The free schemes administered by my Department are free travel, free electricity allowance, free natural gas allowance, free telephone rental allowance and free television licence.
A fuel allowance, which is normally paid as part of a weekly payment, is payable to people on a long-term social welfare payment, health board payment or similar payment who live alone, or only with certain excepted people, and who are unable to provide for their own heating needs.
Free travel is available to all persons resident in the State aged 66 years or over and also to certain disabled people under the age of 66. The other free schemes are available to people, usually aged 66 or over, who are in receipt of a welfare type payment and who are either living alone or who otherwise satisfy the living alone condition. In addition, widows between the age of 60 and 65 whose late husbands had entitlement to the free schemes retain that entitlement notwithstanding their age.
In cases where the long-term sick qualify for invalidity pension, they may then be in a position to avail of the free schemes.