Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 1 July 2025
524. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated full-year cost of extending eligibility for the fuel allowance to all pensioners, to all in receipt of the working family payment and-or a medical card; the estimated full-year cost of abolishing the waiting period of a year for those on jobseeker’s allowance,; the cost of increasing the rate by €20 per week; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35644/25]
View answerMy Department does not hold data on persons in receipt of a medical card and is therefore unable to provide a costing for the extension of Fuel Allowance to this cohort.
There are approximately 740,218 pensioners in receipt of qualifying payments for Fuel Allowance. Of these, 220,429 are already in receipt of Fuel Allowance. This would give an additional 519,789 Fuel Allowance claims if the payment was awarded to all pensioners in receipt of a qualifying payment for Fuel Allowance. The estimated cost of extending eligibility for the Fuel Allowance to all pensioners in receipt of a qualifying payment is as follows:
|
Weekly Rate of Fuel Allowance |
Number of Weeks Payable |
Number of Additional Claims |
Estimated Additional Yearly Cost |
|
€33 |
28 |
519,789 |
€480.28m |
|
€53 |
28 |
519,789 |
€771.37m |
The estimated full-year cost of extending eligibility for the Fuel Allowance to those in receipt of the Working Family Payment is as follows:
|
Weekly Rate of Fuel Allowance |
Number of Weeks Payable |
Number of Additional Claims |
Estimated Additional Yearly Cost |
|
€33 |
28 |
43,000 |
€39.73m |
|
€53 |
28 |
43,000 |
€63.8m |
Based on an assumption of 9,728 additional recipients of Jobseeker’s Allowance qualifying for the Fuel Allowance if the waiting period of 12 months was abolished, the estimate cost of the measure is as follows:
|
Weekly Rate of Fuel Allowance |
Number of Weeks Payable |
Number of Additional Claims |
Estimated Additional Yearly Cost |
|
€33 |
28 |
9,728 |
€8.99m |
|
€53 |
28 |
9,728 |
€14.44m |
If the rate of Fuel Allowance payable was increased by €20 a week, the estimated yearly cost of the measure for those currently in receipt of the Fuel Allowance on the one hand, and, on the other hand, including the increased numbers who would qualify if Fuel Allowance was extended to all pensioners in receipt of a qualifying payment for Fuel Allowance, Working Family Payment and Jobseeker Allowance claimants without a waiting period, is as follows:
|
Increase in Weekly Rate of Fuel Allowance |
Number of Weeks Payable |
Number of Claims |
Estimated Additional Yearly Cost |
|
€20 |
28 |
415,000 |
€232.4m |
|
€20 |
28 |
572,517 |
€320.6m |
|
Total |
987,517 |
€553m |
The estimated combined additional yearly cost of the measures set out by the Deputy would likely be in excess of €1 billion.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
