The 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 €382 million in 2024. The purpose of this payment is to assist these households with their energy costs. Only one allowance is paid per household.
To qualify for the Fuel Allowance payment, a person must satisfy all the qualifying criteria, Fuel Allowance cannot be paid on a discretionary basis.
Fuel Allowance is a household payment and can be paid when the residence is on an approved site (publicly or privately owned) with planning permission. However, where someone lives in a residence which is not a legally distinct household without planning permission, these 'additional' places of residence are not currently legally distinct households, which impacts on their eligibility for Fuel Allowance.
The above rule concerning Fuel Allowance is a long standing one and there are no plans to change or amend this rule.
My Department can make additional needs payments to help meet essential expenses that a person cannot pay from their weekly income. This is an overarching term used to refer to exceptional and urgent needs payments, and certain supplements to assist with ongoing or recurring costs that cannot be met from the person’s own resources and are deemed to be necessary. Additional needs payments are available to anyone who needs it and qualifies, whether the person is currently receiving a social welfare payment or working on a low income.
Payments are made at the discretion of the officers administering the scheme, taking into account the requirements of the legislation, and all the relevant circumstances of the case in order to ensure that the payments target those most in need of assistance.
Any person who considers they may have an entitlement to an Additional Needs Payment is encouraged to contact their local community welfare service. There is a National Community Welfare Contact Centre in place - 0818-607080 - which will direct callers to the appropriate office. In addition, applications can be made online via www.mywelfare.ie.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.