Consultation on New Benefit to Help With Fuel Costs
Views are being sought on the introduction of the Pension Age Winter Heating Payment, a new benefit to replace the UK Governmentās Winter Fuel Payment in Scotland.
The Scottish Government has previously committed to delivering the new payment on a like-for-like basis with the existing benefit. It will help more than a million pensioners with heating costs in the winter.
The consultation document sets out proposals for implementing the new payment when it is introduced from the winter of 2024 and asks for responses, which can be submitted until 15 January. Ā Ā
The publicās views on issues such as who should be eligible, the timing and format of the payment and the likely impact of the benefit are being sought, as well as further evidence about issues specific to people who are off the gas grid.
Pension Age Winter Heating Payment will provide an annual payment to pensioner households to help with heating costs in the winter. The Governmentās intention is that when it is introduced, the Payment will have the same eligibility criteria and payment amounts as Winter Fuel Payment.
The consultation lays out the Scottish Governmentās intention to deliver a like-for-like benefit at a cost of around Ā£180 million in winter 2024-25, which will be covered via the Block Grant Adjustment from the UK Government.
Iām Graemeās Parliamentary Assistant based at Holyrood, but I support his constituency work as well. Having been Caseworker to an Aberdeenshire MP some years prior, joining Graeme's team in 2019 was a return to this line of work from a role in fundraising.