We received a petition asking:
“We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to allow a non-means tested, financial support system, payable to people with disabilities,for extra heating.”
Details of Petition:
“I am disabled. Thousand’s of people are disabled in the UK.Apart from being disabled, we all share one common problem: Heating costs. I have Rheumatoid Arthritis, Along with countless other Arthritis sufferers, we need our heating on,a lot more than average.Last month in the welsh assembly,Leanne Wood,Plaids shadow social justice minister said Quote “UK government should provide disabled people with the same protection from the cold as older people” &”If the government accepts the principle that pensioners, as a vulnerable group, need additional help in the winter, surely that principle must be applied to other vulnerable groups.” There are many thousands of disabled people who simply cannot afford extra heating in the winter,let alone any other time.With ever rising,heating charges/costs it is becoming increasingly difficult to provide for ourselves such a basic commodity in life,which reduces DEATH and helps ease certain conditions. So i urge you,help BRITAINS DISABLED,give a heating cost benefit.”
· Read the petition
· Petitions homepage
Read the Government’s response
We introduced the Winter Fuel Payment in 1997 to give pensioners reassurance that they could afford to heat their homes in winter. It is paid in a lump sum each winter to ensure that money is available when fuel bills arrive. Older people are targeted because they are particularly vulnerable to the effects of cold weather during the winter months.
It is of course appreciated that disabled people can face extra costs. By and large, these needs arise all year round and not just during the winter months.
Disability Living Allowance and the disability premiums in the income-related benefits provide additional weekly payments and are related to the individual’s circumstances. The most severely disabled people receive an additional amount of almost £8,000 per year in recognition of their extra needs. People can find out more about these benefits by telephoning the Benefit Enquiry Line on 0800 88 22 00.
Additional help with winter fuel costs may be available through Cold Weather Payments, which are made automatically to vulnerable people in receipt of qualifying benefits, during periods of exceptionally cold weather.
These payments are components in the broader strategy for tackling fuel poverty. The aim of the UK Government and Devolved Administrations remains the eradication of fuel poverty in vulnerable households as far as reasonably practicable by 2010 with the overall aim that as far as reasonably practicable no household in the UK should live in fuel poverty by 2018.
For example, the Home Energy Efficiency Scheme in Wales provides grants for insulation and heating improvements to households in receipt of qualifying benefits. To find out more about the Scheme, householders should call 0800 316 2815.
The Government believes that by targeting help to disabled and elderly people in these differing ways it is better able to meet their individual needs.
As regards fuel costs, we have negotiated a voluntary agreement with each supplier, which means that the total level of assistance offered to vulnerable households by suppliers will increase to £150 million a year by 2011.
It is always worth checking whether a competing supplier can offer a better deal. Further information can be obtained by contacting Energywatch on its consumer helpline: 0845 906 0708. The Home Heat Helpline, 0800 33 66 99, run by the energy companies, can also supply advice on fuel matters, including discounts that are available to certain groups of people.
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