442. Deputy Paul Donnelly asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated cost in 2027 if the household benefits package increased to €50 per month. [52715/26]

The Household Benefits Package comprises the electricity or gas allowance, and the free television licence.  The Department of Social Protection will spend approximately €317 million this year on the Household Benefits Package.

Based on an average of 562,000 recipients of the Electricity/Gas allowance in 2027 the estimated cost of increasing the allowance to €50 a month in 2027 is as follows: -

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.  Any future decisions including any decision to increase the Electricity/Gas element of the Household Benefits Package will, of course, have to take account of the availability of financial resources.

I trust this clarifies the position.