The Government decided to prolong the social gas and district heating supports till 30 April 2011, meaning that said supports will remain in force with the same conditions and amounts until the end of the heating season.

The decree would have ceased to exist on 1 January 2011 if the decree had not been amended. The measure is for enabling the socially needy to pay their heating bills even in the coldest winter months. The prolongation is automatic, meaning that those concerned do not have to submit any specific application.

Simultaneously with this, the system of housing supports will be transformed in 2011 as a result of the amendment of the social act. The number of persons entitled to the support will grow thanks to the amendment of the income limit and the termination of the actual income threshold. The entitlement to the support will be established by the municipalities in the future, too. The housing support will be paid to the person in the household of whom the income per consumption unit does not exceed 250% of the min. old age pension and the members of the household do not have any properties as provided for by the social act. (The real estate in which the person concerned actually lives, the right of pecuniary value related to the real estate he lives in and the vehicle maintained because of some physical handicap shall not be considered properties.)

By amending the income limit it can be achieved that all the persons currently receiving energy support may become entitled to the housing support as from September. All this means 906 thousand households. To guarantee the orientedness of the support, in-kind supports will be given preference.

Owing to scarce budgetary resources, the termination of the gas and district heating supports and the introduction of the new housing support will take place with some interval. The two support types will not be applied simultaneously – the energy support will remain in force in the winter months (till 30 April 2011) and the expanded housing support will come into force on 1 September 2011, i.e. before the start of the following heating season. New applications may be submitted to the competent municipalities as from 1 September.