First Minister has confirmed that pensioners
in Scotland will receive no less than they would under the new UK
Winter Fuel Payment scheme.
During a speech on public service reform and preventative public
health measures to ensure Scots live longer, healthier, wealthier
lives, the First Minister confirmed further details of the Winter
Fuel Payment scheme will be set out in due course and that ‘the
Scottish Government will always seek what is best for Scotland's
pensioners'.
The First Minister said:
“Prevention is the hard-nosed financial principle behind the
decisions we have taken, for example, on the Winter Fuel Payment.
The Winter Fuel Payment kept some of the most vulnerable in
society warm in winter - it was always the right thing to do but
it was also the smart thing to do.
“Smart because it kept people out of hospital, in their own home.
It kept them warm and well. And then it was gone. To be quite
blunt about it, I don't believe cutting this winter lifeline was
ever going to save a penny because making millions of pensioners
poorer makes them also colder and makes them also sicker and that
in turn puts up the bill for our social services and our NHS.
“It is an almost textbook definition of a false economy.
“Keeping the Winter Fuel Payment looks after our pensioners, but
it also looks after our NHS. That is the sharp financial reality
of the prevention principle in action. It is one of the reasons
we were so quick to step in to protect pensioners in Scotland as
best we could from that wrong decision by the UK Government.
“And now they have seen the error of their ways, my government
will once again do right by Scotland's pensioners.
“I am very happy to confirm that no pensioner in Scotland will
receive less than they would under the new UK scheme. Details
will be set out in due course by my Government, but the Scottish
Government will always seek what is best for Scotland's
pensioners.”
