Parliament Workbench
Data: Motions & questions to 19 Nov 2026

Written Question · S3W-16606 · Session 3

How many and what percentage of (a) heating oil and (b) other fuel users lived in fuel poverty in each of the last five years.

Answered Asked by John Farquhar Munro LD Lodged 26 Sep 2008

The question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many and what percentage of (a) heating oil and (b) other fuel users lived in fuel poverty in each of the last five years.

The answer

Answered by Stewart Maxwell on 10 Oct 2008 · 14 days after it was lodged, on time

The Scottish House Condition Survey (SHCS) collects this data, but only for the years 2002, 2003-04, 2004-05 and 2005-06 of the last five years. As the data is from a survey, all figures are estimates. The SHCS estimates of the count and percentage of people in households which use heating oil or not by whether they are in fuel poverty or not is shown in the following table:
Heating Oil
| Estimated count
| Estimated %

Year
| Not in Fuel Poverty
| In Fuel Poverty
| Not in Fuel Poverty
| In Fuel Poverty

2002
| 210,000
| 40,000
| 84
| 16

2003-04
| 239,000
| 54,000
| 82
| 18

2004-05
| 295,000
| 75,000
| 80
| 20

2005-06
| 246,000
| 101,000
| 71
| 29


Other Fuels
| Estimated Count
| Estimated %

Year
| Not in Fuel Poverty
| In Fuel Poverty
| Not in Fuel Poverty
| In Fuel Poverty

2002
| 4,320,000
| 466,000
| 90
| 10

2003-04
| 4,386,000
| 552,000
| 89
| 11

2004-05
|

In the Official Report

No contribution in the Official Report cites S3W-16606 by reference.