Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 3 Jun 1998

Vol. 491 No. 6

Written Answers. - Social Welfare Benefits.

Michael Ring

Question:

223 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs if he will reconsider and approve the continuation of the free fuel allowance all year round, particularly for the elderly and those with a genuine need. [12822/98]

Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs (Mr. D. Ahern)

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 yearly.

An additional smokeless fuel allowance of £3 per week is payable during the heating season to fuel recipients in Dublin and Cork to help meet the additional costs arising from the ban on the sale of bituminous coal. This allowance will be extended to Limerick, Wexford, Arklow, Dundalk and Drogheda from October 1998. 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. Any extension of the duration of the scheme would have significant cost implications and could only be considered in a budgetary context. It is estimated that to extend the scheme from six to 12 months would cost an additional £45 million. The estimated cost of extending the fuel season to 52 weeks for the elderly is an extra £15.3 million each year.

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 supplementary welfare allowance 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 supplementary welfare allowance scheme are already in place and are considered by me to be a more appropriate mechanism to meet the needs of those who are experiencing financial difficulties due to exceptional heating needs.