William Aird
Question:437. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Social Protection to amend the fuel allowance eligibility criteria for recipients over 66 years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3138/26]
View answerThursday, 15 January 2026
Questions (437)
Written answers
The criteria for Fuel Allowance are framed in order to direct the limited resources available to the Department in as targeted a manner as possible.
Any change in the qualifying criteria for recipients over 66 years would have to be considered in the context of scheme policy and budgetary negotiations. Notably, Budget 2025 expanded the enhanced Fuel Allowance qualifying conditions to those aged 66 and over.
These measures included a new means threshold of €524 for a single person and €1,048 for a couple. In addition, the amount of capital that is disregarded in the means test for Fuel Allowance was increased from €20,000 to €50,000. Savings over €50,000 are assessed on a proportionate basis only. Furthermore, those aged 66 and over are not required to be in receipt of a long-term payment from my Department to qualify for Fuel Allowance.
Following Budget 2026 the allowable means was increased again to €534 for a single person and €1,068 for a couple allowing more applicants to qualify for the payment.
The 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.