For Immediate Release: Friday 30 September 2022

Posted byiainlawson27Posted inUncategorizedTags:,

MACASKILL ACCUSES UK GOVERNMENT

OF BETRAYAL AND BLASTS £100 ENERGY AID AS “PATHETIC PITTANCE”

ALBA Party Depute Leader Kenny MacAskill MP has today (Friday) hit out at the UK Government accusing them of “betrayal” over its plans to provide £100 in aid to households who rely on unregulated fuels such as heating oil as their main source of domestic heating.  This was confirmed to Mr MacAskill in an answer to a parliamentary written question by the UK Minister for Climate, Graham Stuart MP.

In a statement Kenny MacAskill MP for East Lothian and said:

“This is an energy price betrayal and shows how out of touch this government is from the real needs of the people especially in rural, remote and island communities – many of whom have a reliance on unregulated fuels through no fault of their own, usually because they are off the gas grid. 

“£100 is an insult compared with the soaring price of unregulated fuel which has gone through the roof with the price of heating oil alone having tripled over the last year.  It is a wholly inadequate level of compensation for people who are not covered by the Ofgem energy price cap.

“Over 200,000 households in Scotland use an unregulated fuel source such as fuel oil or bottled gas to heat their homes rather than electricity or mains gas as their primary source of heating.Of these 125,000 rely on oil as the main source of heating.

“This announcement fails to take into account the dire financial circumstances families are facing with sky rocketing energy bills. 

“It shows where this government’s true priorities lie – tax cuts for the rich, lifting the cap on bankers bonuses and a pathetic pittance for people in real need.

ENDS

Notes to Editors: 

  1. Parliamentary Written Answer:

The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has provided the following answer to your written parliamentary question (51990):

Question:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will set out the basis of assessment for any discretionary funding being provided by way of energy support costs. (51990)

Tabled on: 20 September 2022

This question was grouped with the following question(s) for answer:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the energy support costs provided for unregulated fuels will be (a) discretionary funding or (b) provided in full. (51989) 
Tabled on: 20 September 2022 

Answer:
Graham Stuart: 

The Government is committed to ensuring all households receive equivalent levels of support for their energy bills.

In June 2022, the Government announced the Energy Bills Support Scheme which will provide £400 to all households, including those using alternative fuels, starting in October 2022.

The Government will also provide an additional payment of £100 to households across the UK who are not able to receive support for their heating costs through the Energy Price Guarantee. This might be because they live in an area of the UK that is not served by the gas grid and is to compensate for the rising costs of alternative fuels, such as heating oil.

The answer was submitted on 23 Sep 2022 at 14:24.

  1. 17% of all dwellings which equates to 426,700 households are off the gas grid.  This figure is 65% in rural areas. (Source: Scottish House Conditions Survey 2019).
  1. 8% of all dwellings which equates to 205,000 households have an unregulated fuel, such as heating oil, LPG or solid fuel as their “primary heating source”. (Source: Scottish House Conditions Survey 2019).
  1. 5% of all dwellings which equates to 125,000 households rely on heating oil as their “primary heating source” (Source: Scottish House Conditions Survey 2019).
  1. The cost of heating oil has tripled over the last year from 42p on 16 March 2021 to £1.25 on 16 March 2022. (Source: Boilerjuice comparison site).
  1. Fuel poverty is rising in rural areas with fuel poverty set to rise to 57% in the Western Isles. Fuel poverty is defined as a household spending more than 10% of their income on energy after housing costs have been deducted. (Source: Energy Action Scotland.  News (eas.org.uk)).

For Immediate Release: Friday 30 September 2022

MACASKILL ACCUSES UK GOVERNMENT

OF BETRAYAL AND BLASTS £100 ENERGY AID AS “PATHETIC PITTANCE”

ALBA Party Depute Leader Kenny MacAskill MP has today (Friday) hit out at the UK Government accusing them of “betrayal” over its plans to provide £100 in aid to households who rely on unregulated fuels such as heating oil as their main source of domestic heating.  This was confirmed to Mr MacAskill in an answer to a parliamentary written question by the UK Minister for Climate, Graham Stuart MP.

