Vol. 470 No. 2
84 Mr. Callely asked the Minister for Social Welfare his views on whether there is a need to introduce a social welfare scheme of cheap natural gas to social welfare recipients who depend on natural gas for cooking and/or heating, particularly in the Dublin area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18545/96]
The Deputy will be aware that my Department operates two schemes which are designed to provide assistance with the cost of fuel. First, the free schemes administered by my Department include the free electricity allowance and the free natural gas allowance. The natural gas allowance is an alternative to the electricity allowance for people who are connected to a natural gas supply. These 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.
Last July, the free schemes of telephone rental allowance, electricity allowance and colour television licence were extended to low income pensioners who did not previously qualify because they did not get a social welfare pension.
Second, my Department also operates the national fuel scheme which assists certain householders who are in receipt of long-term social welfare or health board payments and who are unable to provide for their own heating needs. A payment of £5 per week is paid to eligible households for 26 weeks of each year.
Last year I increased the income limit for the national fuel scheme from £5 to £10 per week. In this year's budget I announced a further £5 increase in the income limit which will take effect from October 1996. This means that a person may have a combined household income of £15 per week over the appropriate Irish maximum contributory pension rate or savings/investments of £8,000, and still qualify for the fuel allowance.
I should mention also that although the national fuel scheme operates for a fixed period, there is a facility available through the supplementary welfare allowance scheme to assist people in certain circumstances who have special heating needs. Under that scheme a person who has exceptional heating costs due to ill health or infirmity may qualify for a heating supplement. An application for a heating supplement may be made by contacting the local community welfare officer.
In view of the existence of these schemes, I see no particular merit in introducing a further scheme which would duplicate administrative procedures already in place. Neither am I aware of any justification for a proposal which discriminates in favour of the users of natural gas as against users of other heating and cooking fuels. I would prefer instead to concentrate any available resources on continuing to improve the existing schemes.
