Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 13 November 2025
118. Deputy James O'Connor asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of persons that will benefit from the changes in the qualifying criteria for the fuel allowance announced in Budget 2026; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [62282/25]
View answerI am very conscious of the need to target support to those people who most require help with their energy costs.
Therefore, as part of Budget 2026 I was pleased to announce that I had secured funding for an increase in the weekly rate and a number of expansion measures in relation to the Fuel Allowance scheme.
In recognition of the importance of helping low paid working families, I announced the extension of the Fuel Allowance payment to Working Family Payment recipients. This will benefit over 43,000 families and is a significant measure in tackling child poverty. This will be implemented from March 2026 and backdated to January 2026.
This measure honours commitments made in the 2025 Programme for Government to expand the eligibility for the Fuel Allowance to families in receipt of the Working Family Payment.
Budget 2026 allows those who leave their disability payment to take up employment to continue to receive their Fuel Allowance for five years after exiting their payment.
I trust that this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
