Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 24 Oct 2001

Vol. 542 No. 6

Written Answers. - Social Welfare Benefits.

Dinny McGinley

Ceist:

252 Mr. McGinley asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the number of recipients in receipt of the free fuel allowance; the total annual cost of the scheme; and if there are plans to increase the weekly allowance. [25645/01]

Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs (Mr. D. Ahern):

The aim of the national fuel scheme is to assist householders who are on 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 normally paid to eligible households. However, an additional £3 per week is paid in smokeless zones, bringing the total amount in those areas to £8 per week. In the case of a relatively small number of people living in smokeless zones, the £3 per week smokeless fuel supplement only is payable.

The average weekly number of recipients of the fuel allowances in the 2000-01 fuel season was 287,400. Approximately 175,000 of these received £5 per week, over 112,000 received £8 per week and less than 3,000 received £3 per week. Total expenditure on the scheme in the 2000-01 fuel season was £49.9 million.

The national and smokeless fuel schemes were reviewed in 1998 as part of my Department's series of programme evaluations. The review group took the view that improvements in the national fuel scheme cannot be looked at in isolation from the improvements in the primary weekly payment rates. The group concluded that the present rates of payment should remain unchanged if improvements in primary payment rates fully compensated recipients for all price inflation, including fuel price inflation. In that regard, the increases in primary payments that I introduced in the three budgets since the scheme was reviewed have provided for a substantial real increase after fully compensating for inflation, including fuel price inflation. The increases in primary payments of £8 to £10 per week that I brought into effect in April of this year are the largest ever implemented.

Giving people a real increase in their primary payment for 52 weeks of the year is a more expensive option than increasing the fuel allowance payment rate for part of the year. However, I believe it is the correct approach to take as it gives people greater flexibility in meeting their needs. Any further changes in the scheme would have to be considered in the context of the budget and in light of alternative proposals for delivering improvements in social welfare supports to pensioners and others. I would also point out that fuel allowances are not the sole mechanism through which assistance is provided to people with heating needs. There is a facility available through the supplementary welfare allowance scheme to assist people in certain circumstances who have special heating needs. An application for a heating supplement may be made by contacting the community welfare officer at the local health centre.

Where a person would not normally qualify for a heating supplement there is provision under the supplementary welfare allowance scheme to pay an exceptional needs payment. Exceptional needs payments are payable at the discretion of the health board taking into account the requirements of the legislation and all the relevant circumstances of the case. These facilities are considered to be a more appropriate mechanism for meeting heating needs outside the fuel season.