5. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Social Protection to confirm that consideration will be given to an automatic entitlement to the fuel allowance where a member of the household is over 70 years of age; the cost of implementing this proposal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31303/26]

Sentiment score: 0.01

Where I am coming from is the context of people who are living on their own. One of the big problems that we have where a person is living on their own is that there are additional costs. The cost of heating a house and normal maintenance is the same as it would be if there were two or three people living in the house. If we look at the allowance that the Department is paying out and the cost to the State where a person ends up in a nursing home, the average cost in a nursing home as a minimum now is €1,250 per week. Therefore, if we look at the overall cost in real terms, there are challenges for people, particularly in rural areas, who are living on their own trying to make ends meet. The cost of heating, especially in older houses, is a huge additional cost. It is something that needs to be looked at. The cost of administration is taking up a lot of money. If the allowance was already there for anyone over 70 years of age, that would reduce down the cost of administration.

Sentiment score: -0.00

The cost of running a house for one person is the same as the cost of running it for two people, especially in relation to heating and maintenance. That is where I am coming from in relation to the fuel allowance for the over-70s. There is that huge additional cost. I recall dealing with one man whose basic allowance was the old age pension. His wife died. The income was cut in half but the cost of running the house was the same. In rural areas, we have quite a lot of properties that are not in great shape. They are extremely costly. People do not have the funding now to do major renovations despite all the grants that are there. It still costs a lot more money than what the grants will provide. In that context, I am wondering about making the fuel allowance automatic for people living alone rather than having their income assessed.

Sentiment score: -0.11