For Immediate Release: Friday 30 September 2022

MACASKILL ACCUSES UK GOVERNMENT

OF BETRAYAL AND BLASTS £100 ENERGY AID AS “PATHETIC PITTANCE”

ALBA Party Depute Leader Kenny MacAskill MP has today (Friday) hit out at the UK Government accusing them of “betrayal” over its plans to provide £100 in aid to households who rely on unregulated fuels such as heating oil as their main source of domestic heating.  This was confirmed to Mr MacAskill in an answer to a parliamentary written question by the UK Minister for Climate, Graham Stuart MP.

In a statement Kenny MacAskill MP for East Lothian and said:

“This is an energy price betrayal and shows how out of touch this government is from the real needs of the people especially in rural, remote and island communities – many of whom have a reliance on unregulated fuels through no fault of their own, usually because they are off the gas grid. 

“£100 is an insult compared with the soaring price of unregulated fuel which has gone through the roof with the price of heating oil alone having tripled over the last year.  It is a wholly inadequate level of compensation for people who are not covered by the Ofgem energy price cap.

“Over 200,000 households in Scotland use an unregulated fuel source such as fuel oil or bottled gas to heat their homes rather than electricity or mains gas as their primary source of heating.Of these 125,000 rely on oil as the main source of heating.

“This announcement fails to take into account the dire financial circumstances families are facing with sky rocketing energy bills. 

“It shows where this government’s true priorities lie – tax cuts for the rich, lifting the cap on bankers bonuses and a pathetic pittance for people in real need.

ENDS

Notes to Editors: 

1. Parliamentary Written Answer:

The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has provided the following answer to your written parliamentary question (51990):

Question:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will set out the basis of assessment for any discretionary funding being provided by way of energy support costs. (51990)

Tabled on: 20 September 2022

This question was grouped with the following question(s) for answer:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the energy support costs provided for unregulated fuels will be (a) discretionary funding or (b) provided in full. (51989) 
Tabled on: 20 September 2022 

Answer:
Graham Stuart: 

The Government is committed to ensuring all households receive equivalent levels of support for their energy bills.

In June 2022, the Government announced the Energy Bills Support Scheme which will provide £400 to all households, including those using alternative fuels, starting in October 2022.

The Government will also provide an additional payment of £100 to households across the UK who are not able to receive support for their heating costs through the Energy Price Guarantee. This might be because they live in an area of the UK that is not served by the gas grid and is to compensate for the rising costs of alternative fuels, such as heating oil.

The answer was submitted on 23 Sep 2022 at 14:24.

2. 17% of all dwellings which equates to 426,700 households are off the gas grid.  This figure is 65% in rural areas. (Source: Scottish House Conditions Survey 2019).

3. 8% of all dwellings which equates to 205,000 households have an unregulated fuel, such as heating oil, LPG or solid fuel as their “primary heating source”. (Source: Scottish House Conditions Survey 2019).

4. 5% of all dwellings which equates to 125,000 households rely on heating oil as their “primary heating source” (Source: Scottish House Conditions Survey 2019).

5. The cost of heating oil has tripled over the last year from 42p on 16 March 2021 to £1.25 on 16 March 2022. (Source: Boilerjuice comparison site).

6. Fuel poverty is rising in rural areas with fuel poverty set to rise to 57% in the Western Isles. Fuel poverty is defined as a household spending more than 10% of their income on energy after housing costs have been deducted. (Source: Energy Action Scotland.  News (eas.org.uk)).

For Immediate Release: Friday 30 September 2022

MACASKILL ACCUSES UK GOVERNMENT

OF BETRAYAL AND BLASTS £100 ENERGY AID AS “PATHETIC PITTANCE”

ALBA Party Depute Leader Kenny MacAskill MP has today (Friday) hit out at the UK Government accusing them of “betrayal” over its plans to provide £100 in aid to households who rely on unregulated fuels such as heating oil as their main source of domestic heating.  This was confirmed to Mr MacAskill in an answer to a parliamentary written question by the UK Minister for Climate, Graham Stuart MP.

In a statement Kenny MacAskill MP for East Lothian and said:

“This is an energy price betrayal and shows how out of touch this government is from the real needs of the people especially in rural, remote and island communities – many of whom have a reliance on unregulated fuels through no fault of their own, usually because they are off the gas grid. 

“£100 is an insult compared with the soaring price of unregulated fuel which has gone through the roof with the price of heating oil alone having tripled over the last year.  It is a wholly inadequate level of compensation for people who are not covered by the Ofgem energy price cap.

“Over 200,000 households in Scotland use an unregulated fuel source such as fuel oil or bottled gas to heat their homes rather than electricity or mains gas as their primary source of heating.Of these 125,000 rely on oil as the main source of heating.

“This announcement fails to take into account the dire financial circumstances families are facing with sky rocketing energy bills. 

“It shows where this government’s true priorities lie – tax cuts for the rich, lifting the cap on bankers bonuses and a pathetic pittance for people in real need.

ENDS

Notes to Editors: 

1. Parliamentary Written Answer:

The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has provided the following answer to your written parliamentary question (51990):

Question:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will set out the basis of assessment for any discretionary funding being provided by way of energy support costs. (51990)

Tabled on: 20 September 2022

This question was grouped with the following question(s) for answer:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the energy support costs provided for unregulated fuels will be (a) discretionary funding or (b) provided in full. (51989) 
Tabled on: 20 September 2022 

Answer:
Graham Stuart: 

The Government is committed to ensuring all households receive equivalent levels of support for their energy bills.

In June 2022, the Government announced the Energy Bills Support Scheme which will provide £400 to all households, including those using alternative fuels, starting in October 2022.

The Government will also provide an additional payment of £100 to households across the UK who are not able to receive support for their heating costs through the Energy Price Guarantee. This might be because they live in an area of the UK that is not served by the gas grid and is to compensate for the rising costs of alternative fuels, such as heating oil.

The answer was submitted on 23 Sep 2022 at 14:24.

2. 17% of all dwellings which equates to 426,700 households are off the gas grid.  This figure is 65% in rural areas. (Source: Scottish House Conditions Survey 2019).

3. 8% of all dwellings which equates to 205,000 households have an unregulated fuel, such as heating oil, LPG or solid fuel as their “primary heating source”. (Source: Scottish House Conditions Survey 2019).

4. 5% of all dwellings which equates to 125,000 households rely on heating oil as their “primary heating source” (Source: Scottish House Conditions Survey 2019).

5. The cost of heating oil has tripled over the last year from 42p on 16 March 2021 to £1.25 on 16 March 2022. (Source: Boilerjuice comparison site).

6. Fuel poverty is rising in rural areas with fuel poverty set to rise to 57% in the Western Isles. Fuel poverty is defined as a household spending more than 10% of their income on energy after housing costs have been deducted. (Source: Energy Action Scotland.  News (eas.org.uk)).