Jen Cummins (Dublin South Central, Social Democrats)
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1376. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection his plan to allow JI participants to qualify for the fuel allowance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46031/25]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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The Job Initiative scheme provides full-time employment for people 35 years of age or over who had been unemployed for five years or more. Since November 2004, there has been no recruitment to the scheme. Since January 2004, participants on the Job Initiative scheme cannot retain their entitlement to Fuel Allowance while participating on the scheme.

The current rate of payment for a Job Initiative participant is €543.00 per week, significantly higher than most Social Protection primary payments.

Any further changes to the criteria for accessing the fuel allowance scheme would have cost implications and could only be considered while taking account of the overall budgetary context and the availability of financial resources. However, any such decision would change the targeted nature of the Fuel Allowance scheme, as it would be awarding the payment to people in full-time employment who are not in receipt of a qualifying Social Protection payment.

Séamus McGrath (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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1377. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection to review the qualification criteria for the fuel allowance (details supplied). [46117/25]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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The criteria for Fuel Allowance are framed in order to direct the limited resources available to the Department in as targeted a manner as possible. To qualify for the Fuel Allowance payment, a person must satisfy all the qualifying criteria, this ensures that the Fuel Allowance payment is targeted at those who are more vulnerable to fuel poverty, including those reliant on social protection payments for longer periods and who are unlikely to have additional resources of their own.

A change in the qualifying criteria such as including those in low paid employment aged under 66 and not in receipt of a qualifying social protection payment, would have to be considered in the context of budgetary negotiations. Disregarding a household member who is not reliant on long term social protection payments and who is in employment would change the targeted nature of the scheme.

I understand however that there will always be exceptional cases and it is for this reason that my department provides Additional Needs Payments as part of the Supplementary Welfare Allowance scheme. My department may make Additional Needs Payments to help meet essential expenses that a person cannot pay from their weekly income or other personal and household resources. The payment is available to anyone who needs it and qualifies, whether the person is currently receiving a social welfare payment or working on a low income.

Any person who considers that they may have an entitlement to an Additional Needs Payment is encouraged to contact their local community welfare service. There is a National Community Welfare Contact Centre in place - 0818-607080 - which will direct callers to the appropriate office. In addition, applications can be made online via www.mywelfare.ie/.

Eamon Scanlon (Sligo-Leitrim, Fianna Fail)
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1378. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection since when applicants are required to provide proof of planning permission in order to qualify for the fuel allowance; the rationale behind the requirements for evidence of planning permission, such as with a case (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46130/25]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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One Fuel Allowance is payable per household. Where there is a second residence on a site, such as a caravan or mobile home, that residence must have planning permission to be considered a household in its’ own right for the purposes of Fuel allowance.

As the person concerned could not provide evidence that they obtained planning permission for the caravan, it was considered part of the same household as the house on that site.

If circumstances have changed and the person concerned can provide evidence of planning permission, their entitlement to fuel allowance will be reviewed.

Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
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1379. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if his attention has been drawn to the fact that in cases in which a person sells their family home to move to more suitable accommodation, up to €337,500 of the sale proceeds is exempt from the means test for the State pension (non-contributory); that the same exemption does not apply when the person is applying for fuel allowance; if he plans to correct this anomaly in budget 2026; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46157/25]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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The criteria for Fuel Allowance are framed in order to direct the limited resources available to the Department in as targeted a manner as possible. The means test ensures that the Fuel Allowance payment goes to those who are more vulnerable to fuel poverty, including those reliant on social protection payments for longer periods and who are unlikely to have additional resources of their own.

It is the nature of my Departments schemes that the qualifying criteria can vary depending on the scheme. Fuel Allowance is a secondary benefit which is targeted at those who require support towards the cost of heating their home. It is due to the targeted nature of this payment that the means exemption for when a person sells their family home is not extended to this cohort.

While my Department's schemes are reviewed on an ongoing basis, any decision to extend the exemption of up to €337,500 of the sale proceeds of a person’s primary residence to the Fuel Allowance scheme could only be considered in a wider budgetary and policy context.

The Fuel Allowance payment does in itself have significant means disregards for those aged over 66. The amount of capital that is disregarded in the means test for Fuel Allowance is €50,000 with savings over €50,000 are assessed on a proportionate basis only.

Finally, qualifying non-contributory payment recipients such as those in receipt of the State Pension Non-Contributory are generally accepted as satisfying the means-test. A means test to determine entitlement to Fuel Allowance would generally only be required if a contributory payment is also in payment in the household.