Written answer
Social Welfare Payments
The Minister defended the current targeted Fuel Allowance means test, noting that Child Support Payment and Child Benefit are disregarded and that households receiving qualifying non-contributory payments automatically satisfy the test. He said changes to thresholds for households with dependent children may be considered through annual budget planning, subject to available resources.
401. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Social Protection to confirm that consideration would be given to including an increased income threshold in the Fuel Allowance for those with dependent children; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [66924/26]
Comment on this
404. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Social Protection if he has examined the impact of the current fuel allowance means test on lone-parent households; if he acknowledges that, for applicants under 66 years-of-age, the means test applies a single-person income threshold regardless of the presence of dependent children in the household; and if he will consider introducing higher income disregards or revised means-test thresholds that take account of household composition and the additional costs associated with raising dependent children. [66991/26]
Comment on this
I propose to take Questions Nos. 401 and 404 together.
Fuel Allowance eligibility encompasses 22 qualifying schemes, demonstrating the comprehensive nature of the support available to eligible households. In addition to these qualifying schemes, people over 66 do not need to be in receipt of a payment from this Department to qualify for Fuel Allowance, subject to satisfying the means test. According to the latest CSO data, there are just over 1.8 million households in Ireland. Of these, 463,910 households are eligible for the Fuel Allowance scheme, representing approximately 26% of all households nationwide.
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. This ensures that the fuel allowance payment is targeted at those who are more vulnerable to fuel poverty, including those reliant on social protection payments for longer periods and who are unlikely to have available additional resources.
While the single-person income threshold for Fuel Allowance means testing applies regardless of the presence of dependent children in the household, my Department fully understands the financial challenges associated with having dependent children and it is for this reason, there is a Child Support Payment paid with most primary Social Welfare payments to help support dependent children. The amount of Child Support Payment and also Child Benefit an applicant receives is disregarded when assessing a households means for Fuel Allowance purposes.
Furthermore, while to qualify for Fuel Allowance a household must satisfy a means test, in the case of households where all members are receiving qualifying non-contributory payments, the means test is deemed to be satisfied. Non-contributory Social Welfare payments include the main payments paid to lone-parent households such as One Parent Family Payment, Jobseekers Transition Payment and the Working Family Payment.
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 introducing higher income disregards or revised means-test thresholds for those with dependent children will, of course, have to take account of the availability of financial resources.