Barry Ward (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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671. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection his views on the merits of expanding the fuel allowance to include all persons over the age of 70 that live alone; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [61835/25]

Barry Ward (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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674. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the annual cost to the Exchequer to maintain the existing fuel allowance payments; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [61838/25]

Barry Ward (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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675. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the research he has carried out into the cost of expanding the fuel allowance to a larger cohort of people; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [61839/25]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 671, 674 and 675 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. The purpose of this payment is to provide targeted assistance to certain households in respect of their energy costs. Only one allowance is paid per household. The estimated cost of the Fuel Allowance payment in 2025 is €400.5 million.

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 granting a fuel allowance to all persons over the age of 70 that live alone, irrespective of means would have to be considered in the context of scheme policy and budgetary negotiations.

My Department does of course pay the Living Alone Increase to those who live alone to compensate for the additional individual costs of living alone when compared to a couple or family. The Living Alone Increase is an extra payment for people who are living alone and getting certain social welfare payments. The living Alone Increase is paid at an addition weekly rate of €22 or €1,144 a year. The yearly rate of Living Alone Increase at €1,144 is higher than that of the Fuel Allowance payment of €924 and is not payable to couples.

Finally, the Programme for Government includes a commitment to examine key ancillary benefits such as the Fuel Allowance, Household Benefits and the Living Alone Increase to support vulnerable groups. This is an ongoing activity as part of the Department's budget planning each year.

It was announced as part of Budget 2026 that the Fuel Allowance will increase by €5 to €38 per week and, for the first time, families receiving the Working Family Payment will qualify for the Fuel Allowance, while those who leave their disability payment to take up employment can continue to receive their Fuel Allowance for five years after exiting their payment.

I will continue, as part of the budget planning process, to consider if improvements or expansions can be made to ensure that these benefits continue to target vulnerable groups. The Budget planning process would include estimating the cost of these potential improvements and expansions and any future decisions, will of course, have to take account of the availability of financial resources.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.