Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 3 November 2020
935. Deputy Duncan Smith asked the Minister for Social Protection if having a member of one's family on a social welfare payment and living with that person would disqualify that person from receiving a fuel allowance payment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33722/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe fuel allowance is a payment of €24.50 per week for 28 weeks (a total of €686 each year) from October to April, to an average of 352,000 low income households, at an estimated cost of €261.35 million in 2020. The purpose of this payment is to assist these households with their energy costs. The allowance represents a contribution towards the energy costs of a household. It is not intended to meet those costs in full. Only one allowance is paid per household.
The criteria for fuel allowance are framed in order to direct the limited resources available to my Department in as targeted a manner as possible. To qualify for the fuel allowance payment a person must satisfy all the qualifying criteria including the household composition criteria. To satisfy the household composition criteria an applicant may live alone or only with:
- a qualified spouse / civil partner / cohabitant or qualified child(ren); (if the qualified spouse is in receipt of half rate carers, in addition to the IQA payment , they may qualify for fuel allowance, subject to a means test) or
- a person in receipt of a qualifying payment who would be entitled to the allowance in their own right or
- a person who is in receipt of carer’s allowance or carer’s benefit in respect of providing full-time care and attention to the fuel allowance applicant or their qualified spouse / civil partner / cohabitant or qualified child(ren) or
- a person receiving pandemic unemployment payment (PUP), a person receiving short-term jobseeker's allowance (JA) or basic Supplementary Welfare Allowance (SWA) - i.e., less than 391 days for JA and less than 15 months/456 days for SWA).
Fuel allowance is not payable if an applicant lives with any person, including a family member, that is not covered by the criteria outlined.
Any decision to change the qualifying conditions for fuel allowance would have to be considered in the context of overall budgetary negotiations.
Under the supplementary welfare allowance scheme, exceptional needs payments may be made to help meet an essential, once-off cost which customers are unable to meet out of their own resources, and this may include exceptional heating costs. Decisions on such payments are made on a case-by-case basis.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
