asked the Minister for Social Welfare the areas of the country, and the authorities under which fuel schemes for the needy are operated at present.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Fuel Schemes.
37.
The cheap fuel scheme administered by the local authorities under the general control and direction of my Department operates in the following 17 cities and towns: Dundalk, Drogheda, Balbriggan, Dublin, Dun Laoghaire, Bray, Wicklow, Arklow, Kilkenny, Gorey, Enniscorthy, Wexford, New Ross, Waterford, Dungarvan, Cork and Limerick.
Outside the cheap fuel scheme the health boards are empowered under the Supplementary Welfare Allowances Act to give a special allowance for heating purposes where exceptional heating needs exist and this provision operates in all areas.
Would the Minister now accept that, because of the anomaly between the different schemes operating in urban and non-urban areas, there are different levels of payments being made to different people? Does he accept that it would be better to have a uniform scheme introduced for the entire country?
I indicated on a number of occasions recently that I was concerned about the unsatisfactory nature of the cheap fuel scheme. There is also the fact that in this area there are three different types of scheme operating, the cheap fuel scheme, the supplementary welfare allowance scheme and the free ESB allowance to pensioners.
And the bottled gas scheme.
Yes, as extended by the bottled gas scheme where people cannot avail of the ESB. All those elements are involved in this situation and to try to have a rational look at the situation I set up a working group to go into it.
Another?
This is the one I told the Deputy about. I am surprised the Deputy has forgotten I told him about it.
I hear about so many working groups——
Why not? Is it not better to have them working than doing nothing as happened under the Coalition?
They must be trying to phone the results through.
(Cavan-Monaghan): As it is apparent that this fuel scheme is only operated by a small number of local authorities, would the Minister consider that the proper way to deal with this would be to hand it over to the Department of Health to be run in conjunction with the supplementary benefit scheme?
There are different views about this matter. Dublin Corporation think the cheap fuel scheme should be kept on and dealt with on a voucher basis. The corporation feel that instead of giving fuel we should issue vouchers. The matter is being investigated by the working group I have established.
(Cavan-Monaghan): Would the Minister consider authorising the Department to operate the fuel scheme in conjunction with the supplementary allowance scheme in areas where a fuel scheme is not in operation?
It would be best to wait until we get the report of the working group. It is a broadly-based working group and is comprised of people who have different levels of experience of all the schemes. The sensible thing is to wait for the report and then I will report back to the House.
(Cavan-Monaghan): Many areas are waiting for years for the free fuel scheme.
As the Deputy knows this free fuel scheme has not been satisfactory. It has been confined to certain urban areas and even in those areas there have been lots of complaints about it.
I trust the Minister's telephone is working.
It never was.
I will be glad to make representations on the Minister's behalf.