A discount of £140 pounds on fuel bills will automatically be received by more than 90,000 Scottish pensioners this winter, the UK Government has said.
Those receiving Pension Credit will qualify for the warm home discount scheme from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).
After cross-checking its records with those of energy suppliers, the DWP identified about 90,100 people who were eligible for the scheme.
And most of the eligible pensioners will automatically have the money taken from their bills between now and January.
READ MORE: Anger over flu vaccine roll-out that will see oldest get jags last
Across the UK, the scheme is expected to result in savings of around £137 million for pensioners.
UK Government Minister for Scotland Iain Stewart said: “The UK Government’s warm home discount scheme will help protect more than 90,000 pensioners in Scotland on low incomes, ensuring they stay warm as the weather gets colder.
“Looking after our fellow citizens and protecting the vulnerable in our communities is more important than ever as we overcome the coronavirus pandemic.
“I’m delighted this initiative will make a difference to many elderly people in Scotland.”
Pensions Secretary Therese Coffey said: “This Government has actively helped pensioners on low incomes with their energy bills.
“We know how important it is that people keep their homes warm during the cold winter months, which is why I am thrilled that we have used our IT to ensure nearly one million pensioners automatically see their bills reduced.”
It comes after a reported two in three of elderly Scots were missing out on vital financial help to pull them out of fuel poverty - because of the "confusing" nature of the government energy bills discount scheme.
Research published in August in Citizens' Advice Scotland's Mind the Fuel Poverty Gap report found that, while those who receive the WHD rely on this to afford their bills, too many people who are eligible for it are not receiving it.
The report suggested the system is too complex, with not all suppliers offering the discount.
Those who think they might be eligible for Pension Credit or the warm home discount scheme have been urged to call a free claim line on 0800 99 1234.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here