Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 3 December 2020
240. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Social Protection the reason workers on the pandemic unemployment payment cannot receive the fuel allowance; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40938/20]
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.
Qualifying payments for fuel allowance are those payments that are considered long term payments and an applicant must also satisfy a means test. People on long term payments are unlikely to have additional resources of their own and are more vulnerable to poverty, including energy poverty. It is for this reason that the Department allocates additional payments, supports and resources to help this cohort of claimants
The PUP was introduced by my Department in March 2020 and is available to all employees and the self-employed who have lost employment due to a downturn in economic activity caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. When introduced the scheme was expected to be a short term measure and applicants do not have to satisfy a means test to qualify for the payment.
Any decision to include the PUP as a qualifying payment for fuel allowance would have budgetary consequences and would have to be considered in the context of budget negotiations taking into consideration the resources available to my Department.
While the PUP is not a qualifying payment for the fuel allowance, similar to the short-term jobseeker’s allowance payment, it does not prevent an otherwise qualified household from receiving the payment.
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.
