What assessment has the Welsh Government made of the Older People's Commissioner for Wales's estimate that the UK Government's decision to scrap the Winter Fuel Allowance will lead to four thousand excess deaths in Wales?
Responsibility for the revised policy relating to eligibility for the winter fuel payment and assessment of its impact sit with the UK Government, however Welsh Government is working closely with the Department for Work and Pensions to ensure older people in Wales can keep warm this winter. The Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Trefnydd and Chief Whip and I met with the Older People’s Commissioner and discussed her concerns relating to this change. I have also recently met with Age Cymru to discuss this issue.
We continue to support the UK Government’s Pension Credit campaign and have re-shared our own resources which signpost people to our Claim What’s Yours Helpline. I have reassured the Older People’s Commissioner that we are reaching out to digitally excluded older people via posters in health settings and by training frontline professionals to offer face-to-face benefits advice. The UK government is also writing to 6,600 people in Wales who may be eligible for Pension Credit to invite them to make a claim.
This year £30 million has been invested into our Warm Homes Nest Scheme to tackle fuel poverty for homeowners and households renting from private landlords. We also continue to work closely with Age Cymru to deliver our ‘Spread the Warmth’ campaign, which encourages people to plan ahead for winter. This year the campaign is focusing on the importance of checking for unclaimed benefits and entitlements; the link between nutrition and warmth and highlighting the benefits of taking up vaccines.