Press release
Minister Humphreys announces the expansion of Fuel Allowance to people on Employment Support Schemes
From Department of Social Protection
Published on
Last updated on
From Department of Social Protection
Published on
Last updated on
The Minister for Social Protection, Heather Humphreys TD, has today announced an expansion of the Fuel Allowance to Employment Support Scheme participants.
For the upcoming Fuel Allowance season, the period a person spends on an Employment Support Scheme (Community Employment, Tús and the Rural Social Scheme) will count towards the qualifying period for Fuel Allowance purposes.
This measure will benefit those that leave a qualifying social welfare payment to engage in an Employment Support Scheme.
Those who move onto a qualifying social welfare payment for Fuel Allowance, following completion of an Employment Support Scheme (ESS), will also be able to use the period spent on the ESS to satisfy the payment period requirement for Fuel Allowance.
The 2024/25 Fuel Allowance season will begin on the 23rd of September 2024. The Fuel Allowance assists households with their heating costs. The payment is made at the weekly rate of €33 for 28 weeks and only one allowance is paid per household.
Announcing the expansion, Minister Humphreys said:
“I absolutely recognise the vital role that CE, Tús and Rural Social Scheme workers play in local communities right across the country. They support a range of vital local services in areas such as childcare, meals on wheels, the maintenance and upkeep of local amenities and sports facilities and other valuable work in our communities.
“Taking part on these programmes is good for people’s physical and mental health and it helps set them on the road to getting back into employment. These workers do wonderful work in our communities and I am delighted to make this change today to support them.”
The Fuel Allowance scheme is a means tested payment to assist pensioners and other long-term social welfare recipients with their winter heating costs. The payment is a contribution towards heating costs.
The payment is made at the weekly rate of €33 and is paid over the winter season.
The 2024/25 Fuel Allowance season is from the 23rd of September to the week ending 4th April, at an estimated cost of €382 million in 2024.
Only one Fuel Allowance is paid per household. Fuel Allowance is paid on a weekly basis to those engaged in employment schemes; lump sum payments are not available. Further information on the Fuel Allowance is available at gov.ie/fuelallowance.
Community Employment (CE) is an active labour market programme designed to provide eligible long-term unemployed people and other disadvantaged people with an opportunity to engage in useful work and training opportunities within their communities on a temporary, fixed term basis.
Tús is an active labour market programme designed to provide eligible long-term unemployed people with an opportunity to engage in useful work within their communities on a temporary, fixed term basis.
The Rural Social Scheme (RSS) is an income support scheme that provides part-time employment opportunities for farmers and fishermen and women in receipt of specified social welfare payments, and who are underemployed in their primary occupation. RSS is specifically designed and delivered to certain qualified people of working age whose income falls below certain limits. The valuable work undertaken by participants draws on their existing skills which may be further developed and shared throughout their participation.
The types of work CE, Tús and RSS participants are involved in include local amenities management, environmental projects, arts and culture, sports, childcare, Tidy Towns, health-related services, meals on wheels and drug rehabilitation schemes.