The household benefits package, which comprises the electricity, natural gas allowance, telephone allowance and free television licence are non-cash benefits available to pensioners living permanently in the State who satisfy specific qualifying conditions. The scheme is also available to customers under age 66 years who satisfy the conditions of the scheme. There are currently some 350,000 customers in receipt of the household benefits scheme at an annual cost of €315 million, of which some 285,000 of these customers are aged 66 years and over.
The free travel scheme is also a non-cash benefit which permits some 600,000 customers, of which 450,000 are aged over 66 years, to travel free on a range of transport services at an annual cost of €64 million. The monetary value of the electricity allowance, natural gas allowance, telephone allowance and free travel pass to an individual customer depends on usage and may vary from customer to customer.
The monetary values of each of the components of the household benefits on 1st January 2000-2007 are as follows:
Year
|
Electricity Allowance (Urban)
|
Electricity Allowance (Rural)
|
Natural Gas Allowance
|
Telephone Allowance
|
Free TV Licence
|
|
€
|
€
|
€
|
€
|
€
|
Jan 2000
|
165.00
|
169.00
|
173.00
|
226.00
|
89.00
|
Jan 2001
|
165.00
|
169.00
|
173.00
|
226.00
|
89.00
|
Jan 2002
|
168.00
|
173.00
|
205.00
|
260.00
|
107.00
|
Jan 2003
|
274.00
|
305.00
|
205.00
|
281.00
|
150.00
|
Jan 2004
|
294.00
|
327.00
|
225.00
|
296.00
|
152.00
|
Jan 2005
|
339.00
|
381.00
|
250.00
|
296.00
|
152.00
|
Jan 2006
|
345.00
|
386.00
|
313.00
|
296.00
|
155.00
|
Jan 2007
|
490.00
|
523.00
|
490.00
|
*296.00
|
158.00
|
*My Department increased the value of the telephone allowance in line with industry price increase effective from August 2007 to €311.00 per annum.
For accounting purposes within my Department, the average value of a free travel pass is calculated using the total number of recipients at year end and the overall cost of the scheme in an individual year. Based on this method of calculation the average values of a free travel pass since 2000 are as follows:
Year
|
Average Value of Free Travel Pass
|
|
€
|
2000
|
77.00
|
2001
|
75.00
|
2002
|
72.00
|
2003
|
82.00
|
2004
|
84.00
|
2005
|
87.00
|
2006
|
92.00
|
2007
|
105.00
|