I propose to take Questions Nos. 135 and 136 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 – 6.35 – per week is normally paid to eligible households. However, an additional £3 – 3.81 – per week is paid in smokeless zones, bringing the total amount in those areas to £8 – 10.16 – per week. In the case of a relatively small number of people living in smokeless zones, the £3 – 3.81 – per week smokeless fuel supplement only is payable.
As announced in last year's budget, the fuel season has been increased from 26 weeks to 29 weeks. The fuel season was extended by two weeks in April and now also commences one week earlier in October. The current fuel season commenced on 1 October 2001 and will finish on 19 April 2002.
The national and smokeless fuel schemes were reviewed in 1998 as part of this Department's series of programme evaluations. The review group took the view that improvements in the national fuel scheme cannot be looked at in isolation from the improvements in the primary weekly payment rates. The group concluded that the present rates of payment should remain unchanged if improvements in primary payment rates fully compensated recipients for all price inflation, including fuel price inflation.