Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 19 October 2021
621. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Social Protection if a person in receipt of a social welfare claim based on PRSI contributions is entitled to the fuel allowance payment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50917/21]
View answerThe Fuel Allowance is a payment of €33.00 per week for 28 weeks (a total of €924 over a full fuel season) from October to April, to 365,000 low income households, at an estimated cost of €300 million in 2021. 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.
Qualifying payments for fuel allowance are those payments that are considered long-term payments and an applicant must also satisfy a means test. Social Welfare schemes based on PRSI contributions which are considered short-term schemes are not qualifying payments for fuel allowance. People on long-term payments are unlikely to have additional resources of their own and are more vulnerable to poverty, including energy poverty. It is for this reason that the Department allocates additional payments, supports and resources to help this cohort of claimants.
A person in receipt of a Social Welfare scheme based on PRSI contributions which is considered long-term may qualify for the fuel allowance payment if they satisfy all the relevant qualifying conditions. This would include the following long-term schemes:-
- Deserted Wife's Benefit
- Invalidity Pension
- State Pension Contributory
- Guardian's Payment Contributory
- Widow's, Widower's or Surviving Civil Partner’s Pension Contributory
- Incapacity Supplement under the Disablement Pension Scheme
- Death Benefit Pension (previously known as Type 15) under Occupational Injuries Benefit Scheme
- A Social Security Payment from a country covered by EU Regulations or a country with which Ireland has a Bilateral Social Security Agreement (of which there is an Irish equivalent payment).
Any decision to include all Social Welfare schemes based on PRSI contributions as qualifying payments for fuel allowance would require significant extra funding for the scheme and would have to be considered in the overall policy and budgetary context. It would also represent a fundamental change in the nature of the scheme.
Exceptional Needs Payments may be made to help meet an essential, once-off cost which customers are unable to meet out of their own resources, and this may include exceptional heating costs. Decisions on such payments are made on a case-by-case basis.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
