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SNP Bill Proposes Earlier Winter Fuel Payments For Off-Grid Customers
1st August 2012
The text of a Private Members' Bill has just been published, which would help off-grid pensioner households across the UK beat soaring winter energy costs - and pave the way for the proposed legislation to receive its second reading in the House of Commons on 7 September.
Moray MP, Angus Robertson, is backing his SNP colleague's proposals which would allow the payment of winter fuel allowance to pensioners, whose homes are not on the gas grid, earlier in the year. This would allow them to fill up their oil tanks before the onset of winter when prices tend to be cheaper and also to avoid delivery difficulties in adverse winter conditions.
Off grid households do not benefit from special tariffs available to help 'mains' energy customers, nor are they able to follow UK Government advice to "switch" suppliers since a virtual monopoly exists in many areas. Many households, especially in rural areas, are reliant on on off-grid supplies of heating oil and LPG for heating, and have seen their bills soar more than other forms of heating energy in recent years.
The SNP Bill (The Winter Fuel Allowance Payments [Off-Grid Claimants] Bill) has already secured cross-party support - with Conservative, Liberal Democrat, Labour, Plaid Cymru, Democratic Unionist and SDLP MPs listed as supporters.
Michael Weir, the SNP Energy and Climate Change spokesperson at Westminster, said, " The cross-party and cross country backing for this bill show that there is widespread support for action to help fuel poor pensioners whose homes are not connected to the mains gas grid. This is as much a problem in Cornwall as it is in Caithness.
"There is clear evidence that the price of home fuel oil rises rapidly from October through the winter until it begins to fall again in the spring. At present winter fuel allowances are paid out in December, which tends to be when prices are high. For those who pay quarterly energy bills this is less of a problem but for those who have to pay upfront to have their tanks filled it means that they have to pay out to fill their tanks for the winter before they get the money.
"My bill would provide a simple change that means that pensioners could receive their winter fuel allowance earlier to allow the tank to be fully filled prior to the usual winter price rises. It would give such households the comfort of knowing that they would be going into the winter with a full tank.
Angus Robertson said, "This bill would not just help with off-grid heating costs for pensioners but would also give better security of supply. If we experience very bad weather, as has happened recently, it puts less pressure on the delivery of fresh supplies if more people have filled their tanks before remoter roads become blocked with snow or icy in extreme conditions.
"The heating oil market is subject to sudden and very high price spikes and there is real concern amongst consumers that there is very little competition in the market, leaving them effectively with no option but to pay up.
"Off-grid users are the only customers not to have access to reduced tariffs and a large number of the rural fuel poor are unable to get help with heating bills at all. It is vital that this situation is addressed, and action taken to introduce robust regulation to protect consumers. The changes proposed in this bill do not tackle all the problems faced by off-grid customers, but the action the SNP is proposing would deliver practical and significant support to a particularly vulnerable group who deserve help."
