Denis Naughten
Ceist:101 Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if he will review the habitual residence condition for the carer’s allowance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4793/08]
Priority Questions.
Social Welfare Benefits.
Carer's allowance is a means tested social welfare payment for people providing full-time care and attention to people who need it. In line with social assistance payments generally, one of the eligibility requirements for carer's allowance is that the applicant be habitually resident in the State.
All applicants, regardless of nationality, are required to be habitually resident in the State in order to qualify for carer's allowance. The question of what is a person's "habitual residence" is decided in accordance with European Court of Justice case law, which sets out the criteria to be applied in determining whether a person is habitually resident.
Each case received for a determination on the habitual residence condition is dealt with in its own right and a decision is based on application of the guidelines to the particular individual circumstances of each case. Any applicant who disagrees with the decision of a deciding officer has the right to appeal to the social welfare appeals office.
The habitual residence condition is being operated in a careful manner to ensure that Ireland's social welfare system is protected, while at the same time ensuring that people whose cases are appropriate to the system have access to it when they need it. The operation of the condition was reviewed by my Department in 2006 and the report of the review was published on 1 February 2007. The full content of the review may be accessed on the Department's website, www.welfare.ie. I have no plans to further review the application of the habitual residence condition at this time.
Is it not the case that approximately 17,000 Irish citizens, including religious missionaries, have been refused welfare benefits due to the habitual residence condition which was introduced in 2004 to deal with welfare tourism? In some instances, the restrictions have been applied inconsistently by the Department. What is the position of Irish people who were resident in the United States? If people come home to take care of their elderly parents they must provide the Department with some type of evidence that they have severed their links with the United States, for example, proof of having closed a bank account or terminated their tenancy. This is extremely difficult for Irish people who live illegally in the United States. Since they are not legally there, they do not have much documentation to provide in the first place. Not only are they being discriminated against in the United States, but they are now being discriminated against in Ireland.
The correct information is that from 1 May 2004 to 31 December 2007 the number of claims with complex habitual residence condition, HRC, issues decided in respect of Irish citizens was 16,242 of which 1,684 were disallowed. It was not 16,000 as the Deputy indicated.
I said 17,000. I am sorry.
There were 16,000 applications. European Union legislation prohibits discrimination between nationals of EU member states in the context of freedom of movement and people's access to social security or social assistance entitlements. Irish nationals returning here to live on a permanent basis have absolutely no difficulty in demonstrating that they satisfy the requirements of the habitual residence condition. Deputy Naughten referred to some people who come back for a short period of time.
I referred to people coming back permanently.
Anybody who comes back permanently has no problem at all. Some people may come back for two or three months and that is an entirely different matter. If Irish people come back to Ireland to stay here, there is no difficulty in giving them all of the various entitlements. As the Deputy is aware, there are a number of areas where the habitual residence condition applies to different aspects of the social welfare system.
Will the Minister explain how an Irish emigrant who returned from the United States to care for her elderly mother was denied the carer's allowance because she could not establish that she was permanently living here, even though she had applied for that allowance? The Minister ignored the fact that a second test applies to the carer's allowance, namely, that one must provide full-time care and attention and the person receiving the care must require same. The habitual residence clause should not be required when the test applying to the need for full-time care exists.
A woman from outside the European Union who has lived here for approximately two years with a sick child is in receipt of child benefit, yet has been denied the carer's allowance by the Department. Is it not a fallacy to have the habitual residence clause in place specifically for the carer's allowance when other eligibility tests apply?
It is not in place specifically for the carer's allowance.
It includes the carer's allowance.
It includes the carer's allowance but the point is that it applies to a range of issues in the social welfare system. The bottom line is that it is there to protect our social welfare system, so that we do not——
What about protecting the elderly?
I understand from where people are coming in this debate. What has been continually suggested to me is that we should abandon the habitual residence clause.
I never asked for that.
If we were to do that, anybody who landed on our shores could immediately access many aspects of the social welfare system.
An additional test applies in regard to the carer's allowance.
The second test applies to anybody who seeks the carer's allowance. It does not matter whether they live here, have come here or are re-establishing their habitual residence condition in the country. The bottom line is that one has to fulfil conditions to get the carer's allowance. As I outlined in the reply, this particular aspect was reviewed in 2006 and the report was published only last year. I do not intend to review it again in the immediate future. The system we operate currently is fair.
