Current status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 18 June 2025
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the delivery of Pension Age Winter Heating Payment in Scotland this winter, in light of the recent change in UK Government policy to extend Winter Fuel Payment eligibility.
On 9 June the UK Government announced their plans to extend the Winter Fuel Payment in England and Wales to Pensioners with an individual income of £35,000 or less a year. This U-turn is welcome; the UK Government’s decision to cut the Winter Fuel Payment last winter was a betrayal of millions of pensioners.
Following careful consideration of the options available, the Scottish Government has decided to mirror the approach taken by the UK Government. We will therefore withdraw the current amendment regulations before the Scottish Parliament and bring forward amendment regulations to ensure that, from this winter onwards, all pensioners will receive £203.40 or £305.10 per household, depending on age, and we are in discussion with the UK Government to extend the proposed arrangements in England and Wales to recover payments from those pensioners with an individual income of more than £35,000 through the tax system. The intention is that the payment will be recovered automatically, and pensioners will not need to register with HMRC for this or take any further action.
In taking this decision Ministers have considered carefully the importance of prioritising the additional funding available to those who need it most. This approach ensures a higher level of support which those most in need will receive. Over 720,000 Scottish pensioners are estimated to benefit from the higher payment. Revised Impact Assessments will be updated and published alongside the updated regulations.