Alan Kelly
Question:693. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Minister for Social Protection when the fuel allowance was last increased. [45028/24]
View answerTuesday, 5 November 2024
Questions (693)
Written answers
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.
Following Budget 2022, in October 2021 the weekly rate of Fuel Allowance was increased by €5 to €33 per week. This is the last time the weekly rate of Fuel Allowance was increased.
The Government has also provided lump-sum payments to Fuel Allowance recipients as part of cost-of-living measures announced in recent Budgets. When providing for lump-sum payments I was conscious that the bulk of energy costs will be incurred in the months after the Budget so I wanted to address this by providing a large one-off payment rather than through a smaller increase in the weekly rate of payment.
In Budget 2025, I again provided for an additional lump sum payment of €300 to be paid to all households in receipt of the Fuel Allowance payment in November 2024. This payment is the equivalent to a €10 a week increase to Fuel Allowance over a 28-week fuel season.
When taken in conjunction with the 2 electricity credits totalling €250 which will be applied to electricity bills, Fuel Allowance households will receive an additional €550 towards their energy costs.
I trust that this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.