Cash to cut heating bills may not reach some Scots in need, UK minister warns

Concerns have been raised about the Scottish Government’s administration of a scheme to help cut heating bills, with a UK minister warning some of the cash “is not going to reach people”.

Minister for energy consumers Martin McCluskey said while those in receipt of certain benefits in England and Wales are automatically eligible for £150 off their energy bills through the Warm Home Discount, people in Scotland have to contact their energy supplier to find out if they qualify for help.

Complaining about this lack of “data matching” from the Scottish Government, he said he had raised the issue with Scottish Housing Secretary Mairi McAllan.

But with the UK Government having upped the money available for the scheme in Scotland by £39 million this year, taking it to £92 million, the Labour MP said: “Some of the money is not going to reach people.”

Mr McCluskey said the “vast majority” of people in England eligible for help would automatically see the £150 discount come off their electricity bill – but in Scotland it is “largely on individuals to go and claim this money”.

Advice body Consumer Scotland had already called on the Scottish and UK governments to work together to ensure all eligible consumers in Scotland receive the payment automatically.

Mr McCluskey said the way the scheme has been administered in Scotland means “in some cases we have energy suppliers in Scotland who are essentially running lotteries for who gets the Warm Home Discount”.

He contrasted this with the situation south of the border where “that support is going directly into the pockets of people who are on means-tested benefits”.

The minister added: “The worry I have got is we have expanded the Warm Home Discount this year, there’s £39 million more on the table for the Scottish Government to spend on the Warm Home Discount, but the question I’ve got is, is that actually going to reach people?

“I don’t think it is, because the Scottish Government hasn’t taken the action to make sure they can match the data, some of the money is not going to reach people.

“It is for the Scottish Government to make decisions about how they implement the Warm Home Discount in Scotland.

“I have raised concerns with Mairi McAllan about how the Warm Home Discount is applied in Scotland and whether the Scottish Government’s process of doing that is reaching everyone who needs to be reached.

“The call I have got to the Scottish Government is for them to step up and take similar action to the action we have taken, so we don’t end up in a situation where we have tens of thousands of people across Scotland struggling with energy bills and living in cold homes.”

He accepted the UK Government – which came to power on a pledge to lower energy bills for people across the UK – still has a “huge amount of work” to do to achieve this, but said many households are “already seeing significant savings in terms of energy”.

He said: “But I am under no illusions, even with all of this support, that there is still a huge amount of work we have to do to make sure bills keep coming down, that consumers who are in debt are able to feel some relief from that, and that the experiences of people across the country, where they are having to make choices about whether to turn on their gas or electricity, we should not have anyone having to make those choices.”

Housing Secretary Mairi McAllan said: “The Scottish Government does not have powers to match and provide data to energy suppliers to deliver the Warm Home Discount as in England and Wales.

“We cannot change the Warm Home Discount without UK Government approval and new regulations.

“Many people who most need help with their energy bills simply don’t receive it in England and Wales, as a result of an emphasis on means-tested support by successive UK Governments.

“As Consumer Scotland have highlighted, tackling fuel poverty in Scotland requires an approach by the UK Government that goes beyond means testing.”