It is possible to make an appeal to the social welfare appeals office. I would not like to see anybody who is entitled to any of the allowances refused them. I would like to know the circumstances of each case. When an individual case is brought to my attention, it is difficult for me to comment on it without knowing the full circumstances. Nevertheless, the system is working quite well and nearly all people who have Irish citizenship are getting any allowances to which they are entitled.
Pension Provisions.
Róisín Shortall
Ceist:102 Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the action his Department is taking to inform and assist the high number of people in their late 50s and early 60s who may find themselves disqualified from a State pension from 2012 on the basis of the new contribution qualifying thresholds that will apply from that time; his Department’s estimate of the number aged over 50 years currently on its records who would not qualify if they failed to make a further contribution or they made yearly contributions at their current average rate; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5440/08]
The final report of the National Pensions Board, published in 1993, recommended that the number of paid contributions required to qualify for a contributory pension should be increased to 520 contributions. At the time, the paid requirement was as low as 156 contributions. The new requirement represents 20% of the potential maximum number of contributions that a person can register over his or her working life.
The necessary legislation to effect the recommendations of the National Pensions Board was contained in section 12 of the Social Welfare Act 1997, which from that date to 2012 allowed 15 years for people to get the required number. This would have required them to have approximately five years within that 15 years which was reasonably generous. That section is now incorporated in the Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005, which provided for the implementation of the change in two stages, with the paid contribution requirement being standardised at 260 from 2002, rising to 520 from 2012. Details of the proposed increase in the paid contributions required have been included in the Department's standard information material on pensions for some years.
In assessing the contribution records of those claiming pension for the first time in the context of work on the pensions Green Paper, the Department found that currently about 13% would fail the new conditions if they were applied at the moment. However, with improved social insurance coverage introduced in the 1980s and 1990s, and increased workforce participation across all sectors of society, this position can be expected to improve substantially in the years running up to 2012.
It is estimated that there are about 40,000 people with active social insurance records who will reach 66 in 2012. The Department is working to establish the impact of the planned change on these people. However, there are difficulties in establishing the contribution histories of those involved because of the many and varied ways in which records are held. The extent to which the increased contribution requirement should be promoted will be reviewed when the situation is clearer. Decisions will also be taken at that time on how and when individuals should be notified of their position.
The contributory pension is a very valuable benefit and I consider that it is reasonable to expect that people should contribute towards it to the fullest extent possible. Increasing contribution requirements is also consistent with trends across the EU as countries reform pensions systems to make them more sustainable in the future and to discourage early retirement among older workers.
It seems that little or no work has been done on this in recent months. I would have thought that at this stage the Minister would be in a position to tell us exactly how many people are likely to be affected by these changes and that he would have worked out a strategy to notify those people of how they are likely to be affected. We all are guilty of not making adequate preparation for the future and often when it comes to pensions people really only take an interest when they approach retirement age.
In respect of the State pension, in particular, there are many who assume because of their work record that they will have an entitlement to a full pension but the changes that have been made in recent years clearly will result in a significant number of people discovering, in many cases perhaps on retirement, that they do not have such an entitlement. There is a requirement on the Minister and his Department to notify people of the likelihood of that happening to them and to set out clearly what they can do to supplement their pensions between now and retirement age.
As I have stated to Deputy Shortall, since these changes were brought about there has been active involvement with all pensioners and those approaching pension age in ensuring that they are aware of the changes. I have asked that the position be clarified as soon as possible. We are four years from when the change will take place. There are, according to the estimates, approximately 40,000 people who will be affected in the system as we come towards 2012, and I have given Deputy Shortall that figure. Over the next two years or so we will see exactly what the position will be.
The Department is providing a quality service to all of its customers and this includes ensuring that applications are processed and that decisions on entitlement are issued as expeditiously as possible having regard to the eligibility conditions which apply. The first phase of this new initiative which is claim initiation, whereby my Department will be able to offer its customers an enhanced service by inviting them to claim pensions in advance of reaching pension age, commenced in January last. That will begin to assist us in getting all of the facts and assisting those customers.
