Question reference: S5O-04816
- Asked by: Fulton MacGregor, MSP for Coatbridge and Chryston, Scottish National Party
- Date lodged: 25 November 2020
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Current status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 2 December 2020
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what extra support it will be providing to families with disabled children to heat their homes this winter.
Answer
I’m pleased we have started paying the Child Winter Heating Assistance to provide £200 of additional financial support to the families of the most severely disabled children this winter.
This brand new benefit will help improve the lives of the 14,000 children and young people entitled to the highest rate of the care component of Disability Living Allowance.
This represents a £2.9 million investment in their health and wellbeing, by easing the additional pressures caused on household finances by winter heating bills.
No application is necessary and Social Security Scotland will automatically pay each eligible child or young person by 11 December.
In addition our £100 million winter package announced earlier this week provides a range of support for low income families including help to people struggling with fuel bills.