Energy Prices
Dail Éireann — 2026-09-24
============================================================

Dara Calleary (FF), Mayo

I assure the Deputy that we are very focused on all energy costs and on electricity in particular. That is why we have looked at the fuel allowance in particular for the older age cohort in terms of expanding eligibility for it. The allowable means for those aged 66 and over for the fuel allowance is now €534 per week for a single person and €1,068 for a couple. In particular, we have increased the disregard of savings and investments from €20,000 to €50,000 for those aged 66 and over to encourage more eligibility for fuel allowance, which is paid through the fuel allowance season, which for the information of the House, will begin next week, at a time of peak usage. Looking at the energy side of the household benefits, we have increased the resources relating to the fuel allowance. Also, during the period we are discussing, we had the single energy payments and other supports. I am very focused. The fuel allowance payment has been identified as targeted at those most vulnerable to energy shocks. Within the capacity of the fuel allowance, we have the ability to respond in a dynamic fashion, as we did this year, by extending it for four weeks at a time of unexpected high energy prices.

---

Source: Houses of the Oireachtas. Licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). The Official Report is revised after first publication; the fetch timestamp below identifies the version quoted.

Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-09-24/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-09-28T05:50:50+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-09-24