Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 26 Mar 1997

Vol. 477 No. 1

Written Answers. - Social Welfare Benefits.

Mary Wallace

Ceist:

187 Miss M. Wallace asked the Minister for Social Welfare the monetary value of the free electricity allowance for an old age pensioner; the monetary value of the gas allowance; if an old age pensioner is only entitled to 14 bottles of gas per annum; the changes, if any, which have been made in this regard in recent years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8561/97]

Minister for Social Welfare (Proinsias De Rossa)

The free electricity and natural gas allowances are generally credited directly to the billing accounts of clients in the form of units of consumption. The annual monetary values of these allowances per person, based on present unit prices including VAT, are listed below:

	£
1. Free Electricity Allowance	150
2. Free Bottled Gas Allowance	168
3. Free Natural Gas Allowance
— Reducing rate	138
— Double-up Discount rate	138
— Economy rate	133
— SuperSaver rate	136
— 50/50 Cashback rate	68
— Standard rate	135

A pensioner is entitled to only one of these allowances.

Recipients of bottled gas allowance are entitled to 14 bottles of gas per annum, which would be valued at about £168.

In recent years, there has been a number of improvements in the coverage of these various allowances for social welfare clients and other relevant groups. The number of units or vouchers provided under the schemes, is, in general, adequate to meet pensioner needs. Any further improvement in the coverage or value of these allowances would have cost implications and would have to be considered in a budgetary context.