Thousands of women across Ireland who are in receipt of the ‘Deserted Wives’ Allowance are being excluded from the SEAI Warmer Homes Scheme.
Aontú Senator Sarah O’ Reilly says that in a response to a PQ put in by her party, the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment Darragh O’ Brien has confirmed that it is not a qualifying grant, a fact she has described as “baffling and inexplicable” .
Senator O’ Reilly says
“There are almost 4,500 women in Ireland currently in receipt of this payment . The ‘Deserted Wife’s’ payment was effectively closed to new applicants in 1997, meaning many recipients are now older and more vulnerable than their One-Parent Family Payment counterparts. This makes their exclusion from the scheme particularly concerning. As a result, many are significantly worse off than those on the One-Parent Family Payment, despite having comparable means and the same need to maintain a single-adult household. While one group can access vital home retrofit supports, the other cannot.
For so many of these women, the Warmer Homes Scheme represents the only realistic opportunity to upgrade their homes, improve energy efficiency, and reduce fuel poverty. The current eligibility criterion therefore creates an inequitable situation, where two social welfare recipients with similar circumstances are treated very differently.
It’s just yet another example of the baffling inequities that the most impoverished and genuinely vulnerable must contend with and I am calling for this to be remedied .It is not fair and it flies in the face of all this Government proclaims about fairness for all..
These women are being deserted by the Government and are being left, quite literally ,out in the cold “.
CRIOCH
For further information contact Senator Sarah O’ Reilly 086 399 4658
NOTES TO EDITORS
Question:
169. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment further to Parliamentary Question No. 44 of 7 October 2025, the reason the deserted wives social protection payment recipients are excluded from the SEAI scheme given they are on similar means to single parent and also pension recipients and should be able to avail of the warmer homes scheme. [7741/26]
Written answers
Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment
The Warmer Homes Scheme aims to improve the energy efficiency and warmth of homes owned by people at risk of energy poverty by providing fully-funded retrofits. The scheme is operated by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) on behalf of my Department and is funded through the carbon tax receipts and the European Regional Development Fund.
The situation has not changed. The Warmer Homes Scheme is available to owner-occupied properties, based on the householder being in receipt of certain Department of Social Protection (DSP) income supports. The scheme targets support to those on the lowest incomes who are living in the least efficient homes so that the resources available can have the greatest impact in addressing energy poverty.
The Deserted Wives payments are not a qualifying payment for the Warmer Homes Scheme. However, households where someone is in receipt of the Invalidity Pension may also qualify for one of the DSP payments that are eligible payments for the Warmer Homes Scheme, such as the Fuel Allowance. This would be subject to the household meeting the relevant DSP operational guidelines and means test where required for the respective payment.
The scheme eligibility criteria are kept under ongoing review by my Department, together with the DSP, to ensure they are consistent with, and complementary to, the income support schemes offered.