In a statement Kenny MacAskill MP for East Lothian and said:

“This is an energy price betrayal and shows how out of touch this government is from the real needs of the people especially in rural, remote and island communities – many of whom have a reliance on unregulated fuels through no fault of their own, usually because they are off the gas grid. 

“£100 is an insult compared with the soaring price of unregulated fuel which has gone through the roof with the price of heating oil alone having tripled over the last year.  It is a wholly inadequate level of compensation for people who are not covered by the Ofgem energy price cap.

“Over 200,000 households in Scotland use an unregulated fuel source such as fuel oil or bottled gas to heat their homes rather than electricity or mains gas as their primary source of heating.Of these 125,000 rely on oil as the main source of heating.

“This announcement fails to take into account the dire financial circumstances families are facing with sky rocketing energy bills. 

“It shows where this government’s true priorities lie – tax cuts for the rich, lifting the cap on bankers bonuses and a pathetic pittance for people in real need.

ENDS

Notes to Editors: 

  1. Parliamentary Written Answer:

The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has provided the following answer to your written parliamentary question (51990):

Question:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will set out the basis of assessment for any discretionary funding being provided by way of energy support costs. (51990)

Tabled on: 20 September 2022

This question was grouped with the following question(s) for answer:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the energy support costs provided for unregulated fuels will be (a) discretionary funding or (b) provided in full. (51989) 
Tabled on: 20 September 2022 

Answer:
Graham Stuart: 

The Government is committed to ensuring all households receive equivalent levels of support for their energy bills.

In June 2022, the Government announced the Energy Bills Support Scheme which will provide £400 to all households, including those using alternative fuels, starting in October 2022.

The Government will also provide an additional payment of £100 to households across the UK who are not able to receive support for their heating costs through the Energy Price Guarantee. This might be because they live in an area of the UK that is not served by the gas grid and is to compensate for the rising costs of alternative fuels, such as heating oil.

The answer was submitted on 23 Sep 2022 at 14:24.

  1. 17% of all dwellings which equates to 426,700 households are off the gas grid.  This figure is 65% in rural areas. (Source: Scottish House Conditions Survey 2019).
  1. 8% of all dwellings which equates to 205,000 households have an unregulated fuel, such as heating oil, LPG or solid fuel as their “primary heating source”. (Source: Scottish House Conditions Survey 2019).
  1. 5% of all dwellings which equates to 125,000 households rely on heating oil as their “primary heating source” (Source: Scottish House Conditions Survey 2019).
  1. The cost of heating oil has tripled over the last year from 42p on 16 March 2021 to £1.25 on 16 March 2022. (Source: Boilerjuice comparison site).
  1. Fuel poverty is rising in rural areas with fuel poverty set to rise to 57% in the Western Isles. Fuel poverty is defined as a household spending more than 10% of their income on energy after housing costs have been deducted. (Source: Energy Action Scotland.  News (eas.org.uk)).

36 thoughts on “For Immediate Release: Friday 30 September 2022”

  1. This is terrible, infact the whole bloody profiteering act by the energy firms is terrible.

    Who do I blame for the state we’re in? there can only be one person to blame and that’s Sturgeon, yes, the nasty Tories at Westminster and their energy buddies don’t care a jot for the average power consumer. Nr the fact that the north of Scotland is colder than England in general.

    However, we’re in this state because Sturgeon has failed to get us out of this union and nationalise these energy firms or at the very least rein in their obscene profits. It’s not as if she hasn’t had great opportunities to exit this union (Brexit for one), nor is it down to a lack of mandates from the Scottish people (The SNP under Sturgeon’s tenure has squandered countless mandates), and it’s not down to Scotland being too wee, and too poor, or Scots being too stupid, so why has Sturgeon allowed a foreign government, and her own party put Scotland into this state, where many Scots need to choose between heating and eating, where many Scots families are in abject poverty, where many Scots parents are skipping meals so that their children can eat properly, and this is just the tip of the iceberg.

