Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 5 February 2025
638. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Social Protection the reason applicants who are eligible to apply for fuel allowance are being refused same because they have a child living with them (details supplied). [2253/25]
View answerThe 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 €400 million in 2025. The purpose of this payment is to assist these households with their energy costs. 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 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 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 a Child Support Payment is payable, or in the case of an applicant with no primary social welfare scheme, aged under 18 or between the ages of 18 and 22 engaged in full-time education.
A change in the qualifying criteria such as that proposed by the Deputy, would have to be carefully considered, as disregarding the income and circumstances of another family member would change the targeted nature of the scheme.
There will always be exceptional cases and it is for this reason that the Supplementary Welfare Allowance scheme was introduced. Additional Needs Payments as part of the Supplementary Welfare Allowance scheme are available to people who have an urgent need, which they cannot meet from their own resources. These payments are available through our Community Welfare Officers.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
