Joe Walsh
Question:200 Mr. J. Walsh asked the Minister for Social Welfare the number of people in receipt of payment under the national fuel scheme; and the cost involved in 1995. [5359/96]
Written Answers. - National Fuel Scheme.
Séamus Hughes
Question:202 Mr. Hughes asked the Minister for Social Welfare the number of recipients of the national fuel scheme for each of the years from 1989 to 1994 on a county by county basis; and the reason for the 54 per cent increase in expenditure. [4793/96]
Séamus Hughes
Question:203 Mr. Hughes asked the Minister for Social Welfare when the additional smokeless fuel allowance of £3 was introduced; the areas in which a person must reside to qualify for this allowance; and the cost for each year since the implementation of this additional allowance. [4794/96]
It is proposed to take Questions Nos. 200, 202 and 203 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, £8 in smokeless zones, is paid to eligible households for 26 weeks of each year. The number of recipients of the fuel allowance for the years 1989 to 1994 are not available on a county by county basis. In respect of both the fuel allowance and the smokeless fuel allowance, the estimated number of recipients and the expenditure on a national basis is set out in the following tabular statement.
The growth in expenditure over the period may be attributed to a number of factors which has resulted in an increase in the number of recipients. These factors include the introduction, in October 1990, of the smokeless fuel allowance scheme to assist people living in the built up areas of Dublin to help meet the additional costs arising from the ban on the sale of bituminous coal in these areas. This allowance, which is paid at the rate of £3 per week to eligible persons, was extended to cover Cork city and adjacent areas to coincide with the ban on the sale of bituminous coal which came into effect there on 13 February 1995. Recipients of the £5 fuel allowance may also qualify for this payment; the extension of the fuel allowance scheme to participants on the community employment scheme and to recipients of disabled person's rehabilitation allowance in October 1994; an increase, which took effect from October 1995, in the income limits for the 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.
|
Recipients |
Expenditure |
||||
|
Year |
Fuel |
Which incl. SFA |
Fuel |
SFA |
Total |
|
£m |
£m |
£m |
|||
|
1989 |
210,400 |
— |
25.9 |
— |
25.9 |
|
1990* |
219,700 |
69,700 |
27.2 |
2.3 |
29.5 |
|
1991 |
230,000 |
72,000 |
28.8 |
5.6 |
34.4 |
|
1992 |
245,500 |
75,000 |
31.5 |
5.9 |
37.4 |
|
1993 |
255,000 |
76,500 |
31.4 |
6.1 |
37.5 |
|
1994$ |
263,600 |
80,000 |
33.7 |
6.2 |
39.9 |
|
1995$ |
274,000 |
90,000 |
35.7 |
7.1 |
42.8 |
*Smokeless Fuel Allowance (SFA) introduced in October 1990.
$Includes CE numbers from October 1994.