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Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 28 Apr 1998

Vol. 490 No. 2

Written Answers - Social Welfare Benefits.

Breeda Moynihan-Cronin

Question:

234 Mrs. B. Moynihan-Cronin asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs if he will grant all old age pensioners who have an entitlement to fuel allowance a once off grant of £28 which is the cost of three bags of coal, in view of the fact they have suffered due to the three week spell of extremely cold weather and are experiencing financial difficulties due to the withdrawal of their fuel allowance. [10013/98]

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 during the Fuel Allowance heating season, which runs for 26 weeks of each year from mid-October to mid-April. An additional £3 per week smokeless fuel allowance is payable during the heating season to fuel recipients in Dublin, Cork and, from October 1998, Limerick, Wexford, Arklow, Dundalk and Drogheda. This extra allowance is to assist recipients in meeting the increased costs of buying smokeless fuel in urban areas where there is a ban on the sale of bituminous coal for environmental reasons.

There are some 97,000 pensioners over the age of 66 in receipt of a fuel allowance and the estimated cost of giving them a once off grant of £28 each would be £2.7 million. This could only be considered in a budgetary context.

However, there is a facility available through the supplementary welfare allowance scheme to assist people in certain circumstances who have special heating needs. This operates in addition to the national fuel scheme. Under the SWA scheme, a person who has exceptional heating costs due to ill health or infirmity may qualify for a heating supplement. This can be paid as a weekly supplement in addition to other social welfare payments. An application for a heating supplement may be made by contacting the Community Welfare Officer at the local health centre.

Where a person would not normally qualify for a heating supplement there is provision under the SWA scheme to pay an Exceptional Needs Payment. The purpose of ENPs is to help prevent hardship by providing for essential, once-off, exceptional expenditure, which applicants could not reasonably be expected to meet out of their weekly income. ENPs are payable at the discretion of the health board taking into account the requirements of the legislation and all the relevant circumstances of the case. These facilities under the SWA scheme are already in place and are a more appropriate mechanism to meet the needs of those who are experiencing financial difficulties due to the exceptionally cold weather experienced after the end of this year's fuel allowance heating season.

Michael Ring

Question:

235 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs when an appeal for a person (details supplied) in County Mayo will be finalised. [10016/98]

The person concerned was in receipt of unemployment assistance at a weekly rate of £173.50 based on a ‘Nil' means assessment made in 1983.

Following a recent review of his entitlement his means from farm income were assessed at £12.00 per week. On the basis of this means assessment his entitlement to unemployment assistance is now £161.50 from 13 March 1998 and a deciding officer made a decision to that effect.
The person's appeal against that the decision was referred to an appeals officer who has decided that the assessment is fair and reasonable. All expenses claimed by the person in his notice of appeal in respect of the farming operation had been allowed in the means assessment. The person's appeal was disallowed and he is being notified accordingly.
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