Written Answers. - National Fuel Scheme.
Matt Brennan
Question:
41
Mr. M. Brennan
asked the
Minister for Social Welfare
what plans, if any, he has to make funds available to pay for once-off cold weather payments additional to the national fuel scheme in view of the fact that Ireland is approaching the traditional period of the coldest weather that this country suffers each year; and if he will consider extending the fuel scheme beyond its set end date.
[1220/96]
Denis Foley
Question:
52
Mr. Foley
asked the
Minister for Social Welfare
what plans, if any, he has to index-link the fuel allowance payment in view of the forthcoming increases in the electricity service; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[4028/96]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 41 and 52 together.
The national fuel scheme assists certain householders who are in receipt of long-term social welfare or health board payments and who are unable to provide for their own heating needs. A payment of £5 per week is paid to eligible households for 26 weeks each year.
In recognition of the fact that it can be unpredictably cold in autumn and spring, the scheme is not confined to the winter months but runs for six months of the year, from mid-October to mid-April.
Last year I increased the income limit for the national fuel scheme from £5 to £10 per week. In this year's budget I announced a further £5 increase in the income limit which will take effect from October 1996. This means that a person may have a combined household income of £15 per week over the appropriate Irish maximum contributory pension rate or savings/investments of £8,000, and still qualify for the fuel allowance.
The scheme is a fixed scheme; it is not temperature related. As a result there may be a small number of occasions when the allowance is not paid even though temperatures are unseasonably cold. However, as the scheme extends over six months of the year, this is likely to be the exception rather than the rule. Of course there will also be times when the allowances will be paid even though temperatures are above the seasonal norm.
Although the national fuel scheme operates for a fixed period, there is a facility available through the supplementary welfare allowance (SWA) scheme to assist people in certain circumstances who have special heating needs.
Under the scheme a person who has exceptional heating costs due to ill health or infirmity may qualify for a heating supplement. An application for a heating supplement may be made by contacting the local community welfare officer.
Any extension to the rate of the fuel allowance or to the duration of the national fuel scheme would have cost implications and could only be considered in a budgetary context. It is estimated that to extend the scheme for one month would cost £7 million and to increase the rate from £5 to £7.50 would cost an estimated £18.3 million.
In the five year period from 1989 to 1994 expenditure on the national fuel scheme increased by almost 54 per cent. This year a sum of £44.5 million has been set aside in the Estimates for the scheme.