Certain customers who have an entitlement to State contributory pension and have had recent interaction with the Department are being invited to apply for a pension in advance of pension age and the Department recognises the merits of proactively initiating pension claims. However, it will take some time before all customers can be addressed in this way.
There is not much point in waiting until 2010 to notify people. It is at this point that the people who are likely to be affected by this — as the Minister stated, up to 40,000 who are likely to discover on retirement that they are not entitled to the full State pension — need to be notified so that they can take action.
What advice is the Department providing to those people? Many will be current welfare recipients who are in their late 50s or 60s. They are not necessarily in any position to do anything about their insurance record. What exactly is the Minister suggesting those people do? Can he provide any clear advice and support to them, or is it a case that he will merely wait and let them discover in their own time that they do not have an entitlement which they thought they would have? The Minister needs to take action now. He needs to notify current welfare recipients in particular and provide clear advice to them on what action they can take. Failing that, he should look at some kind of tapering system.
I do not have any evidence from the Deputy that all of these people are not aware of the situation. My view is that most, if not all, of them are aware of what is happening.
What is the advice to them?
The advice given was from 1997, which gave a 15-year window. These people know that five years of contributions within the 15 year timespan, which is a fairly reasonable approach, is all that they must make up and most of them are doing so.
A person reaching age 66 on or after 6 April 2012 must have paid 520 full-rate employment contributions or if at least 260 full-rate employment contributions are paid, the balance of the 520 can be made up with high-rate voluntary contributions as well. There are a number of options and all people have been notified.
I will look at it again to see if there are within the system many people who are unaware and if so, I intend to do something about it. My understanding is that all of these people know the position.
Lone Parent Supports.
Olwyn Enright
Ceist:103 Deputy Olwyn Enright asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the details on his proposal to oblige single parents to seek work once their child is eight years of age; the consultation that has taken to place with relevant stakeholders on this matter; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5523/08]
The Government discussion paper, Proposals for Supporting Lone Parents, put forward proposals for the expanded availability and range of education and training opportunities for lone parents, the extension of the national employment action plan to focus on lone parents, focused provision of child care, improved information services for lone parents and the introduction of a new social assistance payment for low income families with young children.
The new social assistance payment, currently being developed by officials in my Department will have the long-term aim of assisting people to achieve financial independence through supporting them to enter employment as it is employment that offers the best route out of poverty.
Active engagement will take place with recipients of the payment with a progression plan being agreed to support the person into education, training and employment. This engagement will increase when the youngest child reaches a certain age, with an expectation that the person will seek part-time employment, education or training for a period, before then moving on to seek full-time employment as the youngest child gets older.
Extensive consultation has been carried out at all stages in the development of the proposal. Submissions were invited from a range of organisations when the working group was first established within the Department of Social and Family Affairs to analyse the income support arrangements for lone parents and parents on low income. Thirty-nine organisations were contacted, including organisations participating in social partnership, lone parent organisations and other relevant organisations. Submissions were received from 13 of these.
A consultative forum also took place with the then Minister for Social and Family Affairs, Deputy Séamus Brennan, following the publication of the Government discussion paper. Attendees included representatives from a range of lone parent organisations, other NGOs, relevant agencies and other Departments, as well as Opposition spokespersons and members of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social and Family Affairs.
In May 2006 the then Minister, Deputy Brennan, participated in a debate on the discussion paper in the Seanad and has presented the proposals to the Joint Committee on Social and Family Affairs. This consultation has continued as the proposals are being developed in the Department with a number of meetings having taken place between officials and lone parents groups. Presentations of the proposals have been made at various fora around the country. The discussion at these meetings and events continues to assist in the development of the proposals.
I thank the Minister for his somewhat historical reply giving a rundown on the position to date. Next month it will be two years since his predecessor, the Minister, Deputy Brennan, published the findings following the report. As the Minister stated, Deputy Brennan engaged in consultation in major fora, etc.
When will decisions be made in this regard? The Minister has stated that he would like to see changes in the next budget and he has given us some idea of the way he intends to go about it. Prior to that will people know, not so much the figures in terms of payment which will be announced in the budget but exactly how it will operate? Has the Minister reached a decision as to whether the proposals will be mandatory or voluntary? That is a important issue and it will be a difficult matter on which to make a decision.
