asked the Minister for Social Welfare if she will amend the free electricity scheme for the elderly to allow those entitled to avail of this scheme to carry over unused units from one billing period to the next.
Written Answers. - Free Electricity Scheme.
63.
When the free electricity allowance scheme was introduced it was recognised that the electricity bill could be a source of worry for old age pensions with limited resources and the scheme was designed to remove this expense or to reduce it substantially.
The scheme now meets the cost of the normal standing charge on the ESB's domestic consumer tariff and up to 200 or 300 units of electricity per two-monthly billing period in summer or winter respectively. Pensioners who use more than their allowance in any billing period must pay for the excess; those who use less do not receive a bill but are supplied with a statement showing the number of units consumed in the billing period and how to make further use of their allocation.
The scheme in its present format meets the normal consumption requirements of the majority of beneficiaries and there are no proposals to change it along the lines advocated by the Deputy which could add considerably to the complexity of the scheme and could have significant cost implications. The scheme, however it kept under continuous review.