Pension Age Winter Heating Payment (PAWHP): consultation analysis

Appendix B: Consultation Questions

Q1a. Do you agree or disagree with the proposal to replace Winter Fuel

Payment with a ‘like-for-like’ replacement?

Q1b. Please provide further information on why you agree or disagree.

Q2a. Do you agree or disagree that this approach is an effective way for the Scottish Government to provide financial support for older people?

Q2b. Please provide further information on why you agree or disagree.

Q2c. Do you have any further comment on the potential longer term development of this benefit in order to provide the most effective support?

Q3a. Do you agree or disagree with the proposal to name the replacement for Winter Fuel Payment in Scotland ‘Pension Age Winter Heating Payment’ (PAWHP)?

Q3b. Please provide further information on why you agree or disagree.

Q4a. Do you agree or disagree with the proposal to continue making payments to clients in November or December each year?

Q4b. Please provide further information on why you agree or disagree.

Q5. How could we improve delivery for households in remote rural and island communities that are not on the gas grid?

Q6a. Do you agree or disagree that our universal approach to identifying eligibility should be based on reaching state pension age?

Q6b. Please provide further information on why you agree or disagree.

Q7a. Do you agree or disagree that the eligibility criteria for the PAWHP are clear?

Q7b. Please provide further information on why you agree or disagree.

Q8a. Do you agree or disagree with the proposal to retaining the current value of payments?

Q8b. Please provide further information on why you agree or disagree.

Q9a. 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?

Q9b. Do you agree or disagree that people in residential care who receive one of the income-related benefits listed should not receive PAWHP?

Q9c. Please provide further information on why you agree or disagree.

Q10a. 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?

Q10b. Please provide further information on why you agree or disagree.

Q11a. Do you agree or disagree with the proposal to pay PAWHP as an annual one-off payment each winter?

Q11b. Please provide further information on why you agree or disagree.

Q12a. Do you agree or disagree with the proposals for providing a way for people to opt-out of receiving PAWHP?

Q12b. Please provide further information on why you agree or disagree.

Q13a. Do you agree or disagree with the proposal to continue having the ‘qualifying week’ in September to identify eligible clients?

Q13b. Please provide further information on why you agree or disagree.

Q13c. If you disagreed, please provide a preference for when you think the qualifying week for PAWHP should be.

Q14a. Do you agree or disagree with the proposal that clients have 31 days to request a re-determination?

Q14b. Please provide further information on why you agree or disagree.

Q15a. 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?

Q15b. Please provide further information on why you agree or disagree.

Q16. Can you identify any potential unintended consequences which we have not considered in these proposals?

Q17. Please set out any information you wish to share on the impact of PAWHP on groups who share protected characteristics.

Q18. Please set out any information you wish to share on the impact of PAWHP on businesses.

Q19. Please set out any information you wish to share on the impact of PAWHP on Island communities.

Q20. Please set out any information you wish to share on the impact of PAWHP on reducing inequality of outcome caused by socio-economic disadvantage.

Q21. 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.