Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 30 April 2026
92. Deputy Paul McAuliffe asked the Minister for Social Protection if he plans to change the income thresholds for those over the age of 66 in receipt of the fuel allowance, for both single individuals and couples; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31243/26]
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 further changes to the criteria for accessing the Fuel Allowance scheme would require additional funding for the scheme and therefore any decision to increase the Fuel Allowance thresholds would have to form part of overall budgetary negotiations.
There have been significant improvements made in recent years to the Fuel Allowance scheme, especially in relation to the income threshold for those aged 66 or older. These improvements have resulted in some 100.000 additional households qualifying for the payment, and have resulted in the Budget for the scheme increasing significantly with an estimated expenditure on the scheme in 2026 of €557.4 million compared to an expenditure of €290.45 million in 2020.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
