SNP MSP for Na h-Eileanan an Iar, Alasdair Allan, has condemned the UK Government’s decision to restrict access to the Winter Fuel Payment for pensioners, without any consultation with the devolved nations. The decisions will result in many pensioners across the Western Isles being left unable to access the equivalent support in Scotland this winter.
The austerity-driven decision by the UK Labour Government has directly resulted in an estimated £160m of funding being wiped from the Scottish Government's budget – undermining the devolution settlement and leaving no choice but to replicate this policy in Scotland.
When the same measure was considered by the Tories last year, the Labour Party strongly opposed it, saying “pensioners mustn’t be forced to bear the brunt of Tory economic failure” – yet they are now imposing the very same policy on people in Scotland.
The UK already has one of the lowest pensions in North West Europe, lagging behind countries such as France and Spain and providing many pensioners with just enough to break even when the rise in the cost of living is accounted for.
Local MSP Alasdair Allan is strongly encouraging people to check whether they are eligible for pension credits in order to ensure that they still have access to the Winter Fuel Payment (now called the Pension Age Winter Heating Payment in Scotland) for this winter.
Commenting, Alasdair Allan said:
“The decision by the Labour UK government to means test the Winter Fuel Payment, restricting it to a much smaller proportion of the country’s pensioners, means that far more Western Isles households will struggle to heat their homes adequately this winter.
“This decision, taken in Westminster ahead of responsibility for this payment being transferred to Scotland and without any consultation, has resulted in the Scottish Government receiving 90% less funding than expected to provide this support. Labour’s suggestion that the Scottish Government take cash out of the NHS to fill the financial hole they have created in the winter fuel payments budget is no solution at all.
“I am strongly encouraging pensioners across the islands to check if they are eligible for pension credit, which will mean they are entitled to the Pension Age Winter Heating Payment this winter.”
Pension Credit: How to claim - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
