Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 15 January 2026
415. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Social Protection if he intends to increase and benchmark the fuel allowance to restore purchasing power at 2020 levels; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [73017/25]
View answerThe Programme for Government includes a commitment to examine key ancillary benefits such as the Fuel Allowance, Household Benefits Package and Living Alone Increase to support vulnerable groups. This is an ongoing activity as part of the Department's budget planning each year and I will continue, as part of the budget planning process, to consider if improvements can be made to ensure that these benefits continue to target vulnerable groups.
However, any future decision to benchmark the Fuel Allowance scheme, will of course, have to take account of the availability of financial resources.
As part of Budget 2026, I announced a €5 increase to the weekly rate of Fuel Allowance payable. This increased the weekly rate payable from €33 to €38 a week or €1,064 a Fuel Allowance season. This will support over 460,000 households including pensioner households who most require Government support with their energy costs.
The Government is committed to protecting vulnerable households from the impact of energy costs through a combination of financial supports, energy efficiency awareness initiatives and investment in programmes to improve the energy efficiency of the housing stock. The supports provided by the Government are cross Departmental and, in this regard, my Department is represented on the Energy Poverty Action Group, with the overall strategy to combat Fuel Poverty and Energy Poverty under the remit of the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications.
I trust that this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
