Danny Healy-Rae
Ceist:242. Deputy Danny Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will provide an update on a query (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36832/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThursday, 7 July 2022
Ceisteanna (242)
Freagraí scríofa
The Fuel Allowance is a payment of €33 per week for 28 weeks (a total of €924 each year) from late September to April, which is supporting over 370,000 households 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.
My Department also pays an electricity or gas allowance under the Household Benefits scheme at an estimated cost of €203 million in 2022. This is paid at a rate of €35 per month, 12 months of the year.
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. Therefore, to receive the fuel allowance a person must be in receipt of a qualifying payment from my Department and also have satisfied a means test.
Any decision to remove the means test qualifying criteria for fuel allowance for those who are in receipt of the State Pension Contributory would have to be considered in the context of overall budgetary negotiations.
As part of the overall welfare budget package of €600m in increases I secured for 2022, I was pleased to be able to increase the Fuel Allowance payment by €5 per week effective from Budget night and to increase the weekly income threshold for Fuel Allowance by €20. In addition, further lump sum payments of €125 and €100 were made in March and May of this year respectively to Fuel Allowance recipients. These measures are better targeted at those most at risk of fuel poverty.
Under the Supplementary Welfare Allowance (SWA) scheme, a heating supplement may be paid to assist people in certain circumstances that have special heating needs. If a recipient of a social protection or HSE payment has exceptional heating costs due to ill health, infirmity or a medical condition which he/she is unable to meet out of household income, that person may apply for a heating supplement. There is no automatic entitlement to a payment. Heating supplements are payable at the discretion of the officers administering the scheme taking into account the requirements of the legislation and all the relevant circumstances of the case in order to ensure that the payments target those most in need of assistance.
Under the SWA scheme, Additional Needs Payments may also 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.