Michael Ring
Question:243 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs when a person (details supplied) in County Mayo will be approved the free schemes. [2291/00]
Written Answers. - Social Welfare Benefits.
Applications for free telephone rental and electricity allowances were received from the person concerned on 10 December 1999 and 13 December 1999 respectively. He is entitled to both allowances and to a free TV licence on renewal.
As the person concerned was 75 years old on 30 May 1999 he is entitled to have his free electricity allowance backdated to 1 July 1999 and his free telephone rental allowance backdated to his 75th birthday.
Eircom has been notified to apply the free telephone rental and call unit allowance to his telephone account with effect from 10 December 1999. The ESB will apply his free electricity allowance with effect from commencement of the next electricity billing period after his application was received, namely, 1 January 2000.
Arrangements have been made to issue a cheque to the person concerned for the arrears of these allowance due to him for the relevant periods in 1999. He is also entitled to a free television licence from the date of expiry of his current licence. This can be obtained from his local post office.
Michael Ring
Question:244 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs if he will extend the free fuel allowance to a full year basis. [2292/00]
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, regardless of the temperature. As a consequence, there may be a small number of occasions when the allowance is not paid even though temperatures are unseasonably low and equally, the allowance is paid at times when temperatures are above the seasonal norm.
Expenditure on the national fuel scheme has increased by approximately 20% in the last six years from £37.5 million in 1993 to £44.9 million in 1998. A sum of £46.4 million has been provided in the Estimates for the scheme for the 1999-2000 fuel season.
Based on the estimates for the current fuel season the cost of extending the fuel season by one week would be approximately £1.8 million or £46.4 million to extend it for the full year. As such an extension to the duration of the scheme would have significant cost implications this could only be considered in a budgetary context, taking increases in primary weekly payment rates into account. The Deputy will note that the primary weekly payments have increased by £18 per week since this Government came into office.
Although the national fuel scheme operates for a fixed period, there is a facility available through the supplementary welfare allowance scheme to assist people in certain circumstances who have special heating needs at any time of the year. 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.