Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 17 January 2024
978. Deputy Francis Noel Duffy asked the Minister for Social Protection for clarity around eligibility of fuel allowance for over 70s if they still have children over 18 years living with them due to the housing crisis; and if discretion will be exercised to allow receipt of allowance in these cases. [1696/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Fuel Allowance is a payment of €33 per week for 28 weeks (a total of €924 each year) from late September to April, at an estimated cost of €382 million in 2024. The purpose of this payment is to assist these households with their energy costs.
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. 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. Fuel Allowance is not paid on a discretionary basis.
The Fuel Allowance guidelines allow a fuel applicant to live with a qualified spouse/civil partner/cohabitant or qualified child(ren). For the purposes of Fuel Allowance, a qualified child is one for whom an Increase for a Qualified Child is payable, or in the case of an applicant with no primary social welfare scheme, the child must be in full-time education if aged between 18 and 22.
An unqualified family member who is living with a fuel allowance applicant may result in a reduction of additional allowances, such as the Fuel Allowance payment, to the householder.
A change in the qualifying criteria such as that proposed by the Deputy, would have to be considered in a wider budgetary context. However, disregarding the income of another family member would change the targeted nature of the scheme.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
