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Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 13 Nov 1986

Vol. 369 No. 10

Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Free Fuel Schemes.

5.

asked the Minister for Social Welfare when she intends to harmonise the national and urban free fuel schemes.

The national fuel scheme which is operated under the supplementary welfare allowances scheme, applies throughout the State and covers persons on social welfare pensions or health board payments who have no other income and who satisfy a living alone condition.

Urban fuel schemes are in operation in certain cities and towns mainly along the eastern and southern seaboards. These schemes are administered by the local authorities concerned and the schemes give automatic entitlement to persons in receipt of certain pensions and certain persons on unemployment assistance. The schemes are confined to the areas concerned and persons living outside one of those areas do not qualify for a fuel allowance under the scheme.

The value of the fuel allowance in each case is £5 per week and the schemes operate from October to April. The legal basis of the national fuel scheme is at present sub judice and the decision of the Supreme Court in the matter is being awaited.

Subject to this decision, it is proposed to continue the fuel schemes in their present form for the 1986-87 season and to examine the question of producing a single uniform scheme for the whole country from October 1987 onwards.

Is the Minister aware that there is a necessity to harmonise the national and urban free fuel schemes? Would she concede that it is unfair that whilst under the urban fuel scheme persons on employment assistance with dependants can qualify for free fuel, yet those on unemployment payments who are under the national fuel scheme are specifically precluded from receiving fuel allowances? Does she think that this is fair? Does she think that certain sections of the unemployed living outside the urban areas who would qualify for the urban fuel scheme are being specifically discriminated against?

I feel that I cannot, as I mentioned earlier on, discuss the basis of the national fuel scheme because we are awaiting a decision of the Supreme Court in the matter. I would agree with the Deputy that there is, indeed, much injustice felt by people, for different reasons, about the existence of two separate fuel schemes. A single scheme would involve either termination of the automatic entitlement of certain categories of people, or the extension of the entitlement to all those categories throughout the country. I am sure that the Deputy is aware that there is a continual demand for the extension of the schemes to all sorts of other categories outside the present urban areas. Without enormously increased expenditure it would be very difficult to produce a harmonised scheme which did not involve the abolition of some current rights to fuel.

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