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Fuel Allowance Eligibility

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 23 October 2018

Tuesday, 23 October 2018

Questions (607)

Brendan Griffin

Question:

607. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if she will address a matter (details supplied) regarding the qualifying criteria for the fuel allowance; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [43166/18]

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Written answers

The fuel allowance is a payment of €22.50 per week for 28 weeks (a total of €630 each year) from October to April, to over 368,000 low income households, at an estimated cost of €227 million in 2018.  The purpose of this payment is to assist these households with their energy costs.  The allowance represents a contribution towards the energy costs of a household.  It is not intended to meet those costs in full.  Only one allowance is paid per household.

My Department also pays an electricity or gas allowance under the house hold benefits scheme at an estimated cost of €182 million in 2018. 

The criteria for fuel allowance are framed in order to direct the limited resources available to my Department in as targeted a manner as possible.  Therefore the fuel allowance is a means tested payment and qualifying payments are those payments that are considered long term payments by my Department.  People on long term payments are unlikely to have additional resources of their own and are more vulnerable to energy poverty than people who have only recently become unemployed, and may only be jobless for a short period.

Any decision to extend the eligibility criteria for fuel allowance scheme to include people on short term payment schemes would require considerable extra funding for the scheme and would have to be considered in the overall budgetary negotiations.

With regards to no right of appeal the fuel allowance scheme is administrative (non-statutory) and therefore decisions on claims cannot be appealed to a Social Welfare Appeals Officer.  However, if a customer is dissatisfied with a decision not to grant an allowance, s/he may request a review of his/her claim by a different Deciding Officer.  It is open to applicants to supply any additional facts of information in support of his/her application.  However, if it is the case that they are simply not qualified for payment, a review will not overturn the previous decision.  If following this review, the applicant still does not qualify for the allowance it is still open to them to contact the Office of the Ombudsman.

Under the supplementary welfare allowance scheme a recipient of a social welfare or health service executive payment who has exceptional essential heating costs due to ill health or infirmity and who cannot provide for such costs from within his or her own resources may qualify for a heating supplement.  There is no standard rate for a heating supplement.  Each case is examined on its merits and the Community Welfare Officer determines the amount to be paid taking account of the level of the expenses in question and the ability of the applicant to contribute towards his or her exceptional heating costs.

The best way to tackle fuel poverty in the long term is to improve the energy efficiency of the dwelling.  My Department works with the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment on these issues and in moving forward the actions agreed in the Energy Affordability Strategy.  In that regard, the Better Energy Homes scheme provides support towards the installation of attic and wall insulation, and heating system upgrades.

I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

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