    I haven’t even mentioned housing or health or education, and I won’t mention the ferries which have cost around £100 million, sshhhh don’t mention them.

    Scotland is teeming in energy sources, we have oil, gas, and wind and water technologies, which produce far more energy than we need, so why are Scots paying through the nose for energy produced in Scotland? Again, it’s down to Sturgeon her abject failure to get us out of this union and take control of all the levers a government needs to run a country is badly hurting Scots.

    Scots will continue to suffer as long as we’re in this union, it’s impossible to run a country, and compete with other sovereign nations, when your government has one hand tied behind its back, it simply can’t be done.

    Liked by 13 people

    1. They are disgusting and disgraceful. Well the veil has been pulled back and we have been betrayed however we have evidence now and not no just a wee bit. We have been hijacked by perversion, profiteering, thieves, liars and actors. Feck the lot of them in a Scotland where our Scots laws if implemented properly they would be looking at a stretch in prison for crimes against the people.

      Liked by 9 people

    2. Republicofscotland
      I completely agree. but I would say the Kenny is bumping his gums in the wrong direction. The problem is as you say sturgeon and all those who stand with her. Alba should be putting the boot into the SNP each and every day. The SNP have been given mandate after mandate failure after failure to deliver because they do not want an Independent Scotland.
      C,mon Alba get the bloody finger out

      Liked by 7 people

      1. I do very much feel that if AS can bring NS down – and he has said that he can – then he must do that – she clearly is acting in the interests of the dark state. Whether that is through stupidity, lack of backbone, kompromat or intent I don’t know and I don’t think it matters any more – we need to get indy done.

        Liked by 5 people

  2. We spent 20 years of our working lives dependent on oil fired central heating . Thankfully we’re now reliant on our gas grid connection and don’t face the daunting prospect of sky high oil prices for heating. At least with gas , there is the prospect of adding hydrogen derived from renewable ( wind and tide generator) to the domestic has supply. The £100 bung is a pitiful amelioration of the plight facing folk not on the gas grid who in any case pay more for their electricity due to inequitable regional distribution charges .

    Liked by 4 people

    1. This doesn’t just apply in Scotland, I have a cousin in rural Lincolnshire in the same situtuation, and there must be thousands like hin in other rural areas. I wonder how those with houses they let out as holiday homes in such parts of England or indeed Wales, will react when they realise their bills are going up with little to cushion that increase!

      Liked by 1 person

  5. We need those hundred thousand signatures and people need held accountable. Someone needs to go along to the enough is enough event and collect signatures.

    Liked by 4 people

  6. It would be good if the Scottish people could go to the Scottish parliament and tell them to get out they are sacked and replaced with immediate effect by those who will do the will of the Scottish people because they have failed to do so.

    Liked by 10 people

  7. Why do you think the Torys dont listen to Scotland, they listened in 2014 which resulted in a referendum even though it was rigged. In favour of the Union. Easy because the FM is in their pocket, Northern Ireland stayed in the EU with 54% of the vote. The FM didn’t even try to get that deal for us with 62% of the vote. She could have disolve the Union when Westminster broke the terms of Union. This should have triggered a referendum immediately ,instead we have all played charades for 8 years and let’s take another selfie. Sturgeon must go. Dissolve the Union.

    Liked by 12 people

    2. “Northern Ireland stayed in the EU with 54% of the vote”.
      That was due to a) the GFA, an international agreement the UK signed up to, which was hard fought for and which had the USA as co-guarantor
      b) the fact that people in NI have the right to Irish citizenship and
      c) the government of the ROI, a full member of the EU, supported their citizens in NI and the GFA

      None of these conditions applied to Scotland.
      Scotland had nothing and no one, not even its FM, going to bat for it on its behalf
      Ireland certainly couldn’t do it!

