More Than €11,000 Paid Out To Assist Clare People Meet Rising Energy Costs So Far In 2021

More than 11,000 euro has been paid out to people in Clare so far this year to assist them with their energy costs.

It comes as Cabinet is to consider shaving 100 euro off every household’s first electricity bill of 2022 this morning.

The exceptional needs support, provided by the Department of Social Protection, is for ‘essential, once-off expenditure which a person could not reasonably be expected to meet out of their weekly income’.

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The Department says a Heating Supplement may be paid to assist people in certain circumstances who have exceptional heating costs due to ill health, infirmity or a medical condition and are unable to meet those costs out of household income.

Figures released to the Oireachtas indicate 38 people in Clare have been unable to meet energy costs in the first ten months of the year and have turned to the State for help.

The total paid out by the Department in this county is 11,370 euro – an average of nearly 300 euro per applicant.

It comes as a rebate plan to be considered by the Cabinet this morning would cost the exchequer 170 million euro.

It’d give each household 100 euro off their first bill next year, to try and reduce the cost on households from spiralling bills.

It’s expected if the Cabinet signs off on the measure, it will apply across the board.