In terms of the practicalities, the Minister has spoken about consultation. Obviously, the availability of transport to get people to work, training, etc., will be an issue, particularly in rural areas. The second stumbling block will be child care facilities. Has the Minister any proposals to get over those two major problems?
In the first instance, the report on the pilot schemes I am awaiting will be submitted this month and then I expect to make a report to the Cabinet sub-committee on social inclusion on the issue.
Deputy Enright correctly identified that there is a range of bodies and agencies involved in the process. It is not something I can deliver on my own from my Department but we are determined to lead it. Deputy Enright correctly stated that is my wish to introduce the changes for budget 2009.
The pilot scheme indicates, according to early notional discussion I have had, that those who come voluntarily to the scheme find, perhaps to their surprise, that it is quite a positive experience. It is not about trying to take assistance people have through the social welfare system away from them, but trying to work positively with them to get them back to work. One of the issues with regard to lone parents is that many of them left school at an early age, resulting in education and literacy issues. It is all very well to say, let us get people back into the workplace, but we must ensure they have the tools to get back, the achievement of which will be a substantive issue.
I would like a positive message to go out from all the different organisations, and particularly from the Oireachtas, that this is a positive move. All the representative bodies of the lone parent groups are in favour of this and welcome and support it. We are trying to agree a forward strategy. My concern is that if we do not have some formalised way of getting people to interact with the system, not many will take part on a voluntary basis.
It might be more appropriate to say the organisations are in favour of change. However, they do not know as yet what change is proposed by the Department in terms of how it will operate. When will we get more information with regard to how the Minister intends to go about this? Will he present it as a fait accompli or will there be negotiation on it?
The two pilot schemes in Kilkenny and Coolock have been filtering the information and looking at the wide range of issues involved, some we might not even have considered. It is surprising the issues that arise only when we interact with people. The Deputy identified child care as an issue. We are all aware that will be a major issue for many of these people in getting them into part-time work, or even in facilitating training and education before ultimately getting them into the workplace. When the pilot scheme is complete — I understand that will be this month — it will provide the basis of information with regard to what the customer, the people we are trying to assist, wants and to how we may use a cross-departmental and cross-agency approach to facilitate people to move on.
The primary purpose is to get these people, who form the most vulnerable group in terms of poverty, out of poverty. The best way to achieve that is to give people the means to get into employment. That is what it is about.
Employment Support Services.
Róisín Shortall
Ceist:104 Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the number of people on welfare referred in 2007 under the National Employment Action Plan to FÁS; the percentage of those that were placed in employment, training or education; if he has satisfied himself that the structures are achieving the maximum potential of progressing claimants off welfare; the action he will take to improve these arrangements; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5441/08]
Based on the latest information available, 49,300 people from the live register were referred to FÁS in the period January to November 2007. Of these, over 7,000 had been placed in jobs, training or education by the end of December 2007. This represents over 14% of the total referred. A further 16,900, approximately, left the live register at the end of December 2007. In total, therefore, nearly 24,000 of those referred to FÁS had left the live register by the end of the year.
All new claimants are currently identified for referral on reaching three months on the live register. Those referred remain on the live register while engaged with FÁS until they take up offers of employment or training. I am satisfied that the employment action plan provides an effective structure for dealing with the progression needs of those on the live register. It provides a stimulus to job search and affords an opportunity to explore, under professional guidance, the full range of employment and training services offered by FÁS.
The Department also provides other support services to assist unemployed people, particularly the long-term unemployed, lone parents and sickness related welfare recipients to return to the active labour market either by taking up employment or becoming self-employed. At present, some 40 facilitators provide these services.
Provision has been made in the national development plan for a social and economic participation programme which will build on these activities. The programme is aimed at all people of working age on social welfare payments. The Department will shortly commence recruiting some 30 additional facilitators who, together with the existing facilitator network, will have responsibility for implementing the programme at local level. The programme will build on the Department's existing experience and relationship with the people concerned, in co-operation with other relevant service providers such as FÁS, VECs, the HSE and other local agencies.
The Department has also secured funding, under the European Social Fund, for a project aimed at developing a systematic employment strategy based on individual case management of people on disability welfare payments. The project will be implemented initially in 2008 in County Westmeath with a view to mainstreaming at national level following a review and evaluation. I am satisfied the current structures and new measures outlined significantly increase the prospects of progressing claimants off welfare.
