Meeting of the Parliament 11 January 2023
I refer the member to my evidence to the Social Justice and Social Security Committee on that issue and to the point that I have emphasised about the fact that the weather stations do not necessarily reflect the cold conditions in some places—particularly in the Highlands, where there have been low numbers of cold weather payments despite people feeling the cold due to wind chill and so on.
Our new benefit will provide guaranteed support regardless of the weather, so that people will not have to hope for a period of cold weather to be sustained to trigger a payment. Indeed, the winter heating payment will be an automatic and reliable payment that will support people with their energy bills this year and in winters to come.
I am aware that there has been a period of exceptionally cold weather this winter. However, I also know that that is not always the case. For example, last winter, no cold weather payments were made in the areas of Edinburgh, Glasgow, Shetland, Orkney, Wick or Fife. Indeed, last winter, only 11,000 people in Scotland received the DWP’s cold weather payment. By comparison, as I have already said, our winter heating payment will provide a reliable payment to 415,000 people on the lowest incomes, no matter the weather.
Between 2015-16 and 2021-22, an average of only £8.3 million was spent on cold weather payments in Scotland, which supported an average of 185,000 people.