Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 28 July 2020
590. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if her attention has been drawn to the fact that many pensioners and elderly persons are incurring significant expense on masks and sanitiser resulting in significant hardship; the steps she will take to address this issue; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18270/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraDuring the COVID-19 emergency, the Government has been seeking to implement and operate supports that are targeted where most needed, to ensure continued economic activity and reduce the risk of poverty. In March, as part of Government COVID-19 response measures, the Fuel Allowance scheme was extended by four weeks until Friday, 8th May 2020. At a cost of €36.61 million, the extension of the fuel season for over 369,000 existing eligible households was put in place, to ensure that the most vulnerable groups, particularly older people in receipt of State pensions, were provided with additional targeted financial supports. This extension meant that the 2019/2020 Fuel Season ran to the latest end date of any season in the last 30 years and provided €98 additional income to those 369,000 vulnerable households in a timely fashion.
Recipients of State pension payments may, subject to satisfying eligibility conditions, have access to a range of additional supports. These supports include the living alone increase, household benefits, telephone support allowance, fuel allowance and free travel.
Furthermore, my Department operates both Exceptional and Urgent Needs Payments as part of the Supplementary Welfare Allowance scheme for people of any age, who have an urgent need which they cannot meet from their own resources. These payments are available through our Community Welfare Officers.
Officials in my Department are monitoring these payments and figures indicate that in the 16 week period between mid-March and the first week of July 1,145 Exceptional and Urgent need payments were paid to those aged 66 and over. This compares to 1,673 payments made to the same age group over the corresponding period in 2019, representing a drop of over 31% in these claims, year on year.
The Department of Health is still advising that elderly people are at the highest risk of severe illness from COVID-19 and are advised to stay at home as much as possible and to limit physical contact with other people. While I fully understand that these are difficult and distressing times for many people, especially for the vulnerable and the elderly, any further economic measures can only be considered while taking account of the overall budgetary context and the availability of financial resources.
I trust this clarifies the position for the Deputy.
