Vol. 494 No. 5
48 Mr. Barrett asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the plans, if any, he has to provide the free fuel allowance to persons in receipt of contributory old age pensions who also receive a small pension of up to £50 per week from their former employers in view of the high costs of domestic heating in the winter months. [17677/98]
113 Mrs. B. Moynihan-Cronin asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the plans, if any, he has to make provision in the forthcoming budget to extend the free fuel scheme to pensioners who are in receipt of small retirement pensions from local authorities and other similar bodies; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18801/98]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 48 and 113 together.
The aim of the national fuel scheme is to assist householders who are on 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 per week in smokeless zones, is paid to eligible households for 26 weeks from mid October to mid April.
In order to be eligible for assistance under the national fuel scheme, the income of a contributory pensioner and his household must be below a certain limit, currently £15 per week in excess of the maximum standard old age contributory pension rate. This means that a person may have a combined household income of up to £15 per week over the appropriate Irish maximum standard pension rate, or savings of £8,000, and still qualify for the fuel allowance.
Changes in the national fuel scheme to increase the present income limit of £15 per week as suggested by the Deputies would have to be considered in a budgetary context, taking into account improvements in the primary weekly payment rates. In that regard, the House will recall that substantial increases in all the social welfare primary payments of either £3 or £5 per week were paid from June 1998.