In reply to the previous question the Minister said the best way out of poverty was to encourage people to get into employment. Nobody disagrees with that. The Minister also asked us to be positive about these proposals. We will be positive if the Minister plays his part in ensuring these things happen. Unfortunately, the record shows the Department and FÁS have not been very active in assisting people to move off welfare into training or employment.
The numbers being referred to FÁS have been increasing steadily over the past seven years. However, the number of people being placed in employment each year has remained static, at approximately 6,500 or 7,000. Previously approximately 40% of people were being placed in employment. In 2006 the figure was 26% and the Minister has just told us that last year it was a mere 14%. How can the Minister defend that disappointing figure when only 14% of people referred to FÁS for a job or training place succeeded in being placed? This is a serious problem.
I raised this problem yesterday and want to return to it. The level of work being done by FÁS in terms of assisting lone parents, school leavers or middle aged people who find themselves redundant into training and employment is tokenistic. A figure of 14% is completely inadequate. Can the Minister blame the various groups working in this area if they are sceptical of his proposals in view of the fact that he does not seem prepared to put funding into providing the services necessary to support people? Does the Minister accept that FÁS needs to take drastic action?
The figures I provided show that over 50% of the 49,300 were placed. Some 7,000 were placed directly and another 17,000 left the live register. I presume they got employment too, but did not need the assistance of FÁS to do so. However, they would have interacted with FÁS. Out of that interaction that 17,000 decided they were in a position to work.
I am not saying we have reached the end of the development of the process. I agree there is a need to enhance further the ability and co-relation between my Department and FÁS to get as many people as possible out of the social welfare system, where they are entirely dependent, into the workplace. We need to facilitate that, whether through education, training or other ways, in order to help them achieve either part-time or full-time employment. I want to see more done.
The Deputy may have noted that in my response to the question, I indicated a substantial increase in the number of additional facilitators to help this process forward. I also mentioned the scheme that will be implemented in County Westmeath this year. There is innovation in this area. I have attended many FÁS graduation ceremonies over the past number of years and have spoken to people from all walks of life who said that without FÁS, they would be nowhere. We would like to see a higher volume of people employed and off the social welfare system. FÁS is only one of the elements involved in achieving that and it cannot be entirely achieved through it.
Most OECD countries have moved towards a situation where income support Departments have been merged with employment support agencies. Does the Minister think there is a case for doing that and for merging FÁS with the Department in order to provide a seamless service? Under the proposals for lone parents, it is the Department that is in touch with the lone parent until the child is seven years of age and then FÁS takes over. There is no continuity in that. Is there not a strong case for merging FÁS with the Department.
That is a matter of policy and whether I think it might make a substantial difference. There are no such proposals currently. I made the point in my initial response that all new claimants are referred to FÁS after three months on the register. Therefore, the figures I gave dealt with the historical situation. In the recent past all new claimants must——
The placement rate is significant.
Yes, but not all the ability to deliver jobs lies solely with FÁS. There are many different ways——
A declining number are placed.
The figure that went to FÁS is 49,000. That is a substantial number of people and approximately half of those placed came directly or indirectly off the register because of that interaction. That is significant.
It is a very low number.
I agree. That is the approach we are taking and that is why we are exploring the pilot schemes in Coolock and Kilkenny. We need to substantially increase that figure. All new entrants are automatically referred to FÁS after three months on the system.
Anti-Poverty Strategy.
Olwyn Enright
Ceist:105 Deputy Olwyn Enright asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if he has plans to develop a national fuel poverty strategy to tackle fuel poverty here; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5524/08]
Fuel poverty has been described as the inability to afford adequate warmth in a home, or the inability to achieve adequate warmth because of the energy inefficiency of the home. The primary contributory factor to fuel poverty is the low energy efficiency of parts of the private and public housing stock. Such problems relate mainly to older housing with poor insulation and draught-proofing or inefficient heating systems. All new housing, including social housing, is being built to modern energy efficiency standards. Local housing authorities are undertaking an ongoing programme, including draught insulation and energy efficiency, to upgrade the older social housing stock and provide better living conditions generally for tenants.
