Government slated for ‘leaving pensioners in the cold’

THE Government has been condemned for its refusal to raise the income levels for social welfare fuel allowances, despite almost 210,000 pensioners being left out in the cold.

Just 16,000 of the State’s 225,458 contributory pensioners, or 7%, are eligible for the fuel allowance.

Age Action Ireland is calling for the criteria for fuel allowance to be revised. The organisation has pointed out that, currently, a person is ineligible for the allowance (€14 a week) if they receive the State Contributory pension (€193.30) and earn more than €50.79 extra per week.