Vol. 463 No. 7
12 Mr. J. Walsh asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will review the issue of extra money to cover the cost of smokeless fuel, currently only available in parts of the country, to all of the country for those on social welfare. [7189/96]
22 Mr. J. Walsh asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will consider a total review of the free fuel scheme to allow £3 - £4 per week to be paid for every week of the year and allow those eligible to build up supplies. [7187/96]
42 Miss Quill asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will consider increasing the free fuel allowances scheme to people who are residing in smokeless fuel areas. [7227/96]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 12, 22 and 42 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 weekly payment of £5 is made to eligible households for 26 weeks of each year. An additional smokeless fuel allowance of £3 is paid to qualified householders in Dublin and Cork cities and adjacent areas where a ban on the sale of bituminous coal applies.
The Department of the Environment has responsibility for air quality and deciding where a ban on bituminous coal should apply. Neither a review of the urban air quality by that Department or the Environmental Protection Agency's review of national air quality generally, have revealed recent excesses of statutory air quality standards. The Department of the Environment has no immediate plans to extend the ban on bituminous coal and consequently I have no plans to extend the smokeless fuel allowance to areas where the ban does not presently apply.
