Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 17 September 2026
269. Deputy John Clendennen asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of households in County Offaly that have become eligible for fuel allowance in 2026 as a result of the extension of eligibility to recipients of the working family payment; the total value of these fuel allowance payments made to date in 2026; and the projected full-year value of these payments in County Offaly, in tabular form. [66282/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra270. Deputy John Clendennen asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of fuel allowance recipients in County Offaly in each of the years 2021 to 2025 and to date in 2026, by the primary qualifying payment or scheme through which eligibility was established, in tabular form. [66280/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra271. Deputy John Clendennen asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of households in County Offaly that received fuel allowance under the national fuel scheme in each of the years 2021 to 2025 and to date in 2026; and the total value of payments made to recipients in County Offaly, by year, in tabular form. [66278/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 269 to 271, inclusive, together.
Fuel Allowance is a payment to help with the cost of heating your home during the winter months. It is paid to only one person in a household. The 2026/27 Fuel Allowance season commences on the week beginning Monday, 28th September 2026.
At the end of August 2026, there were 869 people in Offaly awarded Fuel Allowance where their primary payment was Working Family Payment.
The total number of recipients of Fuel Allowance in Offaly at the end of each year from 2021 to 2025, and a breakdown by primary scheme, including the national fuel scheme, is provided in table 1 below.
It is not possible to breakdown expenditure down by individual level characteristics, such as county. The overall expenditure on Fuel allowance in each of the years 2021 to 2025 is provided in Table 2 below.
Table 1: Fuel Allowance recipients in Offaly, by year and primary scheme
|
Scheme |
2021 |
2022 |
2023 |
2024 |
2025 |
|
Back To Work Scheme |
13 |
13 |
13 |
10 |
8 |
|
Bereaved Partner’s (Contributory) Pension |
875 |
889 |
947 |
922 |
923 |
|
Bereaved Partner’s (Non-Contributory) Pension |
11 |
12 |
10 |
10 |
9 |
|
Blind Persons Pension |
15 |
14 |
14 |
14 |
14 |
|
Carers Allowance |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
114 |
|
Community Employment |
164 |
160 |
146 |
152 |
156 |
|
Deserted Wives Benefit |
31 |
30 |
30 |
29 |
30 |
|
Disability Allowance |
1,594 |
1,618 |
1,644 |
1,661 |
1,610 |
|
Guardians Payment (Contributory) |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
|
Incapacity Supplement |
2 |
2 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
|
Invalidity Pension |
382 |
374 |
372 |
351 |
324 |
|
Jobseekers Allowance |
777 |
784 |
690 |
635 |
575 |
|
National Fuel Scheme |
13 |
12 |
50 |
59 |
66 |
|
Occupational Injuries Pension |
10 |
10 |
10 |
8 |
9 |
|
One Parent Family Payment |
590 |
612 |
601 |
596 |
576 |
|
Rural Social Scheme |
21 |
19 |
19 |
19 |
22 |
|
State Pension Contributory |
1,599 |
1,871 |
2,320 |
2,425 |
2,608 |
|
State Pension Non Contributory |
823 |
846 |
857 |
846 |
897 |
|
Supplementary Welfare Allowance |
11 |
13 |
27 |
17 |
8 |
|
Tús |
50 |
43 |
32 |
32 |
28 |
|
Total |
6,981 |
7,322 |
7,784 |
7,788 |
7,979 |
Table 2: Fuel allowance expenditure by year
|
Year |
Expenditure (€ million) |
|
2021 |
315.66 |
|
2022 |
576.40 |
|
2023 |
501.66 |
|
2024 |
510.23 |
|
2025 |
410.36 |
