Pension Age Winter Heating Payment (PAWHP): consultation

Section 7 – Pension Age Winter Heating Payment in Scotland Consultation Questions

Question 1a. Do you agree or disagree with the proposal to replace Winter Fuel Payment with a ‘like-for-like’ replacement?

Question 1b. Please provide further information on why you agree or disagree

Question 2a. Do you agree or disagree that this approach is an effective way for the Scottish Government to provide financial support for older people?

Question 2b. Please provide further information on why you agree or disagree

Question 2c. Do you have any further comment on the potential longer term development of this benefit in order to provide the most effective support?

Question 3a. Do you agree or disagree with the proposal to name the replacement for Winter Fuel Payment in Scotland ‘Pension Age Winter Heating Payment’ (PAWHP)?

Question 3b. Please provide further information on why you agree or disagree

Question 4a. Do you agree or disagree with the proposal to continue making payments to clients in November or December each year?

Question 4b. Please provide further information on why you agree or disagree

Question 5. How could we improve delivery for households in remote rural and island communities that are not on the gas grid?

Question 6a. Do you agree or disagree that our universal approach to identifying eligibility should be based on reaching state pension age?

Question 6b. Please provide further information on why you agree or disagree

Question 7a. Do you agree or disagree that the eligibility criteria for the PAWHP are clear?

Question 7b. Please provide further information on why you agree or disagree

Question 8a. Do you agree or disagree with the proposal to retaining the current value of payments

Question 8b. Please provide further information on why you agree or disagree

Question 9a. Do you agree or disagree that people in residential care who do not receive the income-related benefits listed should receive half of the ‘full’ rate of PAWHP?

Question 9b. Do you agree or disagree that people in residential care who receive one of the income-related benefits listed should not receive PAWHP?

Question 9c. Please provide further information on why you agree or disagree

Question 10a. Do you agree or disagree with the proposal for PAWHP to be given to clients in the form of a cash payment and not another form?

Question 10b. Please provide further information on why you agree or disagree

Question 11a. Do you agree or disagree with the proposal to pay PAWHP as an annual one-off payment each winter?

Question 11b. Please provide further information on why you agree or disagree

Question 12a. Do you agree or disagree with the proposals for providing a way for people to opt-out of receiving PAWHP?

Question 12b. Please provide further information on why you agree or disagree

Question 13a. Do you agree or disagree with the proposal to continue having the ‘qualifying week’ in September to identify eligible clients?

Question 13b. Please provide further information on why you agree or disagree

Question 13c. If you disagreed, please provide a preference for when you think the qualifying week for PAWHP should be

Question 14a. Do you agree or disagree with the proposal that clients have 31 days to request a re-determination?

Question 14b. Please provide further information on why you agree or disagree

Question 15a. We have proposed that Social Security Scotland have a period of 56 working days to consider a re-determination of PAWHP. Do you agree or disagree with this proposal?

Question 15b. Please provide further information on why you agree or disagree

Question 16. Can you identify any potential unintended consequences which we have not considered in these proposals?

Question 17. Please set out any information you wish to share on the impact of PAWHP on groups who share protected characteristics

Question 18. Please set out any information you wish to share on the impact of PAWHP on businesses

Question 19. Please set out any information you wish to share on the impact of PAWHP on Island communities

Question 20. Please set out any information you wish to share on the impact of PAWHP on reducing inequality of outcome caused by socio-economic disadvantage

Question 21. If there is anything else you would like to tell us about the described policy intention, impact assessments or PAWHP in general, please do so here