocarbon oil was related to the transportation of the disabled person or persons concerned, whether as a disabled driver or a disabled passenger in a qualifying vehicle or qualifying vehicle (organisation) at the rate based on the type of hydrocarbon oil used. Fuel Grant recipients can claim retrospectively for a portion of annual fuel costs incurred, up to 2,700 litres per annum for individuals and 4,100 litres for organisations.

A total value of €10,526,424 was claimed through the Fuel Grant in 2024.

The current rates of Fuel Grant payable from 1 January 2025 are:

Petrol – €0.689 per litre

Diesel – €0.596 per litre

Liquefied Petroleum Gas – €0.155

From 1 May 2025, the rates of Fuel Grant payable will be:

Petrol – €0.689 per litre

Diesel – €0.596 per litre

Liquefied Petroleum Gas – €0.167

The Strategic Banking Corporation of Ireland (SBCI) is a body under the aegis of my Department. The Home Energy Upgrade Loan Scheme is available through the SBCI. The scheme aims to make residential energy upgrades more accessible and affordable for eligible homeowners. It supports energy efficiency and renewable energy upgrades where those works are also being grant-aided by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI).

Applicants must meet the following requirements:

• be a natural person (meaning an individual, not a company) acting for his/her own benefit and not on behalf of someone else
• be resident in Ireland
• not be tax resident in a non-compliant jurisdiction
• be availing of a grant under a SEAI scheme for the purpose of funding (in part) the energy efficiency investment under the scheme
• confirm ownership of an eligible property (see Eligible Property Criteria section below) by providing a self-declaration and the Meter Point Reference Number (MPRN) for the property.

• Borrower must avail of a Home Energy Grant from the SEAI
• Works must be carried out with an SEAI registered One Stop Shop, or Community Project Coordinator.
  • List of SEAI Registered One Stop Shops: www.seai.ie/grants/home-energy-grants/one-stop-shop
  • List of Community Project Co-ordinators: www.seai.ie/grants/community-grants/project-coordinator/
• The proposed uplift of the energy performance of the property must be at least 20% or more when compared to the existing Building Energy Rating.
• 75% of the total loan amount must be spent on home energy upgrades works (net of grant).