Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 3 October 2024
117. Deputy Frankie Feighan asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will consider changing the rules around community employment workers who currently are not entitled to the winter fuel allowance, as this may provide a bigger incentive to recruit more participants to schemes, which play a vital role in so many communities across the country. [39552/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Fuel Allowance is a payment of €33 per week for 28 weeks (a total of €924 each year) from late September to April, at an estimated cost of €382 million in 2024. The purpose of this payment is to assist these households with their energy costs. Only one allowance is paid per household.
The criteria for Fuel Allowance are framed in order to direct the limited resources available to my Department in as targeted a manner as possible. To qualify for the Fuel Allowance payment, a person must satisfy all the qualifying criteria including a means test and the household composition criteria.
I recently announced that for the current Fuel Allowance season, the period a person spends on a Community Employment Scheme, Rural Social Scheme or Tús can be counted when assessing if a person satisfies the qualifying period criterion for Fuel Allowance purposes.
Therefore, claimants who move to these Employment Support Schemes who were previously in receipt of short-term Jobseeker’s Allowance or Basic Supplementary Welfare Allowance can accrue entitlement to Fuel Allowance while on the scheme.
This measure will benefit those that leave a qualifying social welfare payment to engage in an Employment Support Scheme.
Furthermore, those who move onto a qualifying social welfare payment for Fuel Allowance such as Jobseekers Allowance or Basic Supplementary Welfare Allowance, following completion of these Employment Support Schemes, will also be able to use the period spent on the Employment Support Scheme to satisfy the payment period requirement.
Any decision to allow all those who participate on a Community Employment Scheme to qualify for Fuel Allowance would fundamentally change the targeted nature of the scheme and can only be considered while taking account of the overall policy and budgetary situation.
I trust that this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
