Duncan Smith (Dublin Fingal, Labour)
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122. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the reason a person (details supplied) who is in receipt of invalidity pension and whose husband is on supplementary welfare allowance has been refused the fuel allowance; if she will address this issue immediately; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40341/24]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Fuel Allowance is available to persons in receipt of long-term Social Welfare payments, who satisfy a means condition and who are living alone or who only with the persons who come within certain categories.

Fuel Allowance is not payable where a household member is in receipt of certain non-qualifying payments from my Department.

An application for Fuel Allowance was received from the person concerned on 29 August 2024. The application was refused. The information available to my Department indicates the spouse of the person in question is in receipt of a Supplementary Welfare Allowance payment while awaiting the award of another social welfare payment. As such, they are not deemed to be an exempted person within the household for the purposes of the Fuel Allowance scheme. The person referred to was notified of the decision to refuse her application on 14 September 2024.

It is open to the person in question to apply again for Fuel Allowance if her household circumstances change.

I trust this clarifies the position for the Deputy.