Question reference: S5W-33290
- Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
- Date lodged: 16 November 2020
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Current status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 25 November 2020
Question
To ask the Scottish Government when its estimates on the impact of COVID-19 on fuel poverty rates will be reviewed and updated.
Answer
We have no plans to update the experimental analysis of the impact of COVID-19 on Fuel Poverty Rates, which we published in September. The report provided estimates of the likely effects on fuel poverty rates under a wide range of scenarios. These considered the impact of varying levels of unemployment, while also taking account of the rate of furlough and modelled assumptions about the likely effects of factors such as the increased prevalence of home working on household heating and energy costs. The scenarios presented in the report are still considered to be valid and we believe they continue to cover comprehensively the range of possible impacts on fuel poverty rates arising from the COVID-19 outbreak.