Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 30 April 2026
37. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Social Protection if, in light of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, consideration is being given to a further extension of the fuel allowance season; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31311/26]
View answer76. Deputy John Lahart asked the Minister for Social Protection if he has any plans to further extend the fuel allowance season this year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31093/26]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 37 and 76 together.
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.
As part of the Governments €250m targeted supports in March, I was delighted to announce the extension of the expansion of the Fuel Allowance season, by four weeks. This support directly targets pensioners, people with disabilities, lone parents, low paid working families and the long-term unemployed and will help these recipient with high energy prices.
The additional 4 weeks Fuel Allowance payment provides an additional €152 to households that need the most support. The four-week extension of the Fuel Allowance season will mean the yearly payment will increase to €1,216 in 2026.
Budget 2026 also provided significant supports to help householders with the cost of heating and other energy bills. The Fuel Allowance was increased by €5 to €38 per week. That is a 15% increase, which will support over 468,000 households requiring Government support with energy costs. This is on top of a €10 per week increase in the core payment rates (4.1% for most schemes).
Importantly, from a child poverty perspective, eligibility for Fuel Allowance has recently been extended to almost 50,000 families in receipt of Working Family Payment.
The Government will continue to monitor the cost-of-living situation closely. However, the provision of any additional supports such as further expanding the Fuel Allowance season would have cost implications and could only be considered while taking account of the overall budgetary context and the availability of financial resources.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
