The Scottish Government has been urged to “get a move on” and publish details on how it plans to use new funding to help families struggling with soaring heating oil costs.
Rural MSP and sheep farmer Tim Eagle has written to SNP energy secretary Gillian Martin calling for more information to be released, outlining the Scottish households eligible for the £4.5 million funding package, when they can apply, and when the money will be delivered.
The funding, part of a £53m package for households across the UK, has been passed to the Scottish Government “with the expectation that it will be used to support vulnerable households”.
It comes as more than 140,000 Scottish households use heating oil to warm their homes.
Average costs in Scotland rose from 67.92p per litre on February 28 to 147p per litre by March 8 when the US and Israel launched attacks on Iran, as heating oil prices continue to rise.
On Monday, the UK Government outlined that in England, the extra cash will be distributed by local authorities via the Crisis and Resilience Fund, which comes into effect on 1 April.
In his letter, Mr Eagle questioned if the Scottish Government would set up a similar fund to distribute the cash from.
He has also called for an urgent update from ministers, outlining how much people may be able to claim, how many times people can claim, how quickly a household can expect to receive the money, and if this will be made available to those that heat their homes with Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG).
Scottish Conservative shadow rural affairs secretary and sheep farmer, Tim Eagle, said: “Rather than playing grievance political games, the Scottish Government must get a move on to deliver this help to families across the country.
“Being a farmer myself, I know how hard it has been for our rural communities whose bills have more than doubled to over a £1,000 amid the prospect of their tanks running empty.
“Households cannot afford to wait any longer after weeks of dither, delay and inaction by the Labour government in Westminster.
“As we have seen plenty of times in the past, handing over a cheque to the SNP government does not guarantee money will be spent where it was intended.
“That is why I am calling on Gillian Martin to urgently outline how people can claim for this funding, when they can expect it to arrive, and if those that heat their homes with LPG will also be eligible.”
In his letter, Mr Eagle added: “More broadly, this crisis has clearly shown the importance of having a diverse domestic energy mix, including more offshore oil and gas exploration in Scotland, and other reliable energy sources such as nuclear.
“While the priority must be getting financial support to households that need it most, I hope that you will reflect on the current energy crisis, and support new domestic oil and gas projects such as Rosebank, Jackdaw and Cambo, as well as reviewing your historic opposition to nuclear energy.”