      However I fully agree with you when you wrote “The FM didn’t even try to get that deal for us with 62% of the vote. . . . . to end”

      Liked by 8 people

      1. Yes the FM did not even try.

        The SNP expect us to fight hard – kill innocents – soak our streets in blood. Hell mend them. If Scotland goes the way of NI there will be a land border with England and a population 6 times larger to deal with. I wonder if they have thought this through. I look ahead and fear – and I hope the useless treacherous diddies that have refused to use democracy are the first to face the wrath of anarchy. But more likely it will be some kid in an army uniform – that’s what Westminster and the US respect. Contemptible, both of them.

        Liked by 6 people

      2. One of the supposed things regarding the treaty of Union is you cant treat one part differently to detrement of another . Does not Northern Ireland protocol do this and break the Treaty as does Brexit, I would suggest it does. This was a leaver to stay in the EU. It was the catalyst for a referendum on leaving the UK in 2015 and the reason Salmond was stiched up, he would have taken this opportunity, but with a London stougge leading the SNP the Tory’s could be confident in their now is not the time nonsense getting them their Brexit unopposed. A true independence leadership would have initiated a referendum straightaway or make the next election a Plebiscite. Remember we have a constitution and bill of rights and at the time were told we were equal partners in the mutual Union who could have stood in the way of democracy. ( Only those who hind in full view pretending that are pushing the cause when in fact they hold it back stifling independence at every opportunity) Unfortunately that’s were we are currently.
        Dissolve the Union.

        Liked by 7 people

    3. I think that part of the problem with Sturgeon is that she trained as a lawyer. Lawyers in Scotland seem to be taught to respect Westminster and the Union first and foremost. I don’t think Scotland even comes a poor second.

      If I’m right, then it shows us the calibre of people like KennyMcAskill. We’re lucky to have them.

      Liked by 6 people

  8. I live on a large country estate (not my estate) and of course use heating oil. While the Tory government played out their games of having 0.187% of the Scottish population choosing their next Leader and Prime Minister we had to wait for any new initiative on the cost of living disaster. Then when they did make an announcement, there was nothing to help me, my neighbours, or anyone else reliant on unregulated fuel.

    Now they offer a pittance to offset what amounted to a doubling of my last fuel bill and I’m too scared to even think what it will be next time.

    Of course, this pittance disproportionally impacts on people living in rural areas of Scotland as compared with the numbers south of the border.

    It makes me wonder if the UK government knows that the Sturgeon cabal will let this slide. No doubt their will be the usual words of derision from Blackford and co., telling the H of C that “the people of Scotland will not stand for this….”, but will they actually do anything that makes a difference – I doubt it!

    So, who is going to stand up for the people of Scotland if not their elected representatives? The current Scottish Government in the form of SNP MSPs, supported by their Green allies are sitting back in the knowledge that they have a few more years of collecting the huge salaries before their record is judged again at the ballot box. However, in the meantime how many more times will they sit back and do nothing in the face of calculated aggression from Westminster?

    Liked by 12 people

  9. To repeat what I posted earlier – you run a family bakery, sell your goods to retail outlets. You dictate that your family, employed in the family bakery, must purchase their bakery needs at retail outlets, supplied by the family business. Why? Well because you are in charge, you want to maximise profit by selling all the bakery produce, and none of the family are prepared to challenge you.

    And so with oil, gas, power, sell it to the market, and let the masses buy their rightful energy at global market prices.

    Any chance ‘FM” Sturgeon reads this blog? She doesn’t appear before the general public anymore, – with royalty yes..How does she get to understand the mood, the financial plight of many of Scotland’s people? Via her advisors? Is she now just a bird in a gilded cage?

    Liked by 8 people

  11. Having just arrived back to find this new blog article, I have been talking to my carer who also lives on the estate. In April this year, she was buying coal at £17 per bag – it is now £28 per bag. She also buys a few bags of peat every month and in April she could get them for £7.50 per bag. She ordered more today and they are £9.99 per bag – but on Monday those bags of peat will be £12.99 each!

