Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 8 November 2022
644. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Social Protection if the qualification criteria for the fuel allowance payment have been expanded in Budget 2023 to include those in receipt of jobseeker’s benefit or illness benefit. [54412/22]
View answerThe Fuel Allowance is a payment of €33 per week for 28 weeks (a total of €924 each year) from late September to April, at an estimated cost of €366 million in 2022. The purpose of this payment is to assist these households with their energy costs.
There was no change to the qualifying criteria for Fuel Allowance for those in receipt of Jobseekers Benefit or Illness Benefit in Budget 2023.
Qualifying payments for Fuel Allowance are those payments that are considered long term payments and an applicant must also satisfy a means test. 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.
Any decision to allow those in receipt of a short-term payment such as Illness Benefit and Jobseekers Benefit to receive the Fuel Allowance payment would represent a fundamental change to the nature of the scheme and, as such, it would have to be considered in an overall policy and budgetary context.
Finally, the Department of Social Protection provides Additional Needs Payments as part of the Supplementary Welfare Allowance scheme for people who have an urgent need which they cannot meet from their own resources. These payments are available through our Community Welfare Officers.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
