Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 23 June 2021
169. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of households receiving welfare payments that enable them to qualify for the warmer homes scheme that have children by payment. [33640/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Better Energy Warmer Home Scheme is operated by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland and aims to improve the energy efficiency and warmth of homes owned by people with low incomes. A person in receipt of Fuel Allowance, Working Family Payment, Domiciliary Care allowance, or the One Parent Family Payment may qualify for the payment if they own their own home. Further, a person in receipt of Jobseeker's Allowance for 6 months or more where there is a child under 7 in the home, or a person in receipt of Carer's Allowance who lives with the person they provide care to, may qualify if they own their own home.
My Department does not hold data on home ownership; accordingly, while the data provided in the table below details the number of persons availing of a number of the qualifying schemes, it is not possible to determine what proportion of these people could qualify for the Better Energy Warmer Home scheme.
It is also not possible to provide the number of persons receiving Carer's Allowance who reside with the person they are providing care to, or the number on Jobseekers payment for longer than 6 months with a child under age 7. As stated above, the link between receipt of these payments and home ownership is not known to the Department.
Recipients of Selected Schemes
|
Scheme |
Recipients |
|
Fuel Allowance* |
375,269 |
|
Jobseeker's Allowance for 6 months or more, with a child aged under 7 |
N/A |
|
Working Family Payment |
45,816 |
|
One Parent Family Payment |
39,171 |
|
Domiciliary Care Allowance |
44,887 |
* Fuel Allowance numbers refer to December 2020; all other data refers to May 2021
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
