All social welfare schemes, including the fuel allowance, are operated on the basis of publicly available guidelines, which ensure fairness and consistency in determining eligibility. The fuel allowance is paid to those in receipt of long-term jobseekers, one-parent family payment, disability allowance, invalidity pension and some people in receipt of the State pension. Some 410,000 customers will receive the fuel allowance of €20 per week for six months of the year (26 weeks) from October to April, at a cost of €223 million. The allowance is subject to a means test and is paid only to those who live alone or with certain exempted people. The means tests which are used for social welfare schemes, including the fuel allowance, are based on income; they do not take account of a person’s expenditure. Full details of the criteria for the scheme are available on the Department’s website www.welfare.ie.