Written answers

Tuesday, 20 May 2025

Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection

Social Welfare Payments

Photo of Louise O'ReillyLouise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal West, Sinn Fein)
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623. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the estimated first year and full year cost the estimated cost of a €50 payment to all recipients of the fuel allowance. [25912/25]

Photo of Louise O'ReillyLouise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal West, Sinn Fein)
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625. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the estimated first year and full year cost of a €1 increase per person to the fuel allowance. [25914/25]

Photo of Dara CallearyDara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 623 and 625 together.

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 €400 million in 2025.

At the end of December 2024, 413,934 households were in receipt of the Fuel Allowance payment. Based on similar numbers of households qualifying for the Fuel Allowance Payment during the 2025/26 fuel season, the estimated cost of a €50 payment to all households in receipt of Fuel Allowance is as follows:

Additional Payment Estimated Number of Recipients Estimated Cost
€50 413,934 €20.7m

Based on the same number of recipients, the estimated cost of increasing the Fuel Allowance payment to €34 per week, an increase of €1 per week, in 2025 and the full-year cost over the course of a 28-week Fuel Season is as follows:

Weekly Increase to the Fuel Allowance Payment Estimated Number of Recipients Estimated Additional Cost 2025 (14 weeks) Estimated Additional Yearly Cost
€1 413,934 €5.8m €11.6m

It should be noted that these costings are subject to change in the context of emerging trends and associated revision of the estimated numbers of recipients.

The provision of any additional supports such as increasing the weekly rate of the Fuel Allowance would have cost implications and could only be considered while taking account of the overall budgetary context and the availability of financial resources.

I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Photo of Louise O'ReillyLouise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal West, Sinn Fein)
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624. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the number of part-time, seasonal, casual and short-time workers in receipt of Jobseeker’s benefit. [25913/25]

Photo of Dara CallearyDara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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As of the 30th April 2025, the number of part-time, seasonal, casual and short-time workers in receipt of Jobseeker’s benefit requested by the Deputy is 5,015.

Photo of Louise O'ReillyLouise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal West, Sinn Fein)
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627. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the number of people in receipt of the working family payment. [25916/25]

Photo of Dara CallearyDara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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Working Family Payment (WFP) is a weekly in-work support which provides an income support for employees on low earnings with children. To qualify for Working Family Payment, the customer must be working a minimum of 38 hours per fortnight in ongoing insurable employment and have at least one qualified child who normally resides with them.

The number of customers currently in receipt of Working Family Payment is 48,478.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Photo of Louise O'ReillyLouise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal West, Sinn Fein)
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628. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the number of people currently in receipt of a combination of one, some or all of disability allowance, blind pension and invalidity pension payments. [25917/25]

Photo of Dara CallearyDara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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The number of people in receipt of Disability Allowance, Blind Pension and Invalidity Pension at the end of April 2025 is set out in the table below. There is no recipients of a combination of schemes as there is no entitlement to do so.

Scheme: Number of recipients:
Disability Allowance 169,152
Blind Pension 924
Invalidity Pension 55,399

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