Shadow Social Justice Minister and North Wales MS Mark Isherwood has challenged the Welsh Government over the millions of pounds allocated to its Fuel Support Scheme which it failed to use.
Questioning the Social Justice Minister in yesterday’s meeting of the Welsh Parliament, Mr Isherwood, who Chairs the Senedd Cross Party Group on Fuel Poverty and Energy Efficiency, expressed concern at the lower than expected take up of the scheme and said lessons must be learnt “so that we can better reach the people who are eligible in the future”.
He said:
“The Welsh Government’s Fuel Support Scheme for 2022-23 offered a payment to eligible low-income households to help them with the rising cost of energy. You confirmed in Written Answers to my office that the Welsh Government made up to £90 million available for this and estimated that approximately 427,000 households would be eligible. However, you also confirmed to my office that, as of 28th February this year, less than £65 million had been spent on this, and that Local Authorities across Wales reported that just 316,000 households had applied to the Scheme and that only 341,468 had received a payment. Will this underspend therefore be carried forward, and if not, why not? And what work is being undertaken to establish the lessons that can be learned from this to ensure better take-up of Welsh Government support schemes in the future?”
The Minister said the latest figures are that 349,000 households received that £200 payment towards their fuel costs from the Fuel Support Scheme.
Mr Isherwood responded: “Which means that 78,000 fewer households than estimated by the Welsh Government accessed that programme and £20 million to £25 million allocated for it wasn't utilised. Therefore, we need to learn from that, I hope you'll agree, so that we can better reach the people who are eligible in the future”.
Mr Isherwood also questioned the Minister over the inconsistency of her answers to him and a Plaid Cymru MS when asked about the number of applications to the Welsh Government's Discretionary Assistance Fund, or DAF. DAFprovides grants to people who need to live independently in the community, or have experienced an emergency, crisis or disaster.
He said:
“In a written answer to a Plaid Cymru Member in February last year, you said that: 'In the financial year 1 April 2021 until 16 February 2022, there have been 14,130 applications to the Discretionary Assistance Fund for emergency payments, with 8,175 awards totalling £470,616 to clients aged 60 and over.'
“In March this year, my Office asked you: 'How many people aged 60 and over, 70 and over and 80 and over have accessed the Welsh Government's Discretionary Assistance Fund during 2021-22 and 2022-23?'
“However, you now replied: 'The Welsh Government does not hold information on the age of people accessing the Discretionary Assistance Fund (DAF).'
“Well, my Office then submitted a further question to you, using the same terminology as the February 2022 question you provided an answer to to a Plaid Cymru colleague:
'How many people over 60 have made applications to the Discretionary Assistance Fund for an emergency assistance payment during 2022-23?'
“You replied: 'As my previous answer refers, the Welsh Government does not hold information on the age of people accessing the Discretionary Assistance Fund (DAF)'.
“So, does the Welsh Government, therefore, hold information on how many people over 60 have made applications to DAF, as you told Plaid Cymru, or does it not, as you told me? If you have such data, will you now provide it? And why the inconsistency in your answer to a Plaid Cymru Member last year, when you provided those figures, and your answers to me this year, when you said you could not?”