Question reference: S6O-00267
- Asked by: Collette Stevenson, MSP for East Kilbride, Scottish National Party
- Date lodged: 29 September 2021
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Current status: Answered by Ben Macpherson on 7 October 2021
Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the roll-out of Cold Spell Heating Assistance.
Answer
Later this year we will consult on our Low Income Winter Heating Assistance which we plan to introduce next winter.
We want people to have benefits they can rely on so this new £50 benefit will replace the unstable Cold Weather Payment provided by the DWP. The payment will bring stability and security for around 400,000 low income households who will now be able to rely on getting help with their fuel bills every winter and not rely on it being cold enough for long enough to get a payment.
This benefit is a clear example of where we are using our limited powers over social security to improve the lives of people and increase their incomes.