Low Income Winter Heating Assistance (LIWHA): consultation

Section 7 – Impact Assessments

As we have been assessing options for the policy we have been gathering evidence and developing our Impact Assessments for the introduction of LIWHA. We would therefore like to use this consultation process to explore the possible impacts of this policy and give you the opportunity to feed into the evidence gathering and therefore the development of the following Impact Assessments:

7.1 The Equality Impact Assessment summary

An Equality Impact Assessment involves assessing the impact of a new or revised policies, practices or services against the requirements of the public sector equality duty. The duty requires all Scottish Public authorities to have due regard to the need to eliminate unlawful discrimination, advance equality of opportunity and foster good relations. It covers people in respect of all aspects of equality. It helps to ensure the needs of people are taken into account during the development and implementation of a new policy or service or when a change is made to a current policy or service.

Question 33. Please set out any information you wish to share on the impact of LIWHA on groups who share protected characteristics

7.2 The Child Rights and Welfare Impact Assessment summary

The Scottish Government want to make Scotland the best place in the world for a child to grow up. Recognising, respecting and promoting the rights of children and young people is essential to achieving this. We are taking steps to ensure that children experience their rights, as determined by the United Nations Convention on Rights of the Child. A Child Rights and Wellbeing Impact Assessment helps ensure that our policies, measures and legislation protect and promote the wellbeing of children and young people.

Question 34. Please set out any information you wish to share on the impact of LIWHA on children’s’ rights and wellbeing

7.3 The Business and Regulatory Impact Assessment summary

A Business and Regulatory Impact Assessment is used to analyse the cost and benefits to businesses and the third sector of any proposed legislation or regulation, with the goal of using evidence to identify the proposal that best achieves policy objectives while minimising costs and burdens as much as possible.

Question 35. Please set out any information you wish to share on the impact of LIWHA on businesses

7.4 The Island Community Impact Assessment summary

The Islands (Scotland) Act 2018 provides for a new duty on the Scottish Ministers and other relevant public bodies that they must have regard to island communities in exercising their functions and in the development of legislation. An Island Community Impact Assessment (ICIA) is about testing any new policy, strategy or service which is likely to have an effect on an island community which is significantly different from the effect on other communities.

Question 36. Please set out any information you wish to share on the impact of LIWHA on Island communities

7.5 Fairer Scotland Duty

The Fairer Scotland Duty (the Duty) came into force on 1 April 2018 and places a legal responsibility on named public bodies in Scotland to actively consider (‘pay due regard’ to) how they can reduce inequalities of outcome caused by socio-economic disadvantage, when making strategic decisions.

Question 37. Please set out any information you wish to share on the impact of LIWHA on reducing inequality of outcome caused by socio-economic disadvantage

Question 38. If there is anything else you would like to tell us about the described policy intention, impact assessments or LIWHA in general, please do so here