    Liz Truss would probably have to ask her advisors “what is peat?” However, I doubt if any of them would be able to tell her either!

    Liked by 8 people

    1. Liz Truss claims that she was educated in Scotland. Well, you can tell by the accent can’t you. 😊 I wonder if she ever met a Scot.

      Liked by 3 people

  12. We gave up cutting peat and changed to oil-heating many years ago. Looks like we’ll have to get back into the peat- banks next spring – or move to the nearest built-up area where we can access gas.

    Liked by 6 people

    1. Actually it would make more sense to get rid of Sturgeon & Co. We have many, many intelligent, worthwhile people determined to simply take back our independence and return Scotland to the country we all want.

      Liked by 11 people

      1. How do we get rid of her? marion199 says at 8.55 above that Alex Salmond might know how to do it. If that’s the case then surely this is the time to move.

        Liked by 6 people

      1. The peat bogs in Scotland have wee special plants that are in danger of being extinct. So I can understand why they want to try preserve them because those plants are part of a system. I watched some short videos of the people who are actively going to replace, care as well as monitor them.

        Liked by 5 people

      2. Not sure if Turbary Rights will be affected yet, whereby you can harvest peat for the sole use of your cottage and not sell it on. Currently Lithuanian peat is also used in Ireland. It’s a mess actually. No forethought. Typical of big business 🙄

        Liked by 1 person

  13. Well said Fae
    Scots laws if implemented properly they would be looking at a stretch in prison for crimes against the people.
    Those laws are sitting waiting to be used. I would happily stump up towards a crowd funder. Its time the abuse of the Scottish population ended.

    Liked by 9 people

    1. I couldn’t agree more. It’s getting like the end of the Brave heart film, patriots of Scotland starving outnumbered and we now need to add cauld nae thanks to Sturgie and co marched the streets of Scotland, they fought like warrior poets they fought like Scotmen and women because we are not being men nae matter what the creepy few are trying to enforce and won their freedom.

      Liked by 2 people

  14. If “FM” Sturgeon truly wants independence she will catch the attention, and support of Scotland by declaring that upon independence the supply to the people of Scotland of water, power, oil and gas will at affordable domestic rates. The surplus of these resources net of domestic consumption will be sold to the global market.

    “FM” Sturgeon’s prime motivation seems to be politics, particularly gender politics, meantime the BBC are feasting upon the Ferguson ferries fiasco. Politically she could help herself and also act in our interests, and regain creditability, by promptly picking up on the new offer on ferries posted here by inviting a discussion asap with the proposers. She would of course need to determine who takes the rap for the ferries fiasco, I doubt that would cause her sleepless nights.

    Old cynical me, I don’t expect any of this to happen.

    Liked by 12 people

  15. Returning from the AUOB march today in Edinburgh, I saw footage of the independence march in Cardiff and the rally in Dublin on Irish reunification. The U.K. is disintegrating and I don’t see the Irish or welsh wondering if they’ll get permission.

    Liked by 5 people

  16. The UK is all but finished. It’s some politicians who are trying the ask permission line no us. Whit person coordinated today’s events with train strikes and protests against the cost of living theft on the same day as this march?

    Like

  17. The Irish already have permission to hold a border referendum every seven years and the Welsh government is rapidly overtaking the SNP/Green Scottish one in standing up for the people and challenging Westminster.

    Liked by 3 people

    1. Well then we see where the problem is. The guy fae SNP who spoke first still got a good reception despite the fact that we know the problem is with the SNP. Sara put it plainly that the people don’t want to listen to the politicians anymair, I know that I am fed up with listening. It’s like get it done or clear off. Ireland and Wales are different from us but I think that we are all going for the same thing at the same time. If we are the sovereign people then it’s up to us to do something.

      Liked by 2 people

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