My Department is co-operating with a number of organisations, including Sustainable Energy Ireland, the Combat Poverty Agency and the Department of the Environment Heritage and Local Government, in an action research project to review the effectiveness of Sustainable Energy Ireland's warmer homes scheme. The 2006 budget made a grant of €2 million available to Sustainable Energy Ireland to undertake a fuel poverty research project. The reports on these fuel research projects will help to inform Government policy on fuel poverty.
The main role of the social welfare system in this issue is to provide income supports. Government policy in recent years has focused on increasing primary social welfare rates significantly to ensure that people on social welfare can meet their basic living costs, including heating costs, throughout the year. Since December 2001, overall inflation has increased by 24% while energy product prices have increased by 56%. However, increases in social welfare payments have been between 71% and 88% in the same period.
In addition to primary payments, there are a number of social welfare programmes to assist with heating costs, specifically the national fuel allowance scheme, the household benefits package and the special heating needs supplement. These arrangements too have been improved in recent years. The Department will continue to co-operate with other Departments and agencies on fuel poverty research as appropriate. However, the main focus will be to increase social welfare payments in real terms to enable social welfare recipients to better meet heating and other needs.
The Minister's answer shows a need for a national fuel poverty strategy. I appreciate that the Minister said there are two research projects going on in this area and that is important, but we have many statistics on this already. I presume the Minister agrees that levels of fuel poverty remain unacceptably high. The island of Ireland has one of the highest mortality rates for winter months in Europe with approximately 2,800 excess deaths during the winter months. While I do not suggest they are all related to fuel poverty, it is a significant part of the problem. There are strong links between low income, unemployment and fuel poverty, particularly among pensioners and low-income parents.
Despite having research projects, will the Minister examine the idea of a national strategy? His answer mentioned consultation with the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government and that is important. However, the Minister for Social and Family Affairs taking responsibility for the amount paid every year and the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government looking at other areas leads to an unco-ordinated approach. There have been improvements in local authority housing but that is where people have not bought out the local authority housing. A large number of people who have bought them out are still caught in the trap because the amount of grant availability to improve one's house is insufficient. Following the publication of the research projects, will the Minister give any thought to having a strategy?
For Deputies with responsibility for the Department of Social and Family Affairs and the people we deal with, this issue, among many others, is always a major concern and we do all we can through our responsibilities in supporting people to meet their needs. As I said, there is an historical problem with the quality of much of the housing stock in both the public and private sectors, and it needs to be substantially upscaled and improved. From my time in the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, I know a large amount of resources is being spent through the Department and the local authorities which are best placed to do work on these houses. Examples include the new windows and insulation which have been fitted and which have transformed many of these homes and made them much warmer and more efficient for a lower cost to the people living there.
The role of the Department of Social and Family Affairs is to provide the financial supports to assist people who find themselves in need and my job is to increase as much as I can those figures on an annual basis to meet those needs when the resources are available. We are working with Sustainable Energy Ireland and the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, which is the lead Department on the work of maintaining and improving policy. My Department is involved but is not the lead Department. I want to be clear on our role. However, we work with Sustainable Energy Ireland and the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government to ensure we can resolve this issue.
Despite not being the lead Minister, does the Minister, Deputy Cullen, not see that there is a gap? Gas prices have risen by 70% in the past five years, electricity by 30% and oil by 50%. Elderly people in particular cannot afford the €12,000 cost of installing a wood pellet burner or the more environmentally friendly, cost-efficient products out there. They are only for people who can afford them. Does the Minister not see that we need greater co-ordination between two Departments and that a strategy would be a better way to do it?
I have no difficulty working with the other Departments and I have indicated where we are working with them. In 2000, the expenditure on the fuel allowance was €55.5 million and this year it was €167 million so from my Department's point of view the costs have risen dramatically.
Many people are still in fuel poverty.
More than 286,000 people benefit from this provision. The other packages cost over €300 million, such as the wider heating supply for electricity in other units in the family home.
Over 250,000 homes are in fuel poverty.
The contribution from my Department to the general area of facilitating people to heat their homes and live a comfortable life is close to €500 million per year, which is a substantial amount of money.
The problem is not solved as a result of that spend.
While I accept the problem is not solved, we have come a long way for many of these people through the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government system.