Written Answers. - Social Welfare Benefits.
Bernard Allen
Question:
84
Mr. Allen
asked the
Minister for Social Welfare
the category of social welfare recipients who will receive the extra £3 per week fuel allowance arising from the designation of Cork city as a smoke free zone; the proposals, if any, he has to help social welfare recipients who do not receive fuel allowance; and if a special payment will be made to them to offset the extra cost involved in the purchase of smokeless coal.
[1192/94]
The smokeless fuel allowance of £3 already available to people in the Dublin area will be paid in Cork to recipients of social welfare and health board payments living in the restricted areas who meet certain conditions when the ban on bituminous coal commences. In future years, it will be paid from mid-October to mid-April.
People on social welfare, living in the restricted areas of Cork who will receive the new allowance includes:
—all households which already receive a weekly fuel allowance of £5 under the National Fuel Scheme. Their allowance will now rise to £8 per week. They include all long term social welfare and health board recipients who are unable to provide for their own heating needs and live alone or live only with dependants or other social welfare recipients who are also qualified for a fuel allowance;
—people receiving short term unemployment assistance, unemployment benefit or disability benefit for at least three months or Family Income Supplement (FIS) who meet the other conditions outlined above for qualifying for a fuel allowance under the National Fuel Shcme. Their weekly payments will be increased by £3.
The arrangements for payment of this allowance are as follows:
Social Welfare Pensioners already receiving a Fuel Allowance
Pensioners who live within the designated area will have the fuel allowance of £5 already included in their normal pension book for the winter fuel season. An additional book containing weekly payable orders of £3 for the relevant period will be issued to them as soon as possible. This will top up their fuel payment to £8 weekly.
People receiving Unemployment Payments for at least three months
Those eligible for the allowance will be paid an extra £3 per week in addition to their unemployment payment and the fuel allowance where this is already payable.
Health Boards Clients
These clients apply for an allowance under the National Fuel Scheme through the local health centres. The additional £3 allowance per week will also be paid through the local health centre.
People receiving Disability Benefit for at least three months
These recipients are paid by weekly cheques and the new allowance will be included in the weekly cheque. In the case of people on long term disability and who are paid by book, an extra book containing payable orders for the additional £3 a week smokeless fuel supplement will be issued to customers resident in the designated areas as soon as possible.
People receiving Family Income Supplement FIS
These recipients are paid by a payable order book. The supplementary book containing the extra £3 weekly fuel allowance will be issued to families as soon as possible.
The number involved is over 20,000 households.
Any further extension of the fuel allowance would have to be considered in a budgetary context.
