Scottish Federation of Housing Associations - Fuel Poverty in Scotland

The motion

That the Parliament notes with concern the increasing number of households experiencing fuel poverty in Scotland, currently estimated at 650,000 households, with research by Communities Scotland calculating that for every 5% increase in fuel prices an extra 30,000 households will end up in fuel poverty; recognises that fuel poverty is a key concern within the affordable housing sector, particularly in rural areas which are often off-grid, and commends the work of the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations as well as other organisations like energywatch and Energy Action Scotland in highlighting the plight of households struggling to pay for their energy; further recognises that Scotland has a disproportionate number of fuel-poor households compared with England or Wales and that many of these households are on the prepayment meter (PPM) system of paying for their energy; notes with concern that customers using the prepayment system to pay for their energy are currently paying an average of £214 per year more than those who have signed up for suppliers’ online direct debit tariffs; further notes that there are related problems with the current system of PPMs, such as infrequent recalibration which not only allows debt to build up for the customer, often without them being aware of it, but places a time and financial cost burden on registered social landlords; calls on the Scottish Government to make representations to Ofgem to undertake a comprehensive review of charges for PPM customers and calls on suppliers to do more to identify and intervene to help the most vulnerable customers before they accrue large debts; calls for further action to honour the Scottish Government’s commitment under the Housing (Scotland) Act 2001 to eradicate fuel poverty by 2016, and recognises the role that smart meters and social tariffs play in helping to reduce levels of fuel poverty and to fulfil the expectation outlined in the Energy White Paper that, within the next 10 years, all domestic energy customers will have smart meters.


No recorded vote on this motion. Most motions are never debated, and many that are debated are agreed without a division. Vote records are published from 2011.

LD 9 SNP 5 Lab 5 Green 1

Party shown is each supporter’s party when the motion was published.

No contribution in the Official Report cites S3M-01183 by reference.