Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The 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.

At the end of December 2023, 411,395 household were in receipt of the Fuel Allowance payment. Based on similar numbers of households qualifying for the Fuel Allowance Payment during the 2024/25 fuel season and a weekly rate of payment of €33 the estimated cost of making the fuel allowance available for 32, 40 and 52 weeks per annum is as follows: -

The provision of any additional supports such as extending the Fuel Allowance season would have cost implications and could only be considered while taking account of the overall budgetary context and the availability of financial resources.

I trust that this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The Bereavement Grant, which was a once-off payment of €850 for funeral costs, was discontinued in January 2014. The number of bereavement grant claims in 2013 was 23,716 at a cost of €20.3 million. It is estimated that the cost of reintroducing the grant would be close to €31 million per annum and would increase annually. Accordingly, any decision to reinstate such a universal grant would have to be considered in an overall policy and budgetary context, including its actual effectiveness in helping people with funeral costs.

It is worth noting that there are a range of supports available for people following bereavement which provide more significant support than the former grant.

These include weekly-paid Widow's, Widower's or Surviving Civil Partner’s (Contributory and Non-Contributory) pensions, which are based on contributions or a means test, and a once-off Widowed or Surviving Civil Partner grant of €8,000 where there is a dependent child. A number of social welfare payments, including State Pension, continue in payment for six weeks following a death, extending to 12 weeks in respect of Carer’s Allowance. Guardian payments are available where someone cares for an orphaned child. A special funeral grant of €850 is paid where a person dies because of an accident at work or occupational disease.

Under the Supplementary Allowance scheme, the Department may make an Additional Needs Payment to help meet essential, once-off expenditure which a person could not reasonably be expected to meet from their weekly income, which may include help with funeral and burial expenses. This is a more targeted and efficient manner of assisting people with bereavement expenses in addition to the range of supports already set out.

I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.