Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 13 October 2021
149. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Social Protection if a person who received the fuel allowance while on the jobseeker’s allowance and continued to receive fuel allowance when they went on a community employment scheme will retain their fuel allowance when they transfer from a community employment scheme back onto the jobseeker’s allowance; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49995/21]
View answerThe Fuel Allowance is a payment of €28.00 per week for 28 weeks (a total of €784 each year) from October to April, to 370,000 low income households, at an estimated cost of €300 million in 2021 (subject to the Budgetary changes being introduced in Budget 2022). 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.
The fuel allowance payment is targeted towards those who are more vulnerable to energy poverty, including those reliant on social protection payments for longer periods and who are unlikely to have additional resources of their own.
A person may only continue to receive the fuel allowance payment if they continue to satisfy the qualifying conditions - this includes the qualifying scheme criteria. Therefore, the fuel allowance payment can only continue if a person on a community employment scheme moves back onto a qualifying scheme such as long-term jobseekers allowance.
Under the Supplementary Welfare Allowance scheme, a special heating supplement may be paid to assist people in certain circumstances. Exceptional needs payments may be made to help meet an essential, once-off cost which an applicant is unable to meet from his / her own resources.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
