Róisín Shortall
Ceist:411 Ms Shortall asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the number of persons in receipt of fuel allowance for each of the past five years; and the estimated figure for 2002. [7571/02]
Written Answers. - Social Welfare Benefits.
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 €9 per week is normally paid to eligible households. However, an additional €3.90 per week is paid in smokeless zones, bringing the total amount in those areas to €12.90 per week. In the case of a relatively small number of people living in smokeless zones, the €3.90 per week smokeless fuel supplement only is payable.
Details of the number of recipients of a fuel allowance for the past five years are shown in the following tabular statement. It is estimated that there will be 294,000 recipients of a fuel allowance in 2002.
Numbers of fuel allowance recipients for the years 1997 to 2001:
|
Year |
Number of recipients |
|
1997 |
286,800 |
|
1998 |
277,000 |
|
1999 |
274,300 |
|
2000 |
269,000 |
|
2001 |
278,000 |
Michael Ring
Ceist:412 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs if a person (details supplied) in County Mayo can receive arrears of farm assist to June 2001; and when this person originally applied for social welfare help. [7586/02]
The person concerned applied to my Department for a fuel allowance in January 2002. The investigation of his claim showed that the person concerned resides with his brother who is not in receipt of a social welfare payment and therefore is not one of the excepted categories of people for fuel allowance scheme purposes. The person concerned was informed, in error, that the grounds for disallowing his claim was that he had access to his own supply of fuel. This error is regretted.
As stated in my reply to the Deputy's previous Parliamentary Question in this case, however, the reason for the disallowance was that the person concerned did not satisfy the household conditions of the scheme.