Kerry councillor demands end to ‘discrimination’ against elderly in fuel allowance payments

By Alastair Tibbs, The Kerryman

The government has been urged by a Kerry councillor to address the “discrimination” against elderly people in the fuel allowance scheme.

In a meeting last week, Fianna Fáil Councillor Tommy Cahill called for the income limit disparity between single-person households and couples to be rectified.

The fuel allowance payment helps people with the cost of heating their home during the winter months, with a particular focus on elderly people.

The benefit is means tested and anyone over 66-years-old must have an income under a certain threshold to qualify.

However, while the payment is given out to a single household, the income threshold varies depending on the number of inhabitants.

A single-person household must have an income under €524 a week, while a couple can have an income of up to €1024 a week and still receive the benefit.

Cllr Cahill called the rules “bizarre”, reasoning that a house costs the same to heat regardless of whether there are multiple people occupying or not.

He called on the minister for social protection, TD Dara Calleary, to change the legislation and base the threshold soley on the total income of a household.

Councillor Norma Moriarty echoed Cllr Cahill’s concerns and said the rules “did seem strange”.

“Somebody clearly didn’t think about it,” she said, stressing that even if the threshold for single occupants was increased a little, it would be “very beneficial”.