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Social Welfare Benefits

Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 10 March 2022

Thursday, 10 March 2022

Ceisteanna (323)

Emer Higgins

Ceist:

323. Deputy Emer Higgins asked the Minister for Social Protection the payments that prevent a person under the means test threshold from receiving the fuel allowance; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13626/22]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

The Fuel Allowance is a payment of €33.00 per week for 28 weeks (a total of €924 each year) from October to April. It is estimated that up to 400,000 households will benefit from the Fuel allowance in 2022 at an estimated cost of €366 million. 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 being in receipt of a qualifying payment, satisfy a means test and satisfy the household composition criteria. This ensures that the fuel allowance payment goes to those who are more vulnerable to fuel poverty including those reliant on social protection payments for longer periods and who are unlikely to have additional resources of their own.

The fuel allowance guidelines which are available on the Government website at gov.ie/en/publication/e7fcaa-operational-guidelines-fuel-allowance-scheme/ set out in detail the qualifying and disregarded payment schemes for fuel allowance purposes. All other payments are non-qualifying payments and will prevent a household from receiving fuel allowance, irrespective of means.